An article by Cameron Mann suggests that the stories of King Arthur and the Arabian Nights are very similar in origin and development. According to Mann, The religious aspects of both stories would...Show moreAn article by Cameron Mann suggests that the stories of King Arthur and the Arabian Nights are very similar in origin and development. According to Mann, The religious aspects of both stories would also be similar. The goal of this thesis is to see if Mann was right. The research question is therefore: what is the role of religion in the stories of King Arthur and the Arabian Nights? The thesis consists of three parts. First a comparison of the origins of both stories, to see if they are actually similar. The second chapter is a deep-dive into the religious elements in the story of King Arthur and their role they play. This will be done by examining different authors, who added different christian elements depending on their historical context. The final chapter is about the islamic elements in the Arabian Nights and how these elements reflect the society of the time the stories were told. The conclusion is that both stories were created in completely different contexts and also that the role of the religious elements are not as similar as Mann suggested.Show less
Andalusian music is performed today all over the Mediterranean and beyond. Why? There is not one kind of music that we can characterize as being from al-Andalus. Jewish and Christian peoples had...Show moreAndalusian music is performed today all over the Mediterranean and beyond. Why? There is not one kind of music that we can characterize as being from al-Andalus. Jewish and Christian peoples had musical traditions before the arrival of the Muslims, who brought along musicians from the East. There was reciprocal influence between traditions, but likely there remained separate identities to a certain extent. From the 15th century, great numbers of Jews, Muslims, or converted people were forced in different installments to leave the Iberian Peninsula. These people brought along elements of their home culture to their new destinations. This forms the basis for most contemporary traditions of Andalusian music. These traditions and their different claims on the identity and purpose of the music, provide telling insights into the narratives on Andalusian music of today. For this reason, I discuss a handful of primary sources, discussing either performances of Andalusian music or ensembles of Andalusian music. Three main narratives emerge, the first being the Islamic Golden Age narrative. It looks back on Al-Andalus as the highpoint of Islamic civilization and culture, and Andalusian music then is instrumentalized as a nostalgic tool and symbol of the ‘ideal’ al-Andalus. The second narrative is that of local heritage. This narrative focusses on the locally cultivated traditions of Andalusian music, that have both a stark regional identity and its own claim to al-Andalus and a certain authenticity. The last main narrative observed is that centered on the European Convivencia ideal, full of nostalgia for a time of peaceful tolerance and collaboration between ‘the three religions’.Show less
The first elections after the anti-establishment Arab Spring protests resulted in a victory for Islamist political parties in a number of MENA countries. This came as a surprise to the West, which...Show moreThe first elections after the anti-establishment Arab Spring protests resulted in a victory for Islamist political parties in a number of MENA countries. This came as a surprise to the West, which points of view are known to contradict Islam with the democracy and civil liberties that the Arab Spring protests called for. It comes as no surprise then that Islamist political success is often contributed to the inclusion of these parties in a pluralist and democratic playfield. Allegedly, this forces them to bargain and negotiate with other actors, resulting in the disappearance of Islamist ideological elements and making them viable options for the electorate. This prominent way of thinking - which has been called the moderation through inclusion theory - is much critiqued for being too shortsighted in its view of political Islamism. That is why this thesis argues in favor of an alternative approach that shifts the focus from the outcome of a period of political transition and whether or not this is moderate, to one that emphasizes the processes and internal and external factors that shape the ideological transformations of these parties. By looking at the most prominent Islamist parties of three countries (Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt) and tracing their historical developments and contexts based on these internal and external factors, this thesis then offers an alternative explanation to the popularity of political Islamism in the first elections after the Arab Spring uprisings.Show less
Een literatuuranalyse over het begrip Genocide en wat hieronder verstaan wordt. Het begrip genocide wordt vervolgens toegepast op casestudie van de Jezidi's
Every year, Morocco sends hundreds of imams to different countries in Europe during Ramadan to support the local Moroccan community. They are sent by the Foundation Hassan II, a foundation...Show moreEvery year, Morocco sends hundreds of imams to different countries in Europe during Ramadan to support the local Moroccan community. They are sent by the Foundation Hassan II, a foundation safeguarding the cultural and religious identity of the diaspora. This research focuses on this institution and examines the ways in which religion is manifested in foreign policy in relation to the diaspora in the Netherlands. This is done by analyzing a national policy called the Stratégie Nationale en faveur des Marocains du Monde by the Ministère chargé des Marocains Résidant à l’Etranger et des Affaires de la Migration. In the case of the Netherlands, religion is mainly manifested by sending religious personnel and materials. In general, Morocco emphasizes a return transnationalism within its policy by motivating contributing to the country’s development, but also return to Morocco. This return transnationalism was first visible in the terminology that Morocco used to refer to the migrants which were underlinging the economic purposes of the migration. This later evolved into a term that also emphasized cultural and religious elements. Furthermore, various institutions were found to represent the interests of the diaspora, including the Fondation, but this system is not flawless because their cooperation can be ineffective. The study also covers the invention of “Moroccan Islam” as a colonial construct and the Moroccan interpretation of Islam that consist of four pillars. These pillars are also visible in the Strategy for example by emphasizing the Maliki Madhhab or moderate nature of the Moroccan interpretation of Islam.Show less
Since the first oil-boom of the 1970s, the Arab Gulf countries have witnessed rapid socio-economic developments as a result of expansive oil-revenues. These rapid socioeconomic developments were...Show moreSince the first oil-boom of the 1970s, the Arab Gulf countries have witnessed rapid socio-economic developments as a result of expansive oil-revenues. These rapid socioeconomic developments were multifaceted, but in a region known for its social conservatism, it is interesting to explore the evolution of the position of women amid socio-economic changes. The expression of female agency offers numerous possibilities to explore this evolution in Arab-Gulf societies from a woman’s perspective, but it also offers challenges to Western academics as contemporary literature on female agency in the Arab Gulf is limited. In this thesis, I present a case study of the social media accounts of six Arab-Gulf women with a relatively large social media following. Research has been conducted into their social media posts to explain a changing attitude in female agency in the Arab Gulf, in terms of clothing, self-expression and positioning in their society. As all six women are part of the wealthier echelons of their society, it is interesting to observe that there is little cohesion in their posts to changing societal progress in terms of women’s rights. While the women seem to acknowledge societal change through their posts, none of them used their relatively large social media following to explicitly call out leaders to demand rights or to express gratitude for obtained rights. This research highlights the need for further exploration into the expression of female agency through the use of social media in a digitalizing world.Show less
In 1952 the royal Mohammed Ali-dynasty of Egypt is swept away by revolution. Since then no restoration movement has emerged. Restoration movements are an understudied phenomenon and no overarching...Show moreIn 1952 the royal Mohammed Ali-dynasty of Egypt is swept away by revolution. Since then no restoration movement has emerged. Restoration movements are an understudied phenomenon and no overarching theoretical framework exists via which their relative strength can be explained. This thesis investigates the reasons behind the lack of an existence of a restoration movement for the Mohammed Ali-dynasty. It does so via a partial application of Grounded theory, which enables the emergence of an explanatory theory via continuous analysis and the use of a wide array of sources. Through a thorough analysis of the existing academic literature concerning the Mohammed Ali-dynasty, Post-revolutionary Egyptian politics an extensive overview is provided of all known restoration sentiments concerning the Mohammed Ali-dynasty. This overview is expanded by analyzing previously unused sources, such as the Dutch national archives, and via an investigation of the political actions of several prominent members of the dynasty. This detailed description of restoration sentiments enables a comparison with the restoration movements for the Bourbons, Senussis and Pahlavis. This comparison finds several crucial factors which are not present in the case of the Mohammed Ali-dynasty and therefore help explain the lack of a restoration movement for this dynasty. In doing this this thesis also provides an initial outline for a broader theoretical framework concerning restoration movements.Show less
The pressing water shortages, extreme population growth, and high food dependency rates lie at the roots of the contemporary food crisis in the MENA region. These circumstances will exaggerate in...Show moreThe pressing water shortages, extreme population growth, and high food dependency rates lie at the roots of the contemporary food crisis in the MENA region. These circumstances will exaggerate in the near future, leading to even more challenges in guaranteeing food security. There is an ongoing academic debate on whether the region should focus on the international food market or strive for food self-sufficiency. According to some, the former lies at the roots of the food crisis, while the latter is challenging because of climate issues. To contribute to this debate, this thesis critically examines the coming about of the food crisis based on food regime theory. It takes Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt as case studies to reflect on the agricultural policy in the MENA region from the colonial period onwards. There is a large focus on the neoliberal food regime, being the current global system of food production, consumption, and distribution that can be characterised by 1) a liberalised agricultural market, 2) a centralisation of power and wealth through large agribusiness from the Global North, 3) a focus on the export market and 4) the significant role of International Financial Institutions like the WB and the IMF. This thesis expounds on the contemporary food crisis in the MENA region, both in socio-economic and ecological terms, and explores the relationship between the neoliberal food regime and these issues. As for prospects, it suggests combining food self-sufficiency with the global market, striving for a fair and sustainable global food system that takes into account the contemporary context, its historical background, economic and collaboration opportunities and ecological restrictions. This entails a critical reflection on the role of the persisting Global North in the contemporary food regime and the global food crisis.Show less
