Features & Perspectives
Long-form analysis on geopolitics, media framing, policy tradeoffs, and social impact.
Khettara and Foggara: Underground Water for Oases
How North African gallery systems tap groundwater by gravity, why maintenance shafts matter, and how communities manage fragile oasis water today.
Halal Economy 2026 With Islamic Finance Food and Consumer Trust
A search-focused halal economy 2026 guide explaining Islamic finance, halal products, certification trust and practical Muslim consumer decisions.
Saqiya Waterwheel: How a Chain of Pots Raises Water
How animal-powered gearing turns a vertical chain of pots, why the saqiya differs from river-driven norias and shadufs, and where evidence survives.
Who Ate at Ottoman Imarets and How Waqf Kitchens Worked
How Ottoman imarets turned waqf income into meals, who received food, what surviving deeds and registers reveal, and why one kitchen's menu cannot stand for all.
Why Djenné's Great Mosque Must Be Replastered
How earthen walls, projecting toron timbers and communal maintenance sustain Djenné's Great Mosque—and why renewal is part of the building, not its failure.
What Is a Khanqah? Sufi Lodge, Residence and Shrine
How khanqahs supported Sufi residence, teaching, ritual and hospitality, and why the term describes different institutions across Iran, Anatolia and Egypt.
US Muslim Civil-Rights Report 2026 and How to Read Complaint Data
A guide to reading Muslim civil-rights complaint reports in 2026, including CAIR reports, FBI hate-crime data and DOJ civil-rights context.
How Ajami Manuscripts Wrote African Languages in Arabic Script
A source-based guide to Ajami manuscripts, African languages, adapted Arabic letters, Wolofal and Mandinka cases, archives, Unicode, transcription and custody.
Hisba and the Muhtasib: How Medieval Markets Were Regulated
What hisba manuals say about weights, measures, food, crafts and public conduct—and why the muhtasib was more than a simple market inspector.
Acequia Irrigation and Valencia’s Water Tribunal
How gravity-fed acequias distribute river water across Valencia’s huerta, how irrigators govern turns, and what the famous tribunal actually preserves.
Suq and Bazaar: How Markets Organized the Islamic City
How suqs grouped crafts, linked gates to central streets, managed storage and traffic, and changed from open stalls into covered commercial districts.
Ibn Khaldun's Muqaddimah as a Method of History
How Ibn Khaldun tested historical reports against social conditions, used asabiyyah to explain political change and warned readers about implausible numbers.