British Association for Islamic Studies

ABSTRACT In 1967 a well-known geology Professor at Tehran University, Dr Yadollah Sahabi, published a book entitled The Creation of Man. The main argument of his book was that the Qur’anic view of the creation of human beings is not incompatible with the modern understanding of the evolution of living organisms. Almost a year later, the most prominent Shi‘a exegete of the Qur’an in the twentieth century wrote a short rebuttal to the book. This was followed by a rejoinder. This paper explores the significance of the above exchanges and their impact on the relationship between science and theology in Iran.

Stereotyping Religion is a collection of chapters aimed at dispelling popular clichés about religion in America arising primarily from the legacy of European liberalism, American Protestantism, and New Atheism. The primary intended audience is religious studies students in America (as well as religious studies professors looking for course readings). The goal of the book is to assist students and professors challenge assumptions about religion that they may have unquestioningly brought to the classroom with them – for instance, “religions are belief systems”, “religions are intrinsically violent”, or “religion makes people moral”. Each chapter is named after a cliché, making navigating the book easy. In a typical chapter, the author explains why the cliché is simplistic, how that cliché is used socially or politically, and the historical roots of the cliché. In practice, many of the themes (such as “religion is a private matter”) run through multiple chapters. While some chapters are more convincing than others, each chapter is at least likely to make the reader question their own assumptions and spur meaningful discussion.

Little research has been done on Western women who convert to Shi‘i Islam. To fill this gap, this study was conducted on American and Canadian women who have converted to Shi‘i Islam. Most of the research subjects in this study reported a moderate to severe sense of social marginalization after conversion. This marginalization resulted from membership in multiple minority groups (Shi‘i, Muslim, convert, and female); Black converts reported the most severe sense of marginalization due to the added pressure of being a racial minority in North America. Most of the research subjects also experienced a sense of social exclusion from other Shi‘i Muslims. Therefore, the question arises as to why these women continued to adhere to Shi‘i Islam despite these difficulties. This article will attempt to answer this question through an analysis of the data provided by the research subjects.