Abstract
This paper explains that understanding Al Rumi's poetry largely depends on a willingness to accept the complexity of the philosophical and spiritual ideas that they express and the manner in which they challenge the very notion of the self.

From the Paper
"Jalal El Din Al Rumi, a thirteenth century Moslem Sufi poet, is currently the most popularly read poet in the West. Norman M. Brown, the leader of the Community Unitarian Universalist Church in Daytona Beach, Florida, has an interesting theory regarding Al Rumi's popularity. As he argues, most people, whether conscious of it or not, have spiritual needs and desires. The rational outlook of twentieth century Western civilization suppresses these types of needs and desires, does not give them the opportunity to express or fulfill themselves and, as a result, many people become spiritually frustrated (Brown). The minority who are conscious of their spiritual frustration turn to various religions in search of some type of fulfillment. However, few, if any, of these religions provide such fulfillment. The exception to this, according to Norman M. Brown is Sufi "mystical" Islam which appears to address both human spiritual needs and emotions on one hand, and the human respect for rationality and intellect, on the other (Brown). As Brown argues, Sufi thought, combining between philosophy and spirituality, and concisely expressed in the poetry of Al Rumi, satisfy the inborn human spiritual and intellectual desires and, in this, lies the popularity of the Sufist poet in the West."

Tags:self, philosophy

Abstract
The paper looks at the emergence of Al-Qaeda, the historical context within which it came to prominence, its ideological commitments, its impact upon the world and the threat it constitutes to western society. The paper illustrates how Al-Qaeda is a ruthless organization driven by nationalistic and socio-political objectives - and its danger to the western world lies in the fact that it is amorphous, de-centralized, highly-motivated, and international in scope.

From the Paper
"The following paper will look at the emergence of Al-Qaeda, the historical context within which it came to prominence, its ideological commitments, and its impact upon the world and the threat it constitutes to western society. In the final analysis, Al-Qaeda is a ruthless organization driven by nationalistic and socio-political objectives - and its danger to the western world lies in the fact that it is amorphous, de-centralized, highly-motivated, and international in scope. Experts who have followed the tangled, twisting history of Al-Qaeda point..."

Tags:al, qaeda, impact, ideology

Abstract
In this paper, the two Islamic modernist explored in this study reflect the growing sense of secularization of Muslim society in the 19th century. The paper shows that although the likes of Jamal Al Din Afghan and Sayyid Ahmad Khan were not able to create a strong enough educational resistance to religious dominance in their own cultures; they were able to counteract a complete control of the British imperialism that used the ignorance of pure religion within their communities.

From the Paper
"This study will examine the nature of modernist reform in the 19^th century, which relied upon redefining Islamic ways of life through religious precepts. By understanding the reformers of the 19^th century, one can realize how technology and education was foremost issue amongst Arabs that sought to acclimate to, but not adhere to foreign imperialism that had conquered Islamic countries. In this manner, the relationship between western ideologies and Islamic faith-based principles were modernized through the creation of secular systems of thought. In essence, the modernization of the Islamic world in the 19^th century reflects knowledge of western technology and science, but relies on the dictates of Islamic morals and ethics in a societal format."

Tags:muslim, reform, ideas

Abstract
This paper explains that Islam draws no difference between religious and secular life; thus, sharia includes not only holy rites but also many features of everyday life. The author describes Noble Drew Ali, born Timothy Drew in North Carolina in 1886, who founded the Moorish Science Temple of America, one group of which had the leadership from Elijah Muhammadhb and became the Nation of Islam. The paper relates that, in the present day, the Tablighi Jama'at is the major Islamic movement in relation to both the number of campaigners and geographical spread and plays a major part in publicizing Islamic consciousness and awareness at the ground level.

Table of Contents
Shari'ah
Umma
Noble Drew Ali
Warith al-Din Muhammad
Kunta Kinte
Tablighis Movement
Elijah Muhammad

From the Paper
"Elijah Muhammad from 1897-1975 was the head of the Nation of Islam also known as Black Muslims during their time of maximum growth in the mid-20th century. Elijah Mohammad was born on October 7, 1897 near Sandersville in Georgia. His parents were also slaves who worked on cotton plantation as sharecroppers and his father was also a considered as a Baptist preacher. As a child Elijah worked in the fields and on the railroad, but he left home at age 16 to tour and work at unusual jobs. He settled down in Detroit in the year 1923 and was working on a Chevrolet assembly line. Later in Chicago, away from aggressive Muslim factions in Detroit, Muhammad formed what quickly became the most significant center of the movement."

Tags:awareness, external-ritual, punishment, heritage, group

Abstract
This paper discusses and examines the evolution of Shari'a and its development from its Qur'anic usage to the time of Ibn Taymia. The paper examines the roots of Islamic law, the prophet Muhammed, political and religious schisms within Islam and important figures in the religion.

Introduction
Pre-Islamic Law
Muhammed the Law Giver
Early Qu'anic Law
Political Schisms and Islamic Law
What is Customary and Right
Taqi al-Din Ahmad Ibn Taymiyya (d. 1328
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Islamic law had its roots in pre-Islamic Arab society. This society and its law showed both profane and magical features. The law was magical in so far as the rules of investigation and evidence were dominated by sacral procedures, such as divination, oath, and curse; and it was profane in so far as even penal law was reduced to questions of compensation and payment. There are no indications that a sacred law existed among the pagan Arabs; this was an innovation of Islam. The magical element left only faint traces, but Islamic law preserved the profane character of a considerable portion of penal law. It also preserved the essential features of the law of personal status, family, and inheritance as it existed, no doubt with considerable variations of detail, both in the cities and among the bedouin of Arabia."

Tags:theology, mecca, religious, reformer, medina, ruler, lawgiver, arabian, tribal, society

Abstract
This paper presents a brief examination of American foreign policy from the Vietnam War to the bombardment of Cambodia, the Gulf War and the economic sanctions on Iraq as well as the present war against bin-La din's al-Qaida in Afghanistan.

From the Paper
"The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today is my own government," said Martin Luther King in 1967. King's premise is presently shared by many, in the United States and elsewhere, who believe that the US is the "evil empire" of the second half of the 20th century. While the current American offensive is justified by many throughout the political spectrum. The Nation's Richard Falk maintains that "The war in Afghanistan against apocalyptic terrorism" is the first truly just war since World War II" others argue that the bombardment is merely another example of the violent, disdainful nature of America's foreign policy. The American intervention in WWII, of course, is widely regarded as a necessary contribution to the containment of the expansionist Nazi aggressors. Not too many people repudiate the legitimacy of that war, the mere existence of various non-white ethnic groups throughout the world is enough to dispel any counter notions. In retrospect, most people agree that the US would have saved the life of millions had it recognized the nature of the enemy sooner, and thus joined the war earlier. "

Tags:afghanistan, american, army, bombings, cambodia, foreign, iraq, just, limited, military, nuclear, policy, sanctions, terrorism, vietnam, war, weapons

Abstract
With the age of expansion and exploration in both Europe and Asia, there would come a time when the two worlds would inevitably converge. That junction between Europe and Asia came to be called the Middle East. This paper explores the influences of the Arabic culture on Europe, more specifically, the effect of Arabian musical traditions on the world?s musical tastes. In examining the musical development of Western cultures, it becomes evident that the nations of Islam contributed, not only to its advancement, but also its direction, chiefly in preserving and spreading the scholastic ideas on music held by Greece, Rome, and the Middle East.

From the Paper
"Furthermore, the invasion and fall of the Byzantine Empire by the Muslim nations brought about a migration of intellectuals from the capital, Constantinople, to the island of Crete and the great seaports of Venice. It was the influx of these intellectual thinkers coupled with the invention of the printing press that served as a catalyst for the Italian renaissance. The scholars that fled the turbulent scene of Constantinople brought with them not only many texts in both Greek and Latin, but also the ideas that facilitated the Renaissance movement."

Tags:arabian, nights, rhythm, Bayt, al-Hikmah, Badr, al-Din

Abstract
The 'Red Brigades' was a terrorist group formed in 1969 in Italy as the result of student movements. They were an extreme left terrorist group with the goal of separating Italy from the Western alliance. The group advocated violence and targeted unionists, politicians and businessman who they claimed represented the "establishment." The paper shows that although the Red Brigade succeeded in acts of terror while operational, ultimately during the 1980s the organization declined due, in part, to internal schisms, operational failures and the arrests of many of the members. As a terrorist entity, one might consider the group a failure. The paper shows, in contrast, that the Palestinian Liberation Organization has successfully contributed to the cause of terror over time and factions of the organization still exist. The PLO of Palestine existed as a terrorism powerhouse and achieved some of their goals and continues to be a successful terrorist movement in Palestine. The paper examines what differentiates the two groups, whether one might consider the PLO successful and the Red Brigades a failure and whether one could consider a group described as "terrorist" successful. The paper traces both groups' histories and looks at their similarities.

From the Paper
"One of the appealing aspects to prospective members of the organization was money. Adult males who joined the PLO not only received their pension, but their wives also received an allowance for the family. The Palestinian organization was successful for many reasons, not the least of which was relating to the common person. Many Palestinians and Arabs have for many years sought a unified existence. The PLO-Palestine offered just that. It united the common person for a common cause. The violent activities promoted by the organization were not seen as fruitless acts of maliciousness and horror; rather they were seen as activities dictated by higher powers for a good and unified purpose."

Tags:Nasser, Yasser, Arafat, Izz, al-Din, al-Qassam, Ahmed, Yassin, Autonomia, Operaia, Aldo, Moro

Abstract
This paper relates that Amin Maalouf used Arab chroniclers, diarists and historians of which were several first-hand accounts to write the story of the Crusades from the perspective of the Arabs. The paper points out that, in his book "The Crusades through Arab Eyes", Maalouf writes about the brutal behavior of the crusaders towards both Jews and Muslims particularly in the sacred city of Jerusalem. The paper explains that the book indicates that several comparative accounts differ about Muslim and Christian rule, especially in the Muslim capture of the crusader states such as Edessa and Antioch.

Table of Contents:
Sources
Chapters I-III
Chapters VIII-IX
Chapter X-XI

From the Paper
"The Zengi sultanate was established by Imad ed-Din Zengi, the Seljuk governor of Mosul in 1127. He also ruled over Northern Syria and Iraq as well as Aleppo. In 1144, Imad ed-Din Zengi captured the county of Edessa, the first crusader state to be established by the armies of the First Crusade. His capture of Edessa had then made Imad ed-Din Zengi a hero in the Muslim world but this was short-lived as he was soon killed by a slave in 1146. The territories under Zengi's ruling were then divided between his two sons."

Tags:invasion first-hand, salah al-din, captives zengi

Abstract
This paper is a brief overview of how Christians and Muslims perceived each other during the Crusades (1096-1271), how both religions cooperated during times of intense conflict, how history has overlooked these times of cooperation, and how Christianity's re-written accounts have shaped today's modern view. The paper concludes that Muslim-Christian relations were in fact better than what current interpretations of history reveal to us, and that these misinterpretations have been the cause of the inaccurate views of each other today.

Outline:
The Crusades: A Brief Introduction
Christian Understandings
Islamic Understandings
Muslim-Christian Cooperation
Effects of the Crusades Today
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The biggest contribution to modern day academia can be traced back to the Muslim-Christian interaction and cooperation in the fields of philosophy and science. European Christians' interaction with Islam "enabled it to develop its skills in all scholarly and scientific fields, particularly those of philosophy, medicine, astronomy, chemistry, and mathematics." In philosophy, for example, Muslims were highly sought out for their commentaries and translations on the ancient Greek philosophies of Aristotle and Plato. European Christians became familiar with "the concepts of Aristotelian metaphysics through the Arab philosophers in Spain.""

Tags:medicine, philosophy, Holy, Land, Sultan, Salah, al-Din