Islamicjerusalem Studies

Islamicjerusalem Studies is a multidisciplinary academic field focused on the region known in Arabic as Bayt al-Maqdis, examining it from an Islamic perspective. The field integrates Islamic Studies, theology, history, geography, archaeology, architecture, and socio-political analysis. The term Islamicjerusalem reflects a broader and more nuanced understanding of the region, emphasizing inclusivity and diverging from the Western association of "Jerusalem" primarily with Israel.[1]

Background

The field of Islamicjerusalem Studies was established in 1994 by Abd al-Fattah El-Awaisi, who introduced a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary framework for studying the region. The concept of Islamicjerusalem encompasses three central elements: the land, its population, and a vision of inclusivity.[2] Since its inception, the term Islamicjerusalem has gained recognition in international academic institutions, such as the University of Aberdeen and the University of Malaya, and has been promoted through publications by IB Tauris, Almi Academic Press, and other publishers.[1]

Institutionalisation and development

The institutionalization of Islamicjerusalem Studies began with the establishment of the Academy for Islamicjerusalem Studies (ISRA) in 1994 in the United Kingdom. ISRA played a critical role in embedding the subject within higher education curricula. Early milestones include the introduction of an undergraduate module on "Islamicjerusalem" at the al-Quds University and subsequent PhD research programs at institutions such as the University of Edinburgh and Glasgow Caledonian University.

In 2001, the Al-Maktoum Institute in Dundee became the first dedicated institution to offer postgraduate research in Islamicjerusalem Studies, with its programs accredited by the University of Aberdeen. The field later expanded to universities in the Arab and Muslim world, with courses now available in Egypt, Palestine, and Malaysia.

Academic conferences

The Annual International Conference on Islamicjerusalem Studies was launched in 1997 and has since attracted scholars worldwide. These conferences have addressed diverse themes, such as Orientalist approaches to the study of Islamicjerusalem. The most recent conference, as of 2010, was held at SOAS University of London.

Publications

Journal of Islamicjerusalem Studies

To address the limited availability of academic literature on the subject, the Journal of Islamicjerusalem Studies was established in 1997. The journal publishes research in Arabic and English, focusing on archaeological, theological, historical, and geographical studies.

Books and monographs

The field has produced numerous influential works, including:

• al-Tel, Othman Ismael (2003). The First Islamic Conquest of Aelia (Islamic Jerusalem): A Critical Analytical Study of the Early Islamic Historical Narrations and Sources. Al-Maktoum Institute Academic Press. ISBN 9781904436027.
• El-Awaisi, Abd al-Fattah (2000). "Umar's Assurance of Safety to the People of Aelia (Islamicjerusalem): A Critical Analytical Study of the Historical Sources". Journal of Islamicjerusalem Studies. 3 (2): 47–49.
• Abu-Munshar, Maher Y. (2007). Islamic Jerusalem and its Christians: A History of Tolerance and Tensions. IB Tauris. ISBN 9781780764795.
• El-Awaisi, Khalid (2007). Mapping Islamicjerusalem: A Rediscovery of Geographical Boundaries. Al-Maktoum Institute Academic Press. ISBN 9781904436089.
• El-Awaisi, Khalid, ed. (2008). Geographical Dimensions of Islamicjerusalem. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 9781847186331.
• Al-Ratrout, Haithem Fathi (2004). The Architectural Development of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Islamic Jerusalem in the Early Islamic Period: Sacred Architecture in the Shape of the "Holy". Al-Maktoum Institute Academic Press. ISBN 9781904436034.
• al-Ratrout, Haitham Fathi. نظرية جديدة لتفسير التصميم والتخطيط الهندسي لقبة الصخرة والفكر التخطيطي الهندسي الإسلامي في الفترة الإسلامية المبكرة (Naẓariyah Jadīdah li Tafsīr al-Taṣmīm wa al-Takhtīṭ al-Handasī li Qubbat al-Ṣakhrah wa al-Fikr al-Takhtīṭī al-Handasī al-Islāmī fī al-Fatrah al-Islāmīyah al-Mubakkirah) [A New Theory for Interpreting the Design and Engineering Planning of the Dome of the Rock and Islamic Architectural Thought in the Early Islamic Period] (in Arabic).
• al-Awaisi, Abd al-Fattah Muhammad (2008). البعد الأكاديمي والمعرفي لبيت المقدس: التعريف بأركان الحقل المعرفي الجديد في العالم العربي (al-Buʿd al-Akādīmī wa al-Maʿrifī li Bayt al-Maqdis: al-Taʿrīf bi Arkān al-Ḥaql al-Maʿrifī al-Jadīd fī al-ʿĀlam al-ʿArabī) [The Academic and Intellectual Dimension of Bayt al-Maqdis: Introducing the Pillars of the New Field of Knowledge in the Arab World] (in Arabic). مجمع البحوث الإسلامية ومركز البحوث الاجتماعية والانسانية بجامعة العلوم والتكنولوجيا (Islamic Research Academy and Center for Social and Human Sciences at the University of Science and Technology).

ISRA also recognizes exceptional research through initiatives such as the Islamicjerusalem Prize for Young Scholars and the Al-Maqdisi Award.[3]

Further reading

• El-Awaisi, Abd al-Fattah (2005). Introducing Islamicjerusalem. Al-Maktoum Institute Academic Press. ISBN 9781904436058.
• El-Awaisi, Abd al-Fattah (2007). Islamicjerusalem Studies: A Guide. Al-Maktoum Institute Academic Press. ISBN 9781904436133.
• Al-Ahlas, Aisha M. (2004). Islamic Research Academy 1994–2004: Background, Activities, and Achievements, with Special Reference to the New Field of Inquiry Islamicjerusalem Studies. ISRA UK. ISBN 9781899532049.

References

1. "The Institute of Excellence for Islamicjerusalem Studies (IEIJS)". UUM. 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
2. El-Awaisi, Abd al-Fattah (2006). Introducing Islamicjerusalem. ALMI Press.
3. Al-Ahlas, Aisha M. (2004). Islamic Research Academy 1999–2004: Background, Activities and Achievements with Special Reference to the New Field of Inquiry of Islamicjerusalem Studies. ISRA UK. ISBN 1899532048.

External links

• "The Academy for Islamicjerusalem Studies". Dundee, UK. Retrieved 18 January 2025.