citations   ...Studies in Islam and the Middle East, vol. 4, no. 1, (2007)

In this issue:

1. The Protest Poetry of Muhamad al-Fayturi and Langston Hughes
   Saddik Gohar, UAE University, UAE
   Abstract
   This paper analyzes the protest poetry of the black Sudanese poet, Muhammad al-Fayturi and the Afro-American poet, Langston Hughes in order to explore new horizons in the field of cross-cultural and race studies linking the Afro-American poetic tradition with its counterpart in Africa and the Arab World. The paper argues that the protest poetry of al-Fayturi and Hughes is a response to the painful experience of the black people in Africa and the American Diaspora which transforms blackness into a powerful mechanism of anger and revolution. Dismissing the policy of systematic interpretive betrayal advocated by those who attempt to ignore the black experience of agony and pain, the two poets recalled crucial episodes from the black history of struggle against tyranny and racism in Africa and the United States. Being convinced that black culture survives through the centuries as an underlying force that threatens to rise to the surface in protest against oppression and hegemony al-Fayturi and Hughes created a counter-poetics to dismantle narra-tives which aim to distort history and obscure the sacrifices of the black people in Africa and the United States during the eras of slavery and colonization.
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2. Kinship and Otherness: Consequences of Theology in the Religious Discourse
   By A. E. SOUAIAIA, University of Iowa, USA
   Abstract
   Despite the common roots and the shared history, despite the common themes, despite the genealogical affinity, otherness is easily created through theological dogma. This reality is best exemplified by the level of distinctiveness and “alienation” that characterize the emerging identities of the Semitic religions. Arguably, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad are all descendents of the Patriarch Abraham. Furthermore, they share the same story of creation, worship the same deity, and accept the authority of the scripture. Yet, theological disputes created new identities that rendered cousins strangers and neighbors enemies.
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3. Autocracy in Denial: The Legal Obstacles to Political Opposition in Egypt
   Alexander Blewett, University of Montana School of Law, USA
   Abstract
   In recent years, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) have endured increasing domestic and international criticism for failing to achieve political liberalization. In response, the Egyptian Government has recently enacted a number of political reforms ostensibly geared toward democratizing its political system. Although Egypt’s feigned efforts at political reform have won ovation from close allies, such as the Bush administration, democracy in Egypt remains a distant illusion. This is largely because of the structure of Egypt’s Constitution, which heavily consolidates power in the hands of the executive. The executive’s constitutional powers are so encompassing that it retains exclusive control over nearly all facets of civic life. Through these legal powers, Egypt’s Government has successfully quashed any organized challenge to its hegemonic control. Even though Egypt has modestly amended its election laws and Constitution for the stated purpose of relieving participatory constraints in Egyptian politics, these superficial reforms fail to address the fundamental shortcomings inherent in the Egyptian political system. As a result, political opposition subsists in a weakened condition, incapable of wrestling power from the ruling party.
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