This collective volume provides an integrative historical and contemporary discussion of Sunni EulamaE3/4 in the Middle East in both an urban and a semi-tribal context. The various chapters reinforce a renewed interest in the position of the EulamaE3/4 in modern times and offer new insights as to their ideological vitality and contribution to the public discourse on moral and sociopolitical issues.

This book situates Australian Muslim experiences of religious authority within the global context of Islam in the modern world. While drawing on examples of Muslim-majority states, new empirical findings indicate the growing diversity of Muslim religious actors in Australia, as well as the contextual realities shaping the way religious authority is legitimised and contested in democratic and authoritarian environments. In particular, the study challenges homogenous articulations of Islamic religious authority in unearthing new voices, epistemologies and socio-political factors shaping Muslim attitudes and experiences of religious authority. The book fills important gaps in the field, such as intra-Muslim relations, female religious authority, digital Islam and the relationship between traditional ulama, reformists and Muslim intellectuals in the West. Dr Shaheen Whyte is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation, Charles Sturt University. He holds a PhD from Deakin University, Australia. His research focuses on Islamic religious authority, Muslim minorities in the West, Islamic law and Middle Eastern politics.

The inspiring life and uncensored views of a veteran, patriot, former Congressman, conservative icon, and warrior for personal liberty… Over the course of the past few decades, Allen West has had many titles bestowed on him, among them Lt. Colonel, U.S. Representative, “Dad,” and Scourge of the Far Left. He rose from humble beginnings in Atlanta where his father instilled in him a code of conduct that would inform his life ever after. Throughout his years leading troops, raising a loving family, serving as Congressman in Florida’s 22nd district, and emerging as one of the most authentic voices in conservative politics, West has never compromised the core values on which he was raised: family, faith, tradition, service, honor, fiscal responsibility, courage, freedom. Today, these values are under attack as never before, and as the far Left intensifies its assaults, few have been as vigorous as West in pushing back. He refuses to let up, calling out an Obama administration that cares more about big government than following the Constitution, so-called black “leaders” who sell out their communities in exchange for pats on the head, and a segment of the media that sees vocal black conservatives as threats to be silenced. Now more than ever, the American republic needs a guardian: a principled, informed conservative who understands where we came from, who can trace the philosophical roots of our faith and freedom, and who has a plan to get America back on track. West isn’t afraid to speak truth to power, and in this book he’ll share the experiences that shaped him and the beliefs he would die to defend.

The issue of faith, what it is and how it works, is not only a hot topic, but is of great importance in this day and age. Many claim that true faith is a means to an end, and that end usually has to do with greater health and wealth. It is true one may have great faith, money in the bank and perfect health. On the other hand one may suffer and be poor by the world’s standards, yet still have great faith and be rich in God’s economy. True faith is about a deepening relationship with God. In these pages the author looks at four men of faith in the Old Testament, traces their walk of faith and shows how modern man can expect the same dynamic walk. They went through great trials, suffering pain and setbacks but still held onto God and His plan for their lives. God has a great plan for our lives as well, and we can walk out that plan by applying the same faith. As you read you will become familiar with these four figures. They heard from God and what they heard was tested and proved. They all came out on top because they held on during the storms of life. If your faith has been tested in any way, this book is for you. It will encourage and enlighten you as you do your best in this life to “walk by faith and not by sight.”

Traces the diverse Ulama reactions to late nineteenth and early twentieth century state building and national cohesion in Egypt.