Browsing by Subject "Islam"
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Item A room of her own : romance, resistance, and feminist thought in modern Urdu poetry(2015-05) Khan, Imran Hameed, 1975-; Hyder, Syed Akbar; Petievich, Carla; Minault, Gail; Visweswaran, Kamala; Hindman, Heather; Mohammad, Mahboob AThis dissertation examines the ways in which the female figure has emerged, and the ways in which women’s issues have been addressed in Urdu poetry in various ways during the twentieth century. In order to track these changes and shifts in the Urdu poetic landscape I examine five poets: Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938), Akhtar Shirani (1905-1948), Kaifi Azmi (1919-2002), Parveen Shakir (1952-1994), and Ishrat Afreen (b. 1956). I argue that each of these poets represents a distinct trend in the way women are discussed in Urdu poetry. While looking at these five poets I will consider the social context in which they were writing and how their poetry engages the canonical aesthetics of the past, along with the socio-political agendas of the present. By analyzing their poetry we can trace how through romance and resistance feminist thought developed in increments throughout the twentieth century. This poetry is a reflection of the social and cultural milieus in which it was written; it can help us understand how these poets understood their roles within their culture, as well as how they tried to push the boundaries of accepted cultural norms. Through these poets we can observe how the subject of Woman, women’s issues, and gender ideology evolved in twentieth century Urdu poetry. Furthermore, studying these poets shows us how the space created by earlier poets eventually led to women using the Urdu poetry landscape for overt feminist poetry, lending authentic women’s voices to women’s issues and movements in South Asia.Item Al-Qaeda and the Phinehas Priesthood terrorist groups with a common enemy and similar justifications for terrorist tactics(Texas A&M University, 2004-09-30) Davis, Danny WayneThe majority of studies on terrorist groups in the past have been conducted from the perspectives of political science, sociology, or psychology. This historical comparative study examines two terrorist organizations through a human resource development (HRD) lens. The study's goal is to provide a fresh perspective on terrorism to the current discussion of the subject within the public and private sectors. A comprehensive literature review is used to examine religiously based terrorist groups. The following HRD models and theories are used to frame this research: the Basic Systems Model of Swanson and Holton (2001), Daft's definition of an organization (2001), the work of Watkins and Marsick (1992 & 1993) on learning organizations, and group theory as discussed by Johnson and Johnson (2000). Crenshaw's (2001) work on terrorist group theory also helps provide a foundation to the discussion. The study begins with a short review of terrorism during the twentieth, and the first years of the twenty-first centuries. Next, the histories, cultures, and beliefs of the fundamentalist Islamic or Islamist movement and the Christian Identity movement are traced. The focus is then narrowed and an in-depth study of al-Qaeda and the Phinehas Priesthood, from the Islamist and Christian Identity movements, respectively, is conducted. The context of HRD organizational traits is used to portray the similarities and differences between these terrorist groups. There were eight major findings from this study. 1. Al-Qaeda and the Phinehas Priesthood possess structure and demonstrate input, output, process, and interaction with, and feedback from their external environment (Swanson & Holton, 2001) as do conventional organizations. 2. Both groups demonstrate structure and group dynamics similar to conventional organizations. 3. Members of both groups profess beliefs similar to those in mainstream Islam and Christianity, respectively. 4. The belief that God's law is superior to that of man in held in common by al-Qaeda and the Priesthood. This belief is based on the revealed word of God, the Koran and Bible, respectively. 5. Members of both groups believe they have been chosen by God to right the wrongs of society and/or the world. Violent acts in support of this mission are fully justified. 6. A common goal of these groups is to establish racially and culturally pure societies on some scale. 7. Al-Qaeda and the Phinehas Priesthood are both anti-Semitic. 8. Members of these groups are culturally isolated from mainstream society. The study makes four recommendations to HRD practitioners, government policy makers, and educators in pursuit of the goal of providing a fresh perspective on terrorism.Item The cry of the wolf : Islamism in Post-Soviet Chechnya(2015-08) Jimenez, Justin Daniel; Garza, Thomas J.; Neuburger, MaryChechnya today has been operationalized as a hub of Islamic radicalism that threatens a global jihad force. How did this region become a link in terrorist networks such as Al Qaeda? And how did a Chechen nationalist movement transform into a jihad against Russia and the West? Islamic radicalism in Post-Soviet Chechnya is the product of many factors, chief among them notions of historical determinism, a legacy of conflict and oppression, and political volatility. Consequently, this report utilizes a historical and political approach in order to present a clear and complete understanding of Islamism's rise and growth in Chechnya. Russo-Chechen relations have long preceded today's insurgency and counterinsurgency operations in Chechnya, and Islam has always played a crucial role in this history. The Russo-Chechen narrative is thus key to understanding the development of Islamism in Chechnya. Chapters 1 and 2 delineate this history and expound upon notions of historical determinism, helping to contextualize Islamism in contemporary Chechnya. There are also a host of politically contingent factors contributing to Islamic radicalism in Chechnya, particularly Putin's use of soft authoritarianism in the Caucasus. These factors are examined in Chapter 3. Taken in sum, this historico-political approach aims to trace the development of political Islam in Chechnya and shed light on the consequences of this phenomenon, as they relate to today's growing network of global Islamism and the future of Chechen jihad.Item Designing Alzheimer’s special care facilities that includes consideration for the Islamic culture(Texas Tech University, 2008-05) Obeidat, Asem M.; Shroyer, Jo Ann L.; Amor, Cherif; Harp, Shelley S.Previous writings about Muslim minorities in the United States included various aspects of cultural diversity such as historical development, immigration, and political influences. However, there is a lack of research studies considering the correlation between the built environment and the Muslim users. Particularly, previous studies have not included the physical environment considered for Muslims or the Islamic culture in the United States. This exploratory study aimed to identify environmental design elements that can accommodate the Islamic culture in the United States Alzheimer’s special care facilities for the Muslim elderly population diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The study investigated cultural aspects of American Muslims to be employed when designing environments for American Muslims diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. A focus group and a questionnaire were used to accomplish the purpose of the study. A focus group study was conducted in the Islamic Center of the South Plains, Lubbock, Texas. Nine participants (American Muslims) were interviewed in the focus group study. A content analysis procedure was used to analyze the gathered data of the focus group. A questionnaire was developed based on the outcomes of the focus group and distributed to four Islamic communities in the state of Texas including Dallas, Huston, San Antonio, and Lubbock. The questionnaire was completed by 649 American Muslims. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics procedure (frequency distributions) from the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results of data analysis were used to generate design recommendations to be employed when designing Alzheimer’s special care facilities for Muslims diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.Item Digitally defined : how Muslim millennials represent themselves online(2015-05) Rahman, Fauzeya Zahera; Chyi, Hsiang Iris, 1971-; Jensen, RobertIslam is the second-most common religion in the world as well as the fastest-growing religion in the United States. Muslim Americans are a demographic often not studied independently of the global Muslim identity. This study aims to analyze Muslim Americans and how they represent themselves online via social media. One of the oft-touted promises of social media is the opportunity for virtually anybody to be their own publisher. Through carefully curated combinations of photographs, updates and links, anyone can represent her identity in precisely the manner in which she sees fit. This study looks closely at Muslim American college students who've grown up almost exclusively post-9/11 to see how they represent and negotiate their identities online through social media. As "digital natives," this diverse group is experienced living online and uses the broad social media landscape strategically to represent themselves on their own terms. Often they use social media to counter what they see as stereotypical narratives and misconceptions about Muslims in the mainstream media.Item Exit, voice, and Islamic activism : organizational fracture and the Egyptian Society of the Muslim Brothers(2011-05) Brooke, Steven Thomas; Brownlee, Jason, 1974-; Moser, Robert G.Under what conditions does the Egyptian Society of the Muslim Brothers (SMB) fracture? The 1996 formation of the Wasat party by a group of former Muslim Brothers has attracted significant scholarly attention, although most studies focus on the ideological differences between the groups. By neglecting the organizational angle these studies are unable to explain why some ideological differences lead to group fracture, and why in the case of the SMB this occurred in 1996 and not before. This paper will argue that the SMB splits when high levels of state repression combine with internal organizational conflict, specifically the lack of stable, consultative internal dispute-resolution mechanisms. Empirical tests charting levels of state repression and SMB internal politics throughout the period 1981-2010, covering variation on the dependent, as well as both independent variables, strengthen the theory.Item Faith in finance : the role of zakat in international development(2014-05) Minor, Allison Dale; Wilkins, Karin Gwinn, 1962-; Weaver, Catherine, 1971-In this thesis, I examine contemporary manifestations of the Islamic practice of zakat and its relationship with mainstream international development. Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam; it requires all Muslims who possess above a certain level of wealth to pay roughly 2.5 percent of their disposable income to eight beneficiary groups defined in the Qur’an. Over the past several decades – and especially in the past 15 years – zakat has become an increasingly institutionalized, transnational practice managing billions of dollars of aid every year. Contemporary zakat institutions have also placed an increasingly strong emphasis on poverty alleviation that has brought their activities in closer contact with those of mainstream international development organizations. Despite the important role that zakat institutions play in social welfare and the significance of zakat practice across the Muslim world, there has been little scholarly analysis of contemporary zakat practice, particularly regarding its relationship with international development. This thesis seeks to initiate a dialogue around the relationship between contemporary zakat institutions and mainstream international development organizations, particularly the potential for coordination or conflict between them. Such a dialogue must be based on a strong understanding of zakat as a complex, dynamic, and diverse practice. To establish this foundation, I begin with an analysis of contemporary shifts in interpretations and manifestations of zakat. Following this analysis, I conduct a closer examination of the structure, activities, beneficiary groups, and discourse of contemporary zakat institutions through case studies of the West Bank and Lebanese Zakat Funds. Finally, I compare the goals, methods, and activities of zakat institutions and mainstream international development organizations like the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Bank. This allows me to examine the potential for different forms of coordination between zakat institutions and mainstream development and discuss challenges to such coordination. I conclude with recommendations on key strategies for enhancing coordination that will be in the interest of both zakat institutions and mainstream development organizations, and ultimately enhance the effectiveness of the aid they deliver.Item Fear & faith in Texas(2011-05) Vaughn, Casey L.; Coleman, Renita; Alves, Rosental C.Fear and faith in Texas is a multimedia journalism report about Islam in Texas. Islam has gained significant media attention recently so it is important to know more about a religion that has a growing congregation in the United States. This project answers questions like "What are the basics of the religion?" "Is it really such a foreign concept, or is it grounded in concepts and history familiar to non-Muslims?" Getting to know and break down the barriers that keep stereotypes alive and misconceptions thriving is an important part to understanding Islam. Fear and faith in Texas highlights the truth about Islam and Muslim Americans that often is ignored due to fear and a lack of knowledge. The project incorporates text, video, interactive graphics and other visual aids to give background on the religion of Islam, Muslim Americans, and show the role education plays in communicating information about religion in Texas.Item The games behind the game : the process of democratic deepening and identity formation in Turkey as seen through football clubs(2011-05) Blasing, John Konuk; Henry, Clement M., 1937-; Boone, CatherineThe history of football clubs in Turkey is entwined with the political and economic development of Turkey in the twentieth century. This thesis focuses on the history of soccer clubs and the close involvement of the sport with the formation of modern Turkish identity during the late Ottoman period, the early republican period, the multi-party period, and finally the Cold War era. As this study also argues, in addition to their role in identity formation, football clubs were the building blocks of associational life in Turkish democracy and thus represent a major force in the process of democratic deepening in the country. The thesis addresses both the complex political functions and uses of soccer clubs and their economic relationship to the development of Turkish business. Through the twentieth century, the politics behind soccer clubs evolved from an affirmation of national identity to a reassertion of local identity as a challenge to the centralized state system. Increased localization—as evidenced by the rising fortunes of soccer clubs and businesses from Central Anatolia, Turkey’s Muslim heartland—also indicates the increased Islamicization of Turkish society accompanying the advent of the AKP (Justice and Development Party). The changing character of Turkish society and the challenge to traditional secular elites by a rising class of Islamic businessmen from outside of the metropolitan areas—developing businesses concentrated mainly in Central Anatolia—are presented through an analysis of Parliamentary election results since 1962 along with the concurrent change in the geographical transformation of the landscape of Turkish soccer through this period. The study examines the complex, multifaceted interrelationships and lines of mutual determinations between the changing conceptions of Turkish identity, democratic deepening, Islamicization, and the economic development of modern Turkey. This thesis demonstrates how these forces that shape social, political, and economic life are played out on the soccer field.Item God and greed : money and meditation in Karachi’s marketplace(2014-12) Baig, Noman; Ali, Kamran Asdar, 1961-The dissertation focuses on the shaping of merchants’ subjectivity in Karachi’s contemporary marketplace. It does this by placing human experience within the matrix of the cosmological value system, driven to a large extent by Islamic moral and ethical principles, as well as everyday material conditions, determined by economic activity. In doing so, it brings together the material and spiritual in conversation with each other. This dissertation particularly focuses on the convergence of Sufi moral discourse and meditative practices of zikr/dhikr with globalized technologies of finance capitalism. It seeks to answer: How do the two seemingly different practices converge? Modern financial practices aim to discipline merchants into becoming economic subjects accumulating capital. In contrast, the spiritual tradition of Sufi techniques shapes this excessive desire for accumulating, through the meditation (zikr/dhikr), molding the merchants into charitable subjects. Being a self-maximizing as well as a self-annihilating individual in the market, the merchant is able to contain the larger structuring of money and moral universes in everyday life. The experience generated at the threshold of accumulation and charity, I argue, gives rise to an affirmative subjectivity, which perceives the unity of existence the way it is.Item Harboring narratives : notes towards a literature of the Mediterranean(2015-08) Lovato, Martino; Tissières, Hélène; Ali, Samer; Bonifazio, Paola; El-Ariss, Tarek; Harlow, Barbara; Bouchard, NormaThrough the reading of several novels and movies produced in Arabic, French, and Italian between the 1980s and the 2000s, in this dissertation I provide a literary and transmedia contribution to the field of Mediterranean studies. Responding to the challenge brought by the regional category of Mediterranean to singular national and linguistic understandings of literature and cinema, I employ a comparative and multidisciplinary methodology to read novels by Baha’ Taher, Abdelwahab Meddeb, Abdelmalek Smari, and movies by film directors Merzak Allouache, Abdellatif Kechiche, and Vittorio De Seta. I define these works as “harboring narratives,” as they engage with the two shores of the Mediterranean in a complex process of interiorization and negotiation, opening routes of meaning across languages, societies and cultures. As they challenge constructions of otherness that materialize in present-day conflicts in the region, the works of these novelists and filmmakers give voice to a perspective on the Mediterranean radically different from that upheld by the “paradigms of discord.” Whereas according to these paradigms there is nothing in the Mediterranean but an iron curtain, these works present migration and conflict, historiography and religion, intimacy and translation as experiences shared across countries and societies in the region. By following routes of meaning that draw together the linguistic, the geographical, the economic, the historical, and the religious, I study how these novelists and filmmakers establish relationships between “horizons of belonging” and “elsewhere,” selfhood and otherness. In so doing, I respond to Kinoshita and Mallette’s call for challenging the “monolingualism” inherent in our contemporary ways of reading linguistic and literary traditions. As I show how the routes of meaning opened by these novelists and filmmakers across the region lead to hope that one day we will rejoice in sharing a common Mediterranean shore, however, I caution against easy enthusiasms. These novelists and filmmakers urge us to respond to the challenge of the present-day conflicts they address in their works, and a shared Mediterranean shore will eventually appear on the horizon only after we overcome monolingual conceptions of selfhood and otherness, setting sail towards a shore we have never seen.Item Imag[in]ing the East : visualizing the threat of Islam and the desire for the Holy Land in twelfth-century Aquitaine(2012-05) Morris, April Jehan; Holladay, Joan A.; Peers, Glenn; Mulder, Stephennie; Heng, Geralding; Patton, Pamela A.Epic dichotomies – threat/desire, Islam/Christianity, Orient/Occident, fear/lust, self/other – have fundamentally shaped the conceptualizations, images, and imaginings of the interaction between East and West. The Holy Land was the locus of both sensations in the twelfth-century West. Islam, arisen from the Arabian Peninsula and spreading steadily, embodied the strongest threat to western Christendom that it had yet faced, both militarily and theologically. The vividly imagined “East,” particularly Jerusalem, was the locus of spiritual and material desire. These intertwined notions underlie the ideological, theological, and historical perceptions of the Crusades, in their own time as today. This project seeks to explore the dual image of the East in the twelfth-century West through the prime dichotomy that has, both historically and presently, shaped Western perceptions of the dar-al-Islam: the East as at once threat and object or source of desire. Both this dichotomy and the examinations of individual sites and objects in which it is expressed nuance and challenge earlier scholarly assertions regarding visual representations of Crusading, and posit new interpretations of iconographic traditions and their semiotic functions in the twelfth-century Aquitaine. This dissertation is arranged as a series of investigative essays into monuments and objects that express the presentation and development of these divergent ideas in the twelfth-century Aquitaine. The first half of is comprised of three interrelated examinations of material objects that illuminate Western concepts of Islam and Muslims. Various iconographic traditions, I argue, were created and modified to express the mechanisms by which Christendom attempted to define, and respond to, these evident threats to self and territory. The second half of this project focuses on the material manifestations of desire, primarily through the deployment of Orientalized architectural forms and the utilization of relics and objects related to the East. Although these trends, as my conclusion discusses, reached their true apex in the decades after the loss of Jerusalem in 1187, these early examples typify the range of cultural notions centered on the desire to possess and control the sanctity of the Holy Land.Item Islamic center at Arlington, Texas(Texas Tech University, 1988-05) Alias, Norfidah bt.My thesis statement is to combine modern technology and functional forms in the context of Islamic culture and value. The design is to harmonize with the context of the surrounding architecture; and at the same time, it blends with the spirit of Islam; so that, the facility will not be an alien in the western environment and architecture. The facility will cater for Muslims away from their Islamic countries, Muslims who are American citizens,and also for those who are interested about the spirit of Islam, its cultures and the many customs of the people of Islam.Item Islamic foundations for effective water management : four case studies(2010-12) Walz, Jonathan David; Eaton, David J.; Sharp, John M.This thesis project addresses Islamic water management by presenting case studies on regional water issues and analyzing the extent to which Muslim-majority states behave in a way consistent with Islamic shariah law. The case studies presented in this thesis address both international cooperation related to the management of trans-boundary water basins (the Nile and Tigris-Euphrates River Basins) and domestic water management strategies employed by Muslim-majority states in the MENA region (Jordan and Yemen). In each case, it is not clear that there is consistency between the Islamic ideals discussed by academics and the actual techniques employed by various states. In international attempts at managing the shared waters of the Nile and Tigris-Euphrates Basins, the fact that many riparian states have Muslim-majority populations does not appear to make the management of trans-boundary resources any easier or more successful. The implications for Islamic water management at the domestic level is also unclear – with shariah playing a positive role in Jordanian attempts at water conservation but promoting the over-exploitation of resources in Yemen. Although shariah appears to play a limited role in the management of trans-boundary water resources, it seems to be better suited for informing how states internally manage their endowments of freshwater resources.Item The making of moderates : U.S. relations with Islamist movements in Morocco and Egypt(2010-05) Buehler, Matthew J.; Brownlee, Jason, 1974-; Henry, ClementThe academic literature on Islamist moderation offers several explanations for why some Islamist political movements are moderate and others radical. These theories focus on the movements' ideology, tactics, and internal democracy. Few accounts address, however, how an Islamist movement's relations with external powers influence this outcome. This paper finds that "moderation" reflects an Islamist movement's relationship of compliance or defiance with external powers rather than its essential organizational characteristics. In comparing the Moroccan Justice and Development Party (PJD) with the Egyptian Muslim Brothers, it explores why the United States has built good relations with the former but not with the latter. Employing approximately 20 interviews conducted with Islamists, U.S. diplomats, and Moroccan experts in 2009, I show that the PJD's compliance with U.S. foreign policy decisions and interests helps to shape perceptions that the movement is more moderate than its Egyptian counterpart, despite the two movements' similar ideology, tactics, and internal practices.Item Muslim Leadership in America(2012-11-27) Mobeen, Noor 1982-Leadership has been a foundational component of any society, religion, culture, and human development. The purpose of this study was six fold: to examine the concept of leadership in Muslim communities in America, to observe the first-generation Muslim Americans? perception of Muslim leadership in mosques and community centers, to examine the practice and beliefs of Muslims in America, to view the social interaction of American Muslims within their community, to view the mentorship and leadership aspects of first-generation Muslim Americans in their community, and to inspect the marriage and cultural aspects that are practiced by first-generation Muslim Americans. This study was conducted through a qualitative case study of 15 first-generation Muslim American college students and professionals from around the United States. The participants? responses and the literature suggest that Islamic leadership has failed in America for the first- and second-generation American Muslims. Four themes emerged as relevant to the participants? identity formation in the Islamic leadership in America: promoting Muslim youth to the leadership positions in Islamic centers, marriages in the Muslim community, mentoring Muslim youth to pursue higher education, and adapting to the new lifestyle of a Muslim American living in the United States.Item Racism and Religious Bias in Castilian Spanish Language Dictionaries(2011-02-22) Howard, Lauren KelliThe present study examines the evolution of the definitions of 31 terms having to do with three prominent religions in Spain: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. The definitions are analyzed for racism and religious bias in reference to the cultural and ideological periods of Spanish society throughout history. Each word is studied from the earliest date of appearance in a Spanish language dictionary. The database used is the Nuevo Tesoro Lexicogr?fico de la Lengua Espa?ola (NTLLE), published by the Real Academia Espa?ola (RAE) in 2001, which includes 70 dictionaries, 37 of which are written by authors not connected with the RAE. In an attempt to broaden the historical point of view, as many entries from dictionaries as possible are used in this analysis. Racist definitions are defined as containing abusive or pejorative language that insinuates that one race, or religion, is superior to another. Biased definitions use language that inhibits neutrality in the descriptions. It is shown that Christian terms are generally associated with positive concepts. Terms related to Judaism suffer much racism and religious bias through pejorative language and direct comparison to Christianity. Islamic terms reveal less racism in their entries and fall more often under neutral descriptions. That fewer biased entries exist for Islamic terms may be related to their status as a majority in Spain during large periods of history, whereas Jews suffered more racism because they were consistently the minority. The role of the Spanish Inquisition in the persecution of Jews will is shown to have heavy influence in the entries for several Jewish terms. While the item jud?o suffers the most extensive use of pejorative language, moro is the only term for which negative language endures to the present.Item Religio-Cultural Integration among Muslim-Americans(2010-10-12) Olds, Glenn R.Traditionally the empirical study of acculturation has focused on the integration, preservation, or abandonment of one's ethnic heritage in relation to the host culture. This study attempted to broaden the concept of the acculturation process by examining the interaction between an immigrant's religious identity and the host culture. It was hypothesized that for Muslims living in America the integration of one's Islamic and American identities, as compared to level of integration between one?s ethnic heritage and American identities, would provide unique value in predicting the level of acculturation stress, depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Identity integration between Islamic and American identities was found to correlate with decreased acculturation stress, decreased depressive symptoms and increased life satisfaction and in some instances provided significant predictive value when compared to only an assessment of bicultural integration. Implications of this and other findings were explored.Item Religion and politics : investigating the relationship between the Islamist social movement and the Muslim intra-religious convert(2007-08) Arnoult, Jonathan Blake; Pedahzur, AmiNews headlines link the religion of Islam to acts of violence every day, interchangeably using terms like "radical," "Islamo-fascist," "militant," "terrorist," "wahabbist," "jihadist," "Islamist," "Muslim-extremist," and "al-Qaeda member" to describe the anti-"moderate" Muslim. In an effort to contribute to the literature supporting the idea that political ideology is the focus of radical Islam, or ‘Islamism,’ rather than the religion of Islam, this study seeks to explore whether recent converts to Islam in the West are attracted to the social movement based on Islamism.Item Seekers of sacred knowledge : Zaytuna College and the education of American Muslims(2014-05) Kashani, Maryam; Visweswaran, Kamala; Merabet, Sofian, 1972-; Campbell, Craig; Azam, Hina; Hirschkind, Charles; Siu, LokIn a time when “traditional” Islam and Islamic education are seen as incommensurable with American society and ideals, American Muslims are mobilizing traditions of Islamic scholarship within liberal arts institutional frameworks to articulate and establish the future possibilities of Islam and being Muslim in North America. This research shows how the Islamic discursive tradition is being critically engaged by the scholars and students of Zaytuna College to craft an “American Islam” based on a shared moral and ethical system that draws from and is relevant to the heterogeneous experiences of diverse Muslims and their material circumstances. Based on eighteen months of ethnographic research at Zaytuna College in Berkeley, California, and in the surrounding San Francisco Bay Area, this study’s methodological approach is grounded in participant-observation, interviews, and visual ethnography.