The Murshidiyya is a Syrian religious community whose members are mainly distributed between Western Syria and Damascus. This new religious movement emerged in the 1920s around the figure of Salman al-Murshid, a political leader, member of the parliament and religious preacher whose career ended in 1946 when he was executed in Damascus. The Murshidis started as a split-off group from the Alawi sect before eventually developing into an independent religious community.
Syria: The Sheikh, the Bride and the Pilgrim – “Temporary marriages” in Sayyidah Zaynab
The ten-year conflict in Syria has impacted every aspect of society. This includes new incentives in both the marriage economy and the sex market: some rural areas have seen a substantial increase in polygamous marriages, while some cities have witnessed the development of a religiously sanctioned sex-for-money trade.
Report: Salafists and antiquities trafficking in Syria
This report investigates how Salafist groups conduct and manage the illegal trafficking of antiquities in south-west and north-west Syria, with a particular focus on Idleb Governorate. It provides details on the interactions among the actors involved (diggers, traders, armed groups and smugglers) and analyses the various kinds of interactions between religious beliefs and norms, on the one hand, and the illegal trade in cultural assets, on the other.
Egypt: Al-Azhar struggles to balance politics and tradition
Caught in the crossfire of ambitious geopolitical players, Al-Azhar struggles to chart a course that will guarantee it a measure of independence while retaining its position as the guardian of Islamic tradition. So far, Al-Azhar has been able to fend off attempts by Mr. Al-Sisi to assert control but has been less successful in curtailing the influence of Gulf states like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that increasingly are pursuing separate agendas.
The Return of the Gold Dinar – An analysis of the Islamic State coin production
Although a theoretically ever-expanding Caliphate does not recognize international borders or traditional states, its leadership nonetheless strived to reproduce all the traditional signs of sovereignty. Last but not least, they created a new currency. Minting of dinars and dirhams was the final component in solidifying the physical reality of the group’s millenarian utopia.
China: the list of “heterodox teachings” and the historical roots of the proscription of religious groups – Interview with Edward Irons
In this interview, Hong Kong scholar Edward Irons explains the historical roots of the proscription of certain groups as xie jiao (heterodox teachings) in China, and how being on the list of the xie jiao means being a main target for persecution.
United States: Neopagans casting spells for and against Trump
Neopagan supporters and detractors of the U.S. presidency of Donald Trump are using magical rituals to either bless or curse the new administration and their political opponents. While Neopagan groups have long joined magic with politics, this marriage of mysticism with activism was most strongly evident in the months after Trump’s election in 2016, drawing criticism from some quarters of the American pagan community.