March 2026 Highlights
In Scholarship / Research
Preaching Pious Rulership in Medieval Islam
Ibn al-Jawzi's Political Thought - by Han Hsien Liew
"In this book, I study the relationship between political thought, preaching, and emotions through the writings of Ibn al-Jawzi (c. 1114–1201), a celebrated preacher in late Abbasid Baghdad. I wrote this book to challenge a common scholarly narrative that frames the history of Islamic political thought as a gradual slide into legitimizing absolutism and tyranny. Instead, I show readers that medieval Muslim thinkers did not simply accept a "might is right" view of power, but developed more complex and contested ideas about political authority. This can be shown through Ibn al-Jawzi's ideal form of rulership, which reflected the emotional norms and pietistic moral virtues promoted in Muslim hortatory sermons. In highlighting the importance of what I call 'homiletic piety' in Ibn al-Jawzi's political writings, the book calls for the need to rethink notions of 'politics' and the 'political' when studying Islam."
- Han Hsien Liew
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In Student Success
At CME-US, we are building more than a research program; we are developing a global intellectual hub. At the heart of this effort is the Global Muslim Digital Repository (GMDR), an ambitious initiative to preserve, curate, and share the histories, cultures, and lived experiences of Muslim communities across time and place.
This work unfolds across multiple levels. It begins with research: faculty and collaborators across ASU and partner institutions, including the University of Toronto, are engaged in projects that document the diversity of Muslim life in America—its histories, social worlds, cultural expressions, and contributions. But the work does not end with discovery. Equally critical is the question of access: how do we make this knowledge available, usable, and meaningful to scholars, students, and the wider public? This requires careful attention to how materials are gathered, preserved, and shared—ethically, responsibly, and in accordance with the highest academic standards.
CME-US is also a collaborative and training space. Our projects bring together faculty across disciplines while actively involving students in the research process. Students at CME-US do not simply observe research—they participate in it. They learn how ideas take shape, how questions become proposals, how projects are refined into defined concepts, and how research ultimately becomes a product that speaks to both academic and public audiences. This hands-on engagement is central to our mission of mentoring the next generation of scholars and public thinkers.
We are delighted to welcome Miles Nichols, a sophomore at ASU, as our new Student Research and Content Aide. Miles joins us as part of this vibrant research environment and will be supporting projects connected to the GMDR. His work will contribute to the ongoing effort to document, organize, and share the stories that form the foundation of this growing repository.
This endeavor is, at its core, collective. We invite scholars, students, and community members to be part of this work. If you have research papers, archival materials, or stories that you would like to share, we welcome your contributions to this expanding archive of knowledge.
You can learn more about Miles and our dedicated team on staff page.
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In Community Engagement
College is a space for exploration—an opportunity to learn both within and beyond the classroom. This Ramadan at ASU, that spirit of learning found expression in three student-organized iftars, where students gathered not only to share a meal but also to better understand the significance of fasting in the Muslim sacred month.
The Bangladeshi Student Association, the Muslim Student Association, and Barrett Honors College each hosted iftars that were warmly attended. While the promise of a shared meal certainly drew students in, what unfolded was something deeper. Muslim students and faculty created spaces of welcome, where reflection, generosity, and conversation could be shared with peers and colleagues from different backgrounds. Such moments matter. They show how identity and belonging are not abstract ideas, but lived experiences, formed in the act of coming together, of listening, and of recognizing one another.
On the day of Eid, CME-US marked the occasion in a simple but meaningful way: a small table with treats, a banner, and a brief introduction to the holiday. It was a modest gesture, but one that opened a space for curiosity, connection, and shared celebration within the wider ASU community.
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Bridging Worlds: What Four Muslim Educators Knew About Learning and Becoming - By Yasmin Saikia
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To Gaza With Love - By Samina Salim
We often think we understand a place long before we’ve actually encountered it.
To Gaza With Love by CME-US faculty affiliate Dr. Samina Salim is a collection of reflections, poetry, and visual art that engages Gaza through human-centered storytelling, inviting readers to move beyond the abstract and sit with experiences that are often purposefully kept at a distance from us.
It’s easy to underestimate how much our understanding of a place is shaped before we ever encounter it. Decades of research in social psychology show that repeated associations, especially in media, don’t just influence what we think, but how we perceive and interpret people and places, often without us realizing it, a pattern well documented in studies on implicit bias and perception. Over time, certain narratives become so familiar that they begin to feel like reality itself.
That shows up in the kinds of negative stories we’re exposed to every day. And while it can be uncomfortable to sit with feelings of grief and helplessness, this is where a book like To Gaza With Love really matters. It offers a more human, less filtered way of engaging, one that makes it harder to fall back on those usual assumptions.
Proceeds from the book support the We Love Reading program, advancing literacy and community-based healing for children in refugee communities.
If you come across research, primary sources, or news you think we should see, feel free to send them to [email protected].