As a lawyer, I appreciate the critical importance of historical inquiry to contemporary legal challenges; as a historian, I resist…
Normative demands of Islamic studies scholarship
international affairs
Religious liberty, minorities, and Islam: An interview with Saba Mahmood
Saba Mahmood is an anthropologist who teaches at the University of California, Berkeley, and whose work raises challenging questions about…
Religion and development in Africa
At African Arguments, Knox Chitiyo and Lucy Mbugua investigate the potential for faith-based groups to contribute to the achievement of…
The suspicious revolution: An interview with Talal Asad
Not long after his return from Cairo, where he was doing fieldwork, I spoke with Talal Asad at the City…
A tale of two flotillas
Given the close relationship, globally, between religious political action and religious charities, it should come as no surprise that there…
The geopolitical imperative?
Ritualistic evocations of "America" . . . and the deep-seated sense that somehow the United States is sacrosanct space—war, by…
(In)Visible Copts
At Jadaliyya, Anthony Shenoda reflects on the simultaneous visibility and invisibility of the Coptic Christian community in Egypt.
Contrasting progress on democracy in Tunisia and Egypt
What are the chances of successful democratic transitions in Tunisia and Egypt? I have just returned from both countries where…
Book Launch: Religion and International Relations Theory
There will be a book launch and panel discussion at Columbia University tomorrow, April 20th, for a new volume entitled…
America in the Egyptian revolution
I have been in Egypt since February 6, 2011, where I have been witnessing events, talking to friends, activists and…