Another Word For It Patrick Durusau on Topic Maps and Semantic Diversity

February 7, 2019

SHARIAsource [Islamic Law – Don’t Make Your Readers Dumber]

Filed under: Islam,Journalism,News,Religion,Reporting — Patrick Durusau @ 8:44 pm

SHARIAsource

From the about page:

SHARIAsource is a team of advisors, scholars, and editors dedicated to providing content and context on Islamic law in a collective mission to organize the world’s information on Islamic law in a way that is accessible and useful. Find out more about our advisory boardeditorial boardregional editors, and senior scholars

What We Do

Harvard Law School’s Islamic Legal Studies Program: SHARIAsource (“ILSP: SHARIAsource” or “The Program”) is dedicated to providing content and context on Islamic law in a way that is accessible and useful. Working with a global team of editors, we provide a platform to house primary sources of Islamic law, organize the people to critically analyze them, and promote research to inform academic and public discourse about Islamic law. Our research portal, SHARIAsource (beta.shariasource.com) (“The Portal”) is our flagship project, and offers a home for wide-ranging sources and analysis of Islamic law. Other projects and special events serve legal scholars and lawyers, students, and generally interested readers; and we disseminate information, deliver cutting-edge analysis, and facilitate scholarly conversation and debate on Islamic law through our blog (shariasource.blog), newsletter (shariasource.blog/ archives/), social media outlets, listservs, and special events. The SHARIAsource Portal collects sources and scholarly commentary on Islamic law from the earliest periods of Islam to the modern era, covering both Muslim-majority and Muslim-minority contexts. SHARIAsource adheres to common principles of academic engagement, including attention to diverse perspectives, peer-reviewed analysis, and the free and open exchange of ideas. 

What We Cover

SHARIAsource includes sources and scholarly commentary on Islamic law from the earliest periods of Islam to the modern era, covering both Muslim-majority and Muslim-minority contexts.

Reporters looking to evaluate discussions or claims about Islamic law can hardly do better than SHARIAsource It offers an amazing range of primary and secondary resources, as well as authorities on Islamic law.

August 24, 2017

Blasphemy and Related Laws (Censorship)

Filed under: Censorship,Free Speech,Religion — Patrick Durusau @ 10:49 am

Years ago I encountered a description of a statement as being so vile that it made:

…strong men curse and women faint…

The author did not capture the statement and I don’t remember the book with that description. Based on the sexism in the quote, I’m assuming either the work or the time described was late 19th century.

Suggestions?

Blasphemy is a possible subject area for such a statement and the Library of Congress has helpfully compiled:

Blasphemy and Related Laws.

Description:

This report surveys laws criminalizing blasphemy, defaming religion, harming religious feelings, and similar conduct in 77 jurisdictions. In some instances the report also addresses laws criminalizing proselytization. Laws prohibiting incitement to religious hatred and violence are outside the scope of this report, although in some cases such laws are mentioned where they are closely intertwined with blasphemy. The report focuses mostly on laws at the national level, and while it aims to cover the majority of countries with such laws, it does not purport to be comprehensive.

I recognize not blaspheming in the presence of believers as a social courtesy but the only true blasphemy, in my view, is censorship of the speech of others.

Censorship of blasphemy implies a Deity threatened by human speech. That is a slander of any Deity worthy of worship.

January 27, 2015

Message of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei To the Youth in Europe and North America

Filed under: Context,Islam,Religion — Patrick Durusau @ 1:32 pm

#LETTER4U Message of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei To the Youth in Europe and North America

Unlike many news sources I will not attempt to analyze this message from Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

You should read the message for yourself and not rely on the interpretations of others.

Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s request is an honorable one and should be granted. You will find it an exercise in attempting (one never really succeeds) to understand the context of another. That is one of the key skills in creating topic maps that traverse the contextual boundaries of departments, enterprises, government offices and cultures.

It isn’t easy to stray from one’s own cultural context but even making the effort is worthwhile.

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