Author: Th. Emil Homerin File Type: pdf Aisha al-Bauniyya (c.14561517) was one of the greatest women mystics in Islamic history. A Sufi master and an Arab poet, her religious writings were extensive by any standard and extraordinary for her time. In medieval Islam a number of women were respected scholars and teachers, but they rarely composed works of their own. Aisha al-Bauniyya, however, was prolific. She composed over twenty works, and likely wrote more Arabic prose and poetry than any other Muslim woman prior to the twentieth century. The first full-scale biography of al-Bauniyya in the English language, this volume provides a rare glimpse into the life and writings of a medieval Muslim woman in her own words. Homerin presents her work in the wider context of late-medieval Islamic spirituality, examining the influence of figures such as Ibn al-Arabi, al-Busiri and Ibn al-Farid, and emphasising the role of the person of the Prophet Muhammad in her spirituality. Clearly and beautifully written, Aisha al-Bauniyya is a fascinating introduction to a figure described by a sixteenth-century biographer as one of the marvels of her age.

Author: Seth Anziska File Type: pdf On the fortieth anniversary of the Camp David Accords, a groundbreaking new history that shows how Egyptian-Israeli peace ensured lasting Palestinian statelessness For seventy years Israel has existed as a state, and for forty years it has honored a peace treaty with Egypt that is widely viewed as a triumph of U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East. Yet the Palestiniansthe would-be beneficiaries of a vision for a comprehensive regional settlement that led to the Camp David Accords in 1978remain stateless to this day. How and why Palestinian statelessness persists are the central questions of Seth Anziskas groundbreaking book, which explores the complex legacy of the agreement brokered by President Jimmy Carter. Based on newly declassified international sources, Preventing Palestine charts the emergence of the Middle East peace process, including the establishment of a separate track to deal with the issue of Palestine. At the very start of this process, Anziska argues, Egyptian-Israeli peace came at the expense of the sovereignty of the Palestinians, whose aspirations for a homeland alongside Israel faced crippling challenges. With the introduction of the idea of restrictive autonomy, Israeli settlement expansion, and Israels 1982 invasion of Lebanon, the chances for Palestinian statehood narrowed even further. The first Intifada in 1987 and the end of the Cold War brought new opportunities for a Palestinian state, but many players, refusing to see Palestinians as a nation or a people, continued to steer international diplomacy away from their cause. Combining astute political analysis, extensive original research, and interviews with diplomats, military veterans, and communal leaders, Preventing Palestine offers a bold new interpretation of a highly charged struggle for self-determination. **Review This splendid book by a young American Jewish scholar is the product of an early emotional and intellectual transformation . . . His combination of original research and personal fearlessness has produced one of the most compelling works of political and diplomatic history I have ever read . . . Anziska has made a major contribution to the history of this conflict.---Charles Kaiser, *The Guardian* In Anziskas deeply researched book, the idea of a negotiated path to a viable Palestinian state was first betrayed at Camp David in the late 1970s, when US president Jimmy Carter, Menachem Begin, Israels rightwing prime minister, and Egyptian president Anwar Sadat brokered the accord that brought a lasting peace between Egypt and Israel.---Mehul Srivastava, *Financial Times* In Israels animated political discourse, the Camp David Accords are universally acclaimed while the Oslo Accords are bitterly debated between Left and Right. In this perceptive, thoroughly researched book, Seth Anziska reveals the strong connection between the two agreements and the extent to which Oslo drew on Camp Davids autonomy plan. Preventing Palestine is mandatory reading for understanding the complexities and ironies of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Itamar Rabinovich, author of *Yitzhak Rabin Soldier, Leader, Statesman* Preventing Palestine is an essential account of a reality obscured by hostile political agendas and unabashed bias. Seth Anziska uncovers the complex forces that have prevented Palestinian statehood and contributed to the destructive dynamic on the ground. With searing honesty, he traces the failures of the so-called Palestinian-Israeli peace process and describes the result the tragic injustice inflicted on the people of Palestine. This is a historical revelation of enormous magnitude.Hanan Ashrawi, member of the PLO Executive Committee Seth Anziskas book illuminates a crucial chapter in Middle Eastern history and U.S. foreign policy, and shows how the breakthrough peace agreement between Egypt and Israel created a roadblock to peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The breadth and depth of Anziskas research is remarkable.Gershom Gorenberg, author of *The Accidental Empire Israel and the Birth of the Settlements, 1967-1977* Preventing Palestine is a must-read for understanding why a two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict hasnt been achieved. The book provides an objective and foreboding picture of a political reality where a peoples rights are marginalized by a brazen military power unchecked by international order and largely supported by the United States. This is a story of Israels success, but one that paradoxically leaves it facing its ever-more-assertive existential nemesis.Sari Nusseibeh, author of *Once Upon a Country A Palestinian Life* Anziskas meticulous research and compelling analysis of the unexpected continuity that runs throughout the turbulent years of Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking makes this book invaluable for expert and layperson alike.Gershon Shafir, author of *A Half Century of Occupation Israel, Palestine, and the Worlds Most Intractable Conflict* Probing deep causes, Preventing Palestine vividly recounts the drive by Palestinians to achieve national self-determination and a parallel effort by Israelis to thwart that movement. We already know the outcome of the contest (at least so far), but Seth Anziskas story is gripping nonetheless. And highly revealing for the author also lays bare the willingness of Americans and even Egyptians to go along with the Israeli campaign. Anziska transforms our understanding of recent Middle Eastern history.Salim Yaqub, University of California, Santa Barbara Brilliantly conceived and researched, Preventing Palestine joins a very short list of essential works on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and on U.S. relations with the Middle East.Bradley Simpson, University of Connecticut About the Author Seth Anziska is the Mohamed S. Farsi-Polonsky Lecturer in Jewish-Muslim Relations at University College London and a visiting fellow at the U.S.Middle East Project. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Foreign Policy, and Haaretz. He lives in London.

Author: Nicholas G. Irving File Type: epub Read some of the most breath taking missions and engagements Sgt. Nicholas Irving, 3rd Ranger Battalions deadliest sniper had to face. Sgt. Nicholas Irving is credited with over 33 kills (less than 3 months) in Afghanistan as a Special Operations Direct Action Sniper. Simply riveting as he describes some of his kills through his eyes.

Author: James M. van Der Laan File Type: pdf The Reformation and Renaissance, though segregated into distinct disciplines today, interacted and clashed intimately in Faust, the great figure that attained European prominence in the anonymous 1587 Historia von D. Johann Fausten. The original Faust behind Goethes great drama embodies a remote culture. In his century, Faust evolved from an obscure cipher to a universal symbol. The age explored here as the Faustian century invested the Faustbuch and its theme with a symbolic significance still of exceptional relevance today. The new essays in this volume complement one another, providing insights into the tensions and forces that gave the century its distinct character. Several essays seek Fausts prototypes. Others elaborate the symbolic function of his figure and discern the resonance of his tale in conflicting allegiances. This volume focuses on the intersection of historical accounts and literary imaginings, on shared aspects of the work and its times, on concerns with obedience and transgression, obsessions with the devil and curiosity about magic, and quandaries created by shifting religious and worldly authorities. Contributors Marguerite de Huszar Allen, Kresten Thue Andersen, Frank Baron, Gunther Bonheim, Albrecht Classen, Urs Leo Gantenbein, Karl S. Guthke, Michael Keefer, Paul Ernst Meyer, J. M. van der Laan, Helen Watanabe-OKelly, Andrew Weeks. J. M. van der Laan is Professor of German and Andrew Weeks is Professor of German and Comparative Literature, both at Illinois State University.