Islamicate Civilisation
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India as the hydra against Islam
Razib Khan asks why India stayed mostly non-Muslim after some five centuries of Muslim rule, and rejects the claim that violent resistance explains it, noting that Iran’s Tabaristan kept Zoroastrian…
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Homoeroticism, Blasphemy, and Classical Muslim Society
Omar Ali posts a Twitter thread by Irfan Muzammil on homoeroticism and blasphemy in classical Muslim society, starting from the Abbasid poet Abu Nuwas, and adds his own brief comments…
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Quick Review: What is Islam, by Shahab Ahmed
A quick review of Shahab Ahmed’s What is Islam?, which the reviewer finds overlong and unclear in purpose: it shows the wide variety of belief and practice in Islamicate societies,…
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The Decline (and Attempted Rise) of the Sunnis in the Middle East
The author discusses Martin Kramer’s essay on the decline and attempted revival of Sunni power in the Middle East since the Ottomans, arguing that Islamists will recognise this story, and…
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Islamicate civilization: It will get worse before it gets better…
Omar Ali writes about the suicide bombing near the Wagah border ceremony, the army’s boast of resilience and India’s suspension of its parade, and offers loose thoughts on Islamicate civilisation,…
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Pakistan; negotiations and operations..and Islamicate rationality
The author argues that Pakistan’s farcical talks with the TTP, a gambit meant to expose the Taliban before a military operation, backfired by legitimising them, and links this to a…
