Abstract
This paper examines the failures in King Fahd of Saudii Arabia's reign. It shows that despite the fact that he was born a prince of the House of Saud, he does not have the credentials of a modern, educated, leader with a global understanding and perspective. The paper examines his failure as an Islamic leader as well as the failures in the King's foreign, economic and domestic policies. The paper also looks at Saudii Arabia's future, with the future king, Prince Abdullah, at its helm.

From the Paper
"During the reign of King Fahd, the economic position of the Kingdom has become increasingly dismal. The five-year plans that have been promulgated have been a monument to the failure of the country to achieve its major goals of diversification of industry and distribution of goods and wealth throughout the country. Some of the foreign policy initiatives of Fahd -- particularly his movement toward the United States -- have been dictated by his failures to right the course of the economy. Thus, the country has become more and more dependent on direct and indirect economic support from the United States."

Tags:Makkah, Al, Mukarramah, Khaled, Osama, bin, Laden

Abstract
The paper looks at how Ibn Battuta's descriptions of his travel experiences between 1325 and 1354 reveal that the 14th Century world was greatly influenced by Islamic civilization and culture. The paper asserts that reading "The Travels of Ibn Battuta" indicates that just as American culture dominates the modern world because of America's political and economic dominance, Islamic culture dominated much of the 14th Century world because of the Baghdad Caliphate's widespread political and economic dominance.

From the Paper
"Ibn Battuta's descriptions of his travel experiences between 1325 and 1354 reveal that the 14th Century world was greatly influenced by Islamic civilization and culture. He traveled from Morocco at the western end of the Mediterranean to China thousands of miles to the east, and in every land he traveled through the influence of Islamic culture was evident, especially among rulers, merchants, and scholars. Reading "The Travels of Ibn Battuta"..."

Tags:travels, ibn, battuta

Abstract
This paper analyzes the book "The Adventures of Ibn Battuta" by Ross E. Dunn. The author explores whether the world in which Ibn Battuta traveled was a unified civilization, what the similarities and dissimilarities were that he encountered in the various areas he visited and how his background affected his experiences.

Tags:adventures, ibn, battuta

Abstract
This paper discusses the works, beliefs of and the contributions by the famous Arab historian Abu Zayd 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Khaldun al-Hadrami. the paper will also highlight the views as proposed and shared by another famous philosopher of his time, Plato in his work "Republic" and "Gorgias". It discusses the views of this highly learned Muslim scholar and analyzes his works in comparison to other eminent figures. It also looks at his life history in order to understand how his surroundings helped shape his personality.

From the Paper
" Ibn Khaldun opened new chapters in the world of history and paved a wide leeway for the study of Western history. Moreover, the great scholar of played a cardinal role in correcting the inaccurate and in introducing new notions related to economics and the way pricing, policing, profiting and other aspects of world economics must be viewed. The learned thinker also put forth his unique and pragmatic views of government structures and their functions in reality and brought forward the essentials of the way nature and its forces acting upon men must be scrutinized. Unlike his other contemporaries, Ibn Khaldun was not quite influenced by Aristotle or Plato or for that matter any of the pioneers of great thinking except for Al-Gazali. However, the little influence that other philosophers had on this eminent scholar's works will be studied in detail with respect to his popular works including The Muqaddimah and his other well-known convictions regarding the universally held views of pertaining to nature, government and the social structure. "

Tags:Muqaddimah, plato, republic, Abd, al-Rahman, ibn, Khaldun, al-Hadrami

Abstract
This paper is an analysis of a story in the form of a quest, "The Journey of Ibn Fattouma." The author finds that this literary journey becomes increasingly metaphorical as the story progresses and that Fattouma, the protagonist, has by the end of the book come to understand himself better as a man and has found his soul even though he has supposedly not found love.

From the Paper
"It has been argued that there is only one story, that of the quest, the seeking after something that is either lost or that was never obtained to begin with. Quest tales do of course differ from each other in important ways. There are great differences among the heroes and villains who set out in search of something, and what it is that they are searching for changes the nature of the story at least as much as does the character of the traveler. And then there is the important distinction between those quests that are successful and those that are not although to this a third category of stories must be added, which is the kind of quest that may or may not have been successful, but either the reader or the seeker does not know if the goal has been obtained.Nagib Mahfouz's The Journey of Ibn Fattouma is certainly a story in the form of a quest. It is must transparently about a quest in that it takes the form of a story about a journey. This literal journey (as is true in all good quest stories) becomes increasingly metaphorical as the story progresses, and Fattouma's traveling becomes by the end of the novel a symbol and a way of understanding many different things. The protagonist has by the end of the book come to understand himself better as a man and as an individual and he has also come to a fuller understanding of what it means to be a person of faith who is guided by the complexities of making moral choices along the path of life."

Tags:Ibn, Fattouma, quest, journey, love, soul, travel

Abstract
This essay discusses the actions of the King in Shakespeare's "King Lear," and how his narcissism, distrust for those closest to him and descent into madness lead the King to divide rule of the fictional, ancient England. The paper explores how this solitary act effectively destroys the
body politic of England. The essay argues that it is the unnatural passing of power that destroys the social order of England and that the kingdom will not easily recover from the mess King Lear has created. Further, the paper argues that the play implies that the only act that could save England would be replacing the brutal leaders with a single, worthy king.

From the Paper
"It is only too late that Lear realizes he gave power to those who would seek to destroy him and pushed away those he should have put faith in. The treacherous acts of those around him, the shunning of those he should trust, and the descent into madness that King Lear experiences effectively destroy the Body Politic as well as the lives of the characters."

Tags:Shakespeare, King Lear, Body Politic

Abstract
This paper introduces, discusses, and analyzes Martin Luther King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech as presented in Mary Louise Pratt's essay "Arts of the Contact Zone." The paper gives a brief description of King's life and the impact his speech had on the civil rights movement. The reviewer defines Pratt's term "autoethnographic text" which was used in the essay to describe the speech. The paper then outlines and analyzes King's speech, using quotations. The paper concludes by stating that King felt black and white Americans had far more commonalities than differences.

From the Paper
"Martin Luther King gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963, during a massive march calling for black civil rights. King was a Baptist minister who worked tirelessly for civil rights until his assassination in 1968. King's speech helped mobilize the black community to work for civil rights and helped show the white community just what blacks faced in terms of segregation, bigotry, and prejudice. It also is an excellent example of the art of the contact zone - specifically how different groups can view the same experience with very different eyes."

Tags:Martin, Luther, King, Mary, Louise, Pratt, I, Have, a, Dream, Arts, of, the, Contact, Zone

Abstract
The following paper discusses the life of Louis XIV, the Sun King. He was a great monarch who helped in the revival of arts and theater in the country, some of his major military excursions were also very successful and they came in the first twenty years of his rule.

From the paper:

"Louis XIV was born in a royal palace in 1638 and was made king at the very young age of five as his father Louis XIII had died. But since the new king was very young to look after the Empire, numerous uprisings were see in the country, the nobles and elites of France tried to create problems and so did the general public. This was period of intense rebellion against the monarchs, and is known in the French history as Fronde beginning in 1648 and ending in 1653.The king who was at a very impressionable age, was disturbed by the insurgencies and this was one thing he never forgot and the threat that the people of Paris had posed was also taken very seriously."

Tags:king, rule, achievements, financial, administrative, centers, royal, Empire, France

Abstract
This paper analyzes how in his "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court", Mark Twain seeks to satirize many of the "romantic" notions about the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It looks at how his depiction of 6th century England reveals a time and a country that is rife with political, economic and social problems where many people are subjugated by fear of the supernatural and forced to lead oppressed lives. It discusses how Twain's novel seeks to tell us as much about the failings of 19th century post-Enlightenment American ideology as it does to criticize the romantic vision of King Arthur.

From the Paper
"In his zeal to develop 6th century England into a technologically-advanced republic based on democratic principles, the Yankee unleashes all of the horrors of modern warfare upon the knights that try to stop him. In this final battle, we see the ways in which Twain's satire has increasingly come to question the values of America in the 19th century, and that this critique is just as profound and deep-seated as his earlier attacks on the romanticism of Arthurian England. The Yankee's idea is that it is only the Church and the aristocracy that are opposed to a republic, because a democratic government would not benefit them since they already possess a higher role in the social order under the monarchy. Hank argues that if he and his supporters can just get rid of the upper echelon of British society, then they will have control of the country and can set up a new government."

Tags:king, arthur, knights, merlin, excaliber

Abstract
This paper takes a look at this play which is set in post World War Two Nigeria and of the customs of burying a King. The play is based on a ritual that was practiced by the Yoruba tribe. If a king died, his horseman, horse and dog had to follow the king into the afterlife. These customs and rituals are analyzed for their symbolism throughout the play.

From the Paper
"In "Death and the King's Horseman," Soyinka describes the circumstances surrounding and leading up to the ritual suicide of Elesin Oba, the King's chief horseman. On the day of the burial of the king the day of Elesin's suicide, the horseman is celebrated and praised. The Praise-Singer celebrates the life of Elesin. The village women glorify his exploits and the supreme sacrifice he is about to make. There is singing and dancing as part of the celebration. Elesin is arrayed in the richest and most colorful finery. A prominent woman Iyaloja acquiesces to Elesin's request to marry and consummate relationships, if only for one night, with a young beautiful woman who is betrothed to her own son. Such is the willingness of the village to glorify Elesin. After the marriage, the procession winds to the village and the place of the suicide ritual. Soyinka vividly and lyrically describes how the Praise-Singer plays devils advocate asking whether Elesin is ready to go through with it. Elesin is ready; he enters a trance that transcends the boundaries of physical feeling."

Tags:king, burial, play, royalty, animals, afterlife, custom