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: 10.7256/2409-8728.2014.11.1399

Abstract: The translation from the Persian language of the main the syuzhetoobrazuyushchikh of fragments of the major monument of the Persian sufiysky philosophical tradition - the philosophical poem "The Speech of the Birds" (Mantik at-tayr) Farid of ad-Din Attar Nischapuri (the XII-XIII centuries) is presented in article, and also are considered a number of questions, connected with studying of a literary heritage of Attar: disputes on number of the literary works written to them are conducted, there is no accurately established chronology of writing of compositions, besides, there are some poems attributed to Attar however there are no direct historical evidences that their author he. In research philological methods, and also the historico-philosophical and conceptual analysis of the text that allows to define strategy of interpretation of a number of poetic constructs (such as "soul bird", by "Simurg", "valleys") are used mainly thanks to which Attar opens the maintenance of important concepts of medieval sufiysky philosophy. Novelty of research consists first of all in translation from the Persian language of the medieval poem "The Speech of the Birds" (with a total amount about 800 couplets) relating both to poetry masterpieces and to the most authoritative works of sufiysky thought in tradition. This composition was repeatedly translated into the European languages (Garsen de Tassi, Edward Fitzgerald, D. Davies and. A. Darbandi, P. Everi) and Arab (M. Dzhum'a). The translation of separate parts of the poem into Russian and its partial retelling was executed by domestic iranist E.E. Bertels and A.E. Bertels. Only in 2006 the translation "Parables about the sheikh San'ana" from the poem "The Speech of the Birds" was published, and in 2009 — the translation of the poem executed by M. Borzui into Russian under the name "Logic of Birds" is published. However this translation of the poem is incomplete and is almost completely deprived of the scientific comment. In this regard the author counted necessary to make own translation of considerable part of this philosophical monument that will allow further more objectively and fully to cover philosophical ideas of Attar and to define his place in the context of Islamic medieval philosophical tradition.

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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