DOI: 10.7256/2409-8728.2015.10.1673

Abstract: In her article Fedorova analyzes the modern scientific discourse on so called 'female issue' in Islam. The first part of the article is devoted to a circle of problems related to stereotyped images of a totally 'rightless' position of Muslim women. In the first part of the article the author also describes the sources of the development of such stereotypes in the West and Russia. The second part of the article is devoted to the description of alternative points of view on the aforesaid issue presented by both Muslim scientists and their European colleagues as well as the concept of equality in Islam versus Western interpretation thereof. The research is based on the methodology of the comparative historical and conceptual analysis as well as the method of analyzing results of surveys and gender researches in Islam. The author concludes that Islam does not always mean repressino of women as it looks like if we continue to follow stereotypes. Quite on the contrary, today Islam does not restrict a woman but offers her a peculiar sytem of social and legal coordinates based on the principle of functional differentiation of genders and specific Islamic understanding of equality. 

DOI: 10.7256/2409-8698.2015.3.17097

Abstract: This article is dedicated to the research of the stories of two Persian authors: the philosophical proverb “Tale of the Bird” by the most prominent representative of philosophy Avicenna (980-1037), and the “Conference of the Birds” by the illustrious poet and one of the leading representatives of the Persian philosophical Sufism Attar of Nishapur (1145/46-1221). A special attention is given to the comparative analysis of several key episodes of the stories by Avicenna and Attar: introduction to the proverb and the poem, the story of the quest in search of their King, as well as the description of the meeting between the birds and the King. Using a complex of methods of historical-philosophical and textological analysis, as well as the method of philosophical interpretation of literary text, the author successively examines how the similar story of the quest of the soul-bird for God is realized by the philosopher in a small proverb and a poet in a big poem-Masnavi, and determines a number of topics and concepts of Sufi theory and practice, referred to by the separate elements of the story in the proverb and the poem. The author concludes that the allegoric form elected by Attar and Avicenna to relate the theoretical ideas does not pose principle difficulties for understanding of the philosophical concept of both authors. Attar attempted to demonstrate the path of the human soul to God (Sufi method of cognition of God), while Avicenna attempted to describe his own spiritual experience and irrational method of learning the truth.

DOI: 10.7256/2306-0174.2014.7.13036

Abstract: The article is devoted to the relations between Europeans and Muslims through history and in modern times. The author shows how Europeans formed the negative image of Islam that at first was for objective reasons (wars of religion, expansionary pretenses of the Arabian Caliphate and the Ottoman Empire and etc.) and later was caused by subjective and ideological factors. As a result of treating Muslims as intruders for many centuries, a whole number of stereotypes has been created about modern Muslims, their religion and cultural traditions. These stereotypes considerably aggravate the already tensed sociopolitical situation in the EU member states and make us again question the possibility of the positive integration of Muslims into the European community. By using the historical and conceptual analysis methodology, Yu. Fedorova analyzes a number of widely common stereotyped images of Muslims formed in the European Community and related to socio-political, judicial (legal) and religious ethical aspects of intercultural communication. The research is focused, first of all, on the politicized opinion on Islam as a powerful destructive force ad the main source of the world terrorist threat. Secondly, the research studies the opinion that Islam does not know such legal categories as equality and freedom as Europeans understand them. Thirdly, the research also covers the perception of the Islamic culture as the culture that is entirely determined by religion and trying to impose their values on Europeans. A whole range of factors make these stereotypes even stonger including religious, cultural and ethnic differences, ideological factors, political motives, socio-economic environment and etc. Therefore Yu. Fedorova believes that from the scientific point of view, it is not efficient to search for the explanation of the aforesaid problem in the conflict of cultures (European and Muslim cultures) as the two cultures separated from each other by non-overcomable boudaries of ethnic and religious differences. 

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0749.2013.2.7985

Abstract:

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