Islamicjerusalem Studies is a field of Study offered by several academic colleges and universities that focuses on the region of the Holy Land from an Islamic and Muslim perspective. It embraces both Islamic Studies and theology as well as history, geography, archeology, architecture amongst others.
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Islamicjerusalem Studies is a relatively new field of academic inquiry concerned with the region known in Arabic as Bayt Al-Maqdis. Since its establishment in London in 1994, the founder of the field Professor Abd al-Fattah El-Awaisi, has encouraged young promising academics to contribute to this new and endeavor by adopting and promoting a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach to the study of the region. The field investigates the unique nature and history of the region and in the face of ongoing competing theological and political claims, brings to light what significance the land has to Muslims. The term Islamicjerusalem is a newly developed concept which consists of three main elements, its geographical location, namely the land with its numerous cities, towns and villages with marked boundaries, its population, and the unique vision of inclusivity in the administration of the land and its people.[1]
The field has been developed through several initiatives and stages and can be dated back to the creation of ISRA (Academy for Islamicjerusalem Studies)in 1994 in the United Kingdom. The Academy has been key in the institutionalisation of the field into British higher education, and fulfilling the founders’ vision and aspirations to create and encourage a team of dedicated young scholars specialising in the field. The founder first taught a module at Undergraduate level entitled ‘Islamic Jerusalem’ at the al-Quds University and in the 1990s at the University of Stirling. This was followed by numerous PhD research at numerous Scottish Universities (namely Edinburgh, Strathclyde and Glasgow Caledonian University. The majority of research within the field however emerged with the launch of the first institution dedicated specifically to the field of Islamicjerusalem Studies, Al-Maktoum Institute in Dundee in 2001. The Institute has provided a valuable platform in the carrying out of unique and original research at postgraduate level. Offering taught Masters and PhD programs in Islamicjerusalem Studies accredited by the University of Aberdeen and has been vital in the conceptual development of the framework and approaches in the study of the region.
Ten years on from the establishment the field has started to expand and develop beyond the United Kingdom, in particular within the Arab and Muslim World. Currently some courses being offered in at universities in Egypt, Palestine and Malaysia. The field has thus attracted interest and from a truly global audience of academics and researchers who have brought a range of disciplines and specialisms to the field. The Academy’s priority at this stage is to become the leading actor in promoting the field of Islamicjerusalem Studies to the Arab and Muslim Worlds. To move forward in developing this strategic plan for the future, The Academy is looking to find in the coming two to three years a verious hubs for Islamicjerusalem Studies in South East Asia and another in West Asia.
The Annual International Conference
The Annual International Conference, the first of which took place in 1997 has been a major factor in the contribution to knowledge within the field and has provided an International platform for world renown speakers to promote debate and share their thoughts on issues relating to Islamicjerusalem and has been the main vehicle for delivering vital research within the field. The Annual International conferences (13 to date) has attracted distinguished scholars from around the world. The last conference which took place at SOAS University of London in November 2010 was entitled ‘Orientalist approaches to Islamicjerusalem'.
The Journal of Islamicjerusalem Studies
The lack of available academic literature in the subject of Islamicjerusalem lead to the publication of the first issue of Journal of Islamic Jerusalem Studies in the winter of 1997. Each issue of the Journal consists of scholarly articles based around a whole plethora of issues with relation to the region of Islamicjerusalem. The Journal embodies the truly multi faceted nature of the field and brings together findings resulting from archaeological, theological, historical and geographical studies conducted within the field, and is published in Arabic and English.
Islamicjerusalem Studies Series
The contribution of young scholars to the field through research is an integral element of the founder’s vision for the development of the field. ISRA has committed itself by acknowledging the most innovative and creative research within the field through initiatives such as the Islamic Jerusalem Prize for Young Scholars and the Al-Maqdisi Award. [2]
Perhaps the most significant contribution to the field has been the research undertaken at the Phd and Masters level. Some of which have been published into a series of books.
Al-Tel, Othman. The first Islamic conquest of Aelia. Islamic Jerusalem) A Critical Analytical Study of the Early Islamic Historical Narratives and Sources. ALMI Press. (2003)
El-Awaisi, Abd al-Fattah. Umar’s Assurance of Safety to the People of Aelia (Jerusalem): A critical Analytical Study of the Historical Sources. Journal of IslamicJerusalem Studies. Vol. 3, No 2 (Summer 2000) pp 47-49.
Al-Ratrout, Haithem. The Architectural Development Of Al-Aqsa Mosque in The Early Islamic Period Sacred Architecture in the shape of the ‘Holy’
Al-Ahlas, Aisha. Islamic Research Academy 1994-2994 Background, Activities and Achievements, with special reference to the New field of Inquiry Islamic Jerusalem Studies. (2004)
El-Awaisi, Khalid, Mapping Islamicjerusalem, A Rediscovery of Geographical Bounderies. ALMI Press (2007)