Hashtag Islam

Hashtag Islam
Author: Gary R. Bunt
Publisher: UNC Press Books
Total Pages: 233
Release: 2018-09-25
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1469643170

Gary R. Bunt is a twenty-year pioneer in the study of cyber-Islamic environments (CIEs). In his new book, Bunt explores the diverse and surprising ways digital technology is shaping how Muslims across vast territories relate to religious authorities in fulfilling spiritual, mystical, and legalistic agendas. From social networks to websites, essential elements of religious practices and authority now have representation online. Muslims, embracing the immediacy and general accessibility of the internet, are increasingly turning to cyberspace for advice and answers to important religious questions. Online environments often challenge traditional models of authority, however. One result is the rise of digitally literate religious scholars and authorities whose influence and impact go beyond traditional boundaries of imams, mullahs, and shaikhs. Bunt shows how online rhetoric and social media are being used to articulate religious faith by many different kinds of Muslim organizations and individuals, from Muslim comedians and women's rights advocates to jihad-oriented groups, such as the "Islamic State" and al-Qaeda, which now clearly rely on strategic digital media policies to augment and justify their authority and draw recruits. This book makes clear that understanding CIEs is crucial for the holistic interpretation of authority in contemporary Islam.

Freedom of Speech and Islam

Freedom of Speech and Islam
Author: Erich Kolig
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2016-04-15
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317132823

Freedom of speech and expression is considered in the West a high public good and an important social value, underpinned by legislative and ethical norms. Its importance is not shared to the same extent by conservative and devout Muslims, who read Islamic doctrines in ways seemingly incompatible with Western notions of freedom of speech. Since the Salman Rushdie affair in the 1980s there has been growing recognition in the West that its cherished value of free speech and associated freedoms relating to arts, the press and media, literature, academia, critical satire etc. episodically clash with conservative Islamic values that limit this freedom for the sake of holding religious issues sacrosanct. Recent controversies - such as the Danish cartoons, the Charlie Hebdo affair, Quran burnings, and the internet film ’The Innocence of Muslims’ which have stirred violent reactions in the Muslim world - have made the West aware of the fact that Muslims’ religious sensitivities have to be taken into account in exercising traditional Western freedoms of speech. Featuring experts across a spectrum of fields within Islamic studies, Freedom of Speech and Islam considers Islamic concepts of blasphemy, apostasy and heresy and their applicability in the modern world.

Social Media in the Arab World

Social Media in the Arab World
Author: Barrie Gunter
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2016-04-21
Genre: History
ISBN: 0857728660

Following the Arab Spring, the use of social media has become instrumental in organising activist movements and spreading political dissent in the Middle East. New online behaviours have transformed traditional communication channels, enabling young people of all backgrounds to feel politically empowered. But now that spring has turned to winter, what are the long-term implications of internet activism in the region? Social Media in the Arab World provides a unique insight into the role of online communications as a force for change in the Gulf States. Featuring examples as diverse as neo-patrimonial politics in Saudi Arabia and the ways an online presence affects the status of women in Kuwait, the chapters examine shifts in the political, social and religious identities of citizens as a result of increased digital activism. With contributions from a variety of inter-disciplinary experts, this wide-ranging study examines the consequences of changing power dynamics brought about by popular social media. In doing so, this book offers an original perspective on the long-term implications of internet usage in the Arab world and is essential reading for students and researchers working across the region.

Psychological and Behavioral Examinations in Cyber Security

Psychological and Behavioral Examinations in Cyber Security
Author: McAlaney, John
Publisher: IGI Global
Total Pages: 358
Release: 2018-03-09
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1522540547

Cyber security has become a topic of concern over the past decade. As many individual and organizational activities continue to evolve digitally, it is important to examine the psychological and behavioral aspects of cyber security. Psychological and Behavioral Examinations in Cyber Security is a critical scholarly resource that examines the relationship between human behavior and interaction and cyber security. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics, such as behavioral analysis, cyberpsychology, and online privacy, this book is geared towards IT specialists, administrators, business managers, researchers, and students interested in online decision making in cybersecurity.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia
Author: Paul Aarts
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2015
Genre: History
ISBN: 1849044651

Two seasoned Saudi-watchers diagnose whether or not the Kingdom's body politic is ailing and if its condition might be terminal.

Homeland Security Cultures

Homeland Security Cultures
Author: Alexander Siedschlag
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 404
Release: 2018-07-12
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1786605937

Homeland Security Cultures: Enhancing Values While Fostering Resilience explores the role that culture plays in the study and practice of homeland security in an all-hazards, whole-community, and all-of-government scope. It does so by analyzing and discussing strategic, organizational, operational, and social cultures in the U.S. Homeland Security Enterprise, as well as from an international perspective. The focus is on how knowledge and interpretation, normative values, common symbols, and/or action repertories inform the evolution of the homeland security mission space and the accomplishment of homeland security functions. Contributions also address institutional changes designed to foster a more coherent common homeland security culture. This textbook will make a contribution to the evolution of homeland security as a policy area and a field of study by offering actionable insight as well as critical thinking from scholars and practitioners on how cultural aspects matter in balancing security against liberty, in managing complex risks, in enhancing collaboration across sectors, and in explaining how a resilient nation can be fostered while enhancing liberal and democratic values.

The World Almanac of Islamism 2017

The World Almanac of Islamism 2017
Author: American Foreign Policy Council
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 1159
Release: 2017-12-18
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1442273453

Now in its third edition, The World Almanac of Islamism is the first comprehensive reference work to detail the current activities of radical Islamist movements worldwide. The contributions, written by subject expert, provide up-to-date assessments on the contemporary Islamist threat in all countries and regions where it exists. Each country study will include valuable metrics for gauging the advance or decline of Islamism. In places where Islamists are not in power, these include year-on-year comparisons of the number of terrorist attacks that have taken place, the level of popular support being received by radical religious organizations and political parties, and applicable government responses to these trends, if any. In places where they are in power, metrics encompass relevant changes to domestic human rights practices and social conditions, foreign policy rhetoric and action, and the overall stability of the state.

State of Failure

State of Failure
Author: Jonathan Schanzer
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2013-10-29
Genre: History
ISBN: 1137278242

A provocative look at the past, present, and future of Palestine, arguing that the biggest obstacle to Palestinian statehood isn't Israel, but its own corrupt leadership