The study reinscribes Northeast Asia onto our historical awareness of the global geographies of Muslimness. It highlights the dynamic and uninterrupted presence of Muslims in this part of the world since the thirteenth century, appearing recurrently as the upholders of (non-Muslim) dominus mundis and, more mundanely, as settlers, pilgrims, refugees, and prisoners of war. In sketching out a holistic narrative of the Muslim longue-durée in Northeast Asia, the paper argues in favor of the longstanding rootedness of Islam in the region. It also attempts to weave together the various micro-histories of Muslims in Northeast Asia into an integrated whole, provi

This publication is available in Arabic only.    

Afghanistan became the spotlight of almost every news outlet as the world looked in bewilderment at the disorderly American withdrawal. Despite all its political and military might, the United States largely left empty-handed, as tangible results are hard to find on the ground in Afghanistan. The war that, after over $2 trillion spent during 20 years of occupation, many believed “endless” has indeed come to a stop, leaving a disastrous predicament poised to worsen in the near future. The swift fall of the Afghan government and the Taliban’s shocking return to power signals looming catastrophe, chaos, instability, and a humanitarian crisis with implications far

This publication is available in Arabic only.    

This publication is available in Arabic only.    

This publication is available in Arabic only.     

On April 3, 2021, twenty-two royal mummies were transferred from the Egyptian National Museum in central Cairo to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in eastern Cairo. According to an official of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, an attempt to emulate the past “just as it was in the age of the pharaohs” was made in order to capture the significance of the event. To accomplish this aim, an emblem of religious signification was designed, as were a number of other symbols, both ancient and religious or mythological. The symbols contained references to actual archaeological artifacts, without which the simulation would be empty. Religious rituals

This publication is available in Arabic only.    

The French state’s response to demands from segments of the population descended from North African and West African immigrants has increasingly been framed by the discourse of the twenty-first century’s global war on terrorism. However, the exclusion of certain segments of French society viewed (solely) as “Muslim” is the result of various failed projects of the French state itself. This commentary, which follows a previous study by this author into laicite (secularism) and the French Muslims of colonial Algeria, will first briefly discuss the evolution of the French state’s relationship to immigrants from North Africa following the end of

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman addressed the contentious issue of (un)employment among Saudi nationals in an interview on 22nd  April 2021, marking the fifth anniversary of the launch of Saudi Vision 2030. Highlighting the difference between “good jobs and bad jobs,” the Crown Prince defined a “good job” as one that provides basic needs, the ability to save, and the opportunity to lead a productive, healthy life. A good job, that is, a productive one, also mitigates the deadening impact of underemployment, an understudied phenomenon, especially in Saudi Arabia. Yet, the concept of what constitutes a good job is contested and evolving. For instance,