Abstracts

03ContemporaryIslamicCivilization:IdeologicalCrisisandTheoreticalReconstruction

AbstractSince modern times, Islamic civilization has encountered complicated internal and external problems, fallen into a state of imbalance in many aspects, and plunged into serious ideological crises. Reconstructing the contemporary Islamic civilization system to adapt to the development of the times becomes the task with priority of the Islamic world against current backdrop. The rise ofal-Wasatiyyahindicates that the Islamic world has begun to reflect on the crisis of Islamic civilization, and has been committed to cultural innovation, promoted social change, and strived to explore a development path that suits its own tradition and reality, and further to reconstruct the Islamic civilization system theoretically. Although the contemporary Islamic civilization faces many challenges and difficulties, the advocating of its core values for dialogue, tolerance, peaceful and moderate approaches still bare significance to the times. In the process of future exchanges and mutual learning among world civilizations and the construction of a community of shared future for mankind, new achievements and contributions by Islamic civilization are still expected.

KeyWordsIslamic Civilization; Islamic World; Ideological Crisis; Theoretical Reconstruction

AuthorDING Jun, Ph.D., Professor, Middle East Studies Institute, Shanghai International Studies University; Research Fellow, Gansu Ethnic and Religious Theory Research Base, Chinese Association of United Front Theory Studies.

24IslamicFeminism:Issues,ApproachesandDynamics

AbstractThe issue of Muslim women’s rights and status is a highly debatable topic in Islamic studies. Emerging as a new trend of thought, Islamic feminism sticks to the justice of Islam, and attempts to provide feasible suggestions for problems of Muslim women while reflecting Islamic traditions, especially the concept of patriarchy, by reinterpreting of Qur’an and Hadith and participating in social activities. During the process of interpreting Qur’an and Hadith, and challenging the traditional modes, contemporary Islamic feminists continuously seek for the new path to adapt religious traditions to the modern society, which all unfold the dynamic roles of Muslim women in dealing with Islamic heritages.

KeyWordsIslamic Feminism; Religion and Women; Islamic Traditions; Reformism

AuthorsWANG Yujie, Ph.D., Professor, School of Philosophy and Research Fellow, Institute of Advanced Study of Religion, Renmin University of China; HUANG Jingyi, Master Candidate, School of Philosophy, Renmin University of China.

44ThePoliticizedInterpretationofAl-Wala’wal-BarafromSalafistPerspectives

AbstractAl-Wala’walBarais a crucial principle of Islam regarding the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims and among Muslims themselves. Based on the framing process of social movement theory, this article reviews the development of the concept ofAl-Wala’wal-Barain the pre-Islamic era and after the founding of Islam, and it examines theAl-Wala’wal-Barainterpreted by modern Salafists, the concept evolved from a social relations criterion to a religious creed, then eventually turned into tools of political mobilization. Modern Salafism requires Muslims to isolate themselves and excommunicate fellow Muslims by Takfirist movement, which madeAl-Wala’wal-Baraeasily be taken used by extremism for their political mobilization.

KeyWordsAl-Wala’wal-Bara; Salafism; Politicization of Islam; Framing Theory

AuthorsDING Long, Ph.D., Professor, Director of the Center for Gulf Studies, University of International Business and Economics; TUO Fuliang, Ph.D. Candidate, School of Foreign Studies, University of International Business and Economics.

62SaudiArabia’sDiplomaticTransformationUnderKingSalman:Ambition,PolicyandMeans

AbstractSince King Salman ascended the throne, Saudi diplomacy has been evolving dramatically. The Kingdom’s diplomatic ambition has shifted from a regional focus both regionally and globally. Saudi Arabia has adjusted its diplomatic layout by attaching great importance to its relations with ‘the key minorities’ in the international system and expanding its diplomatic space in surrounding areas vigorously. Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic strategies have also been adapted to local dynamics in the region, by forming a quasi-alliance at regional level to contain Iran and pursuing balanced diplomacy at a global level. Seeking cooperation with non-OPEC oil-producing countries through an OPEC plus mechanism, using Saudi Aramco’s IPO as a trump card and exploring renewable energy cooperation, all have become new paths of Saudi Arabia’s energy diplomacy. In order to achieve economic diversification, Vision 2030 has been put forward to support for Saudi Arabia’s economic diplomacy in the post-petroleum era, which has achieved fruitful results by taking the summit diplomacy as a breakthrough, taking strategic docking as a path, and seeking value investments or absorbing foreign capital extensively as its general goals. Serving its regional agenda, domestic reform agenda and religious dialogue have become the new trends of Saudi Arabia’s religious diplomacy. Despite tremendous changes at both international and regional levels, the guidelines of Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic shifts is clearly to shed lights on its security interests in the region and development interests at a global level, which ultimately serves its kinship security.

KeyWordsSaudi Arabia’s Diplomacy; King Salman; Emerging Middle Powers; Vision 2030

AuthorCHEN Jie, Ph.D., Professor, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, School of International Studies, Sun Yat-sen University.

83TheLogicofSecessionistMovementsofSouthSudan:1972-2011

AbstractThe Second Sudanese civil war carried out by South Sudan’s secessionist movement eventually led to South Sudan’s independence. Throughout the South Sudan’s secessionist movement, the disappearance of the country’s autonomy and unfair distribution of its oil resources between the North and the South resulted from a centrifugal institutional arrangement. The SPLM/A strengthened its organizational structure and integrated various political forces in South Sudan. Resistance to the Islamization in the South, ideology of ‘Sudan doctrine’ and the new colonial narrative contributed to the long clash of civilizations between the South and North in Sudan. Fractured institutions, organization and promotion of powerful political parties, and conflicts between Islamic civilization and African civilization, all led to the deterioration of the Southern Problem and the independence of South Sudan in 2011. However, South Sudan has not learned lessons from the division of Sudan. The ruling Dinka group and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement have not brought stability and prosperity to the post-independence South Sudan, serious ethnic conflicts still existed, while the relations between Sudan and South Sudan are still beset with contradictions due to the Abyei issue and other religious issues.

KeyWordsSouth Sudan’s Secessionist Movement; Sudan; Fractured Institutional Arrangement; Sudan People’s Liberation Army

AuthorZHOU Guangjun, Ph.D., School of Political Science and Public Administration, East China University of Political Science and Law.

101AnAnalysisofDomesticOriginsofthe1975LebaneseCivilWar

AbstractThe 1975 Lebanese Civil War had impacted the Middle East and the international community seriously. This war was driven by its deep domestic roots. At the political level, political sectarianism laid the foundation for Lebanon to achieve national independence, but it became an obstacle to its future political development and reform. Increasing contradictions between Muslim community’s demand for a larger share of political power resources and Christian community fears of losing privilege have become the main reasons for national identity crisis. At the economic level, Lebanon’s economy developed rapidly, but faced dual pressure brought about by both the intensification of sectarianism and class conflicts. The Lebanese government’s social governance and crisis management capability continued to weaken during the post-Chebab era. The interweaving of the above factors constitutes domestic roots of the outbreak of the 1975 Lebanese Civil War.

KeyWordsLebanese Civil War; Sectarianism; National Identity; Christian Community; Muslim Community

AuthorXIONG Liang, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Arabic, School of Foreign Languages, Peking University.

121ChangesofSocialStructureintheProcessofJordan’sModernization

AbstractJordan’s social structure has evolved in its modernization process, which is mainly reflected in its intertwined traditional structure and modern structure. By seizing the political power of the state of traditional tribes and major families, relatively stable transfer of power within the upper layers has been achieved. The tribal members rely on family and tribal forces, based on kinship and blood relationship, to acquire the status of the modern middle class, and realize the inheritance of intergenerational status. Due to the existence of a large group of Palestinian refugees in Jordan, the Palestinians face the problem of falling status in the process of their integrating into Jordanian society, which has further complicated Jordan’s dual social structure. Generally speaking, Jordan’s modernization and the development of the Gulf oil economy have opened channels for mobility between various strata in the social structure. While the political and economic environment in Jordan and abroad have made its middle class face the difficulty of upward mobility and the danger of downward mobility. The pressure of downward mobility is likely to create social shocks.

KeyWordsModernization; Social Structure; Tribal Politics; Family Politics

AuthorsSUN Huimin, Ph.D. Candidate, Institute of Middle Eastern Studies, Northwest University; LI Xi, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Institute of Communication and Global Public Opinion, Xi’an International Studies University.

140TheSecurityGovernanceinTunisia’sDemocraticTransition

AbstractSince 2011, Tunisia has entered a new era of democratic transition, with stability and development as its core issues. After the Tunisian revolution, due to the spread of Salafism and dynamics at a global level, a security dilemma was gradually formed. The threat of terrorism has been dramatically rising, and the extremists established some hidden training camps near Tunisian borders. Some even attempted to attack the border and invade the country. A variety of security crises, including political security, social security and economic security, is intertwined and posed great challenges to Tunisia’s security governance. During the process of its democratic transition, however, Tunisian government fell into an economic downturn, chaotic political environment, and drawbacks out of the legacy of its previous government. Therefore, security dilemma will continue to hamper the consolidation of Tunisia’s democracy. The prospects of its democratic transition is uncertain and may take years.

KeyWordsTunisia; Security Dilemma; Democratic Transition; Security Governance

AuthorLI Jingqiang, Ph.D., Lecturer, Luoyang Normal University; Post-Doctoral Fellow, Zhengzhou University.