Category Archives: Islam

The DIFFERENCE

Posted on December 11, 2008 by Muller

Being fascinated by the DIFFERENCE in culture of Western and Muslim societies, I find the study of differences as much as important as the study of similarities in understanding what separates us. These days see, once again, an almost coincidence … Continue reading →

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Profit over People

Posted on November 22, 2008 by Muller

This summer has seen riots of Bangladeshi cleaners in Kuwait who had been cheated by companies who had hired them from their home country to the Gulf. ‘Troublemakers’, as strikers had been called in the media, had been ‘calmed down’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Islam, Kuwait, UAE | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A ‘Road to Damascus’ Experience of the Special Kind

Posted on November 2, 2008 by Muller

Prof. Dr. rer. pol. phil. habil. Sven Muhammad Kalisch (42) seeks publicity these days. As may be traced in his rapidly inflated German Wikipedia entry, he had been appointed in 2004 chairman of the Islam Department at the Center for … Continue reading →

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The Mysterious North Dome of Esfahan’s Great Mosque

Posted on November 1, 2008 by Muller

From a mainly architectural point of view, Esfahan contains one of Islam’s most significant buildings, its marvelous Masjed-e Jomeh [1]. As Oleg Grabar puts it in his wonderful book [2], one might rightly consider Esfahan’s Great Mosque as the “Chartres … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Iran, Islam | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

The Hidden Treasure

Posted on September 29, 2008 by Muller

“I was a hidden treasure and wanted to be known.” This is the beginning of the probably most famous hadith qudsi, or extra-Qur’anic Word of God, ḥadiṯs-e kanz-e maḵf. Its more correct translation might be as follows: “I was a … Continue reading →

Posted in Islam, Religion | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments