...What is Sharia Banking? London is the leading Islamic banking center in the West, and the Netherlands is seeking to overtake London in this regard. Wall Street is becoming enamored with Islamic banking (also known as Sharia banking) and this banking model is rapidly gaining acceptance in the Western world. Unlike the traditional banking model most Westerners are familiar with, Islamic banks are managed according to Sharia law. The main difference between Western banking and Islamic banking is the Quran prohibits the collection of interest in all monetary transactions, charging fees (and donations) for services provided in lieu of charging interest on loaned capital. Islamic banks are also governed by a Sharia Advisory Board, which is comprised of Islamic scholars and clerics who are responsible to ensure all of the bank's activities are in strict compliance with Sharia (Islamic) law. Those in favor of Islamic banking believe the Islamic banking system is superior to the capitalistic model of the West, because it is structured around a "strict code of ethics" (based on the Quran) and is prohibited from "exploitative practices" (including the charging of interest). According to Islamic banking proponents, this allows banking to be an integral part of a moral society (governed by the Quran). In contrast, they believe capitalism is solely focused on money (profit) and this incites greed and the exploitation of others, which leads to the social problems in the West, including the division...
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...International Journal of Social Science Studies Vol. 2, No. 2; April 2014 ISSN 2324-8033 E-ISSN 2324-8041 Published by Redfame Publishing URL: http://ijsss.redfame.com Social Norms and Impediments of Women Development in Bangladesh Abul Kalam Lecturer in Sociology, Department of Economics, Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT)Mirpur-2, Dhaka, Bangladesh Correspondence: Md. KALAM, 32-44 Steinway Astoria, NY11103, United States. Received: January 11, 2014 doi:10.11114/ijsss.v2i2.365 Accepted: February 17, 2014 Available online: March 3, 2014 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11114/ijsss.v2i2.365 Abstract This study focuses upon the contemporary process of Social Norms and Impediments of Women Development in Bangladesh. The development of women in organizations, Decision making, Political participation and gender mainstreaming is currently seen as the dominant conceptual model for promoting social justice and women equality. This study intends to see the position of women, discourses and various political, economic and social factors that surrounded these events. The impediments of women in Bangladesh were being pulled in different directions as a result, the context of social norms and gender inequality that existed at global, national, community and domestic levels. Child marriage is one of the main impediments of women empowerment and implementation of the government‟s vision-2021. In Bangladesh, the patriarchal capitalism puts women...
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...Gender and Social Change in the Middle East: The Islam and Women Phenomenon Written By: Amelia Ramraj Arguably the most heated, widely discussed and controversial topic in gender and social change with respect to a cultural context is the state of women in the Middle East and the role that religion plays as a primary source for further derived influences of politics, economics, legal and family affairs to the social situation as a whole. This social stratosphere of revolving and intricate subjects of change and progression represent a multitude of conflicting ideologies, theories and realities. The media serves as an informational anchor, particularly in its portrayal of social situations and change, primarily divided into Western and Eastern media. The broader subject at hand is gender and social change in the Middle East, but specifically, how women, as the primary subject of the gender discussion, and Islam, as the foremost engine to drive the social scene across the Middle Eastern peninsula co-exist to create an unprecedented dynamic in the Middle East. This research paper will attempt to progressively reveal and discuss related subjects in order to create a transitional framework for a relevant understanding of the gender and social dynamic of the Middle East. As an outline, this paper will begin by briefly discussing the global role of women from a gender and sexuality perspective. It will then analyze how such roles are portrayed and what movements exist in order...
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...United States Students Lag in Math and Science United States high school seniors scored near or at the bottom of a multinational study of student performance in science and mathematics, according to results released on February 24, 1998. Final results from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), said to be the most comprehensive ever, also showed that U.S. students' aptitude for mathematics and science declines as they get older. Conducted in 1995, TIMSS tested student abilities in general mathematics, general science, advanced mathematics, and physics. In general mathematics and general science the Netherlands and Sweden took top honors, while the United States ranked 19th and 16th, respectively, in a field of 21 nations. Top-level U.S. students fared even worse, finishing 15th out of 16 countries in advanced mathematics and placing 16th—dead last—in physics. France and Norway, respectively, finished first in those disciplines. Asian nations scored highest in earlier TIMSS studies of fourth and eighth graders, but chose not to participate in the high school study. United States Secretary of Education Richard Riley called the results “entirely unacceptable” and said they “confirm our need to raise our standards of achievement, testing, and teaching.” Students must be encouraged to “understand the importance of math and science,” Riley said. Only 25 percent of U.S. high school students take physics and only 10 percent take calculus, Riley said. Meanwhile...
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...The Tobin Tax And Its Effects On The Foreign Exchange Market International Business Thesis By Mark Hansen 290587-1563 & Nina Johansen 140988-1838 Advisor Niels Blomgren-Hansen 17.05.2010 Executive summary In this thesis a financial transaction tax in the form of the Tobin Tax is examined as a means to reduce volatility on the foreign exchange market. James Tobin original proposal is presented followed by his 1995 paper and Frankel’s contribution to the discussion. Frankel gives merit to Tobin’s line of reasoning on reducing stability by dividing investors into short-term speculators and long-term fundamentalists and defines the former’s activities as destabilizing and the latter as stabilizing. However, we find this segmentation problematic since it is not possible to divide the market participants into these categories in the foreign exchange market. Many of the short-term investors do not necessarily speculate or disregard fundamentals, but rather try to avoid risk. Accordingly, many of the short term market movements are instead stabilizing. Therefore, the Tobin Tax would not only deter the destabilizing transactions, but also the stabilizing ones. If the foreign exchange market is in fact excessively volatile as Tobin argues then the tax could possibly have a positive effect by throwing sand in the wheels and thereby slowing short-term reactions. Our findings suggest that the foreign exchange market is in fact highly volatile, but we find no convincing...
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...Women’s Role in Economic Development: Overcoming the Constraints BACKGROUND RESEARCH PAPER Sarah Bradshaw, Joshua Castellino and Bineta Diop Submitted to the High Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda This paper reflects the views of the author and does not represent the views of the Panel. It is provided as background research for the HLP Report, one of many inputs to the process. May 2013 Women’s role in economic development: Overcoming the constraints Background paper for the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda Prepared by Dr. Sarah Bradshaw, Principal Lecturer, Middlesex University with Dr. Joshua Castellino and Ms. Bineta Diop, Co-Chairs of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Thematic Group on the “Challenges of Social Inclusion: Gender, Inequalities and Human Rights” 20 May 2013 1 1. Introduction This short paper aims to highlight the important role women have and can play in economic development. It addresses three questions: what is the evidence base to support investing in women? What are the current constraints on realising the full potential of women in the process of economic development? What are the priority areas of intervention necessary to unblock these constraints? It is focussed on women and on economic development, rather than on the wider issue of gender and development. However, before looking at the evidence base, constraints, and interventions, it will provide a brief context...
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...PAKISTANI WOMEN: RELIGION, STATE AND SOCIETY Much has been written in the international press in recent years concerning the difficulties facing Pakistani women today. Islam itself stresses that women have significant freedoms and rights and the Pakistani constitution guarantees equal treatment for all of its citizens. Pakistan has signed many United Nations treaties guaranteeing the equality and fair treatment of women. But the reality is very different. Most women in Pakistan face a hostile male-dominated environment where they have little or no choice in their lives and face the prospect of harsh violence directed against them. Some international journalists have written that Pakistan is one of the most dangerous places anywhere for women. The reason for this tragedy is that archaic tribal customs and attitudes remain a dominant force in many areas of the country. Pakistan was expressly created as an Islamic state, but many Pakistanis have not followed Islamic teachings concerning the treatment of women. The teachings of Islam provide full protection and security for women, but many Pakistani women are suppressed and victimized by their own family members. Although there are clear provisions both in Islam and in the 1973 Pakistani constitution to provide respect, safety and equal rights for women, Pakistan remains a male-dominated society where women still struggle to achieve their basic rights. Male officials in Pakistan can point to the nation’s constitution...
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...MINISTERUL EDUCATIEI CERCETARII TINERETULUI SI SPORTULUI CERTIFIED ENGLISH Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ORADEA, 2012 Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton CONTENTS INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................4 CHAPTER I: EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION..................................................5 I.1 EARLY LIFE.....................................................................................................................5 I.2 COLLEGE..........................................................................................................................5 I.3 LAW SCHOOL..................................................................................................................8 CHAPTER II: FAMILY, LIFE AND FIRST LADY OF ARKANSAS............................9 II.1 FROM THE EAST COAST TO ARKANSAS..................................................................9 II.2 EARLY ARKANSAS YEARS........................................................................................10 II.3 LATER ARKANSES YEARS.........................................................................................11 CHAPTER III: FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES............................................13 III.1 ROLE AS A FIRST LADY............................................................................................13 III.2 HEALTH CARE AND OTHER POLICY INITIATIVES.........
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...M o d u l e 2 Module Outline ●● Who is my audience? ●● Why is audience so important? ●● What do I need to know about my audience? ●● How do I use audience analysis? ●● What if my audiences have different needs? ●● How do I reach my audience? Module Summary Assignments for Module 2 Polishing Your Prose: Comma Splices 02Locker_mod02.indd 18 Adapting Your Messages to Your Audience Learning Objectives After reading and applying the information in Module 2, you’ll be able to demonstrate Knowledge of LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 The audiences who may evaluate your business messages The variables of the communication process The importance of adapting your message to your audience Audience analysis Skills to LO5 LO6 Analyze your audience when composing messages Begin to shape the content, organization, and form of your messages to meet audience needs 12-12-20 9:37 PM Adapting Your Messages to Your Audience MODULE 2 19 Employability Skills 2000+ Checklist Module content builds these Conference Board of Canada Employability Skills 2000+ Communicate Be Adaptable Think and Solve Problems Learn Continuously Demonstrate Positive Attitudes and Behaviours Work with Others Audience analysis is fundamental to the success of any message: to capture and hold an audience’s attention, and to motivate readers and listeners, you must shape your message to meet the audience’s interests,...
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...response. So, while we’ll try to clarify what we had in mind when framing a few of the knottier questions, we won’t be offering you a list of “right” answers. Instead, regard this manual as your personal support group. Since the publication of the first edition, we’ve had the chance to learn from the experiences of hundreds of instructors nationwide, and we’d like to use this manual as a forum where we can share some of their concerns, suggestions, experiments, and hints. We’ll begin with a roundtable on issues you’ll probably want to address before you meet your class. In the first section of this manual, we’ll discuss approaches to Rereading America and help you to think through your class goals. We’ll examine some options for tailoring the book to fit your interests and the time constraints of your term. We’ll also take up some pedagogical issues. We’ll offer advice on how to broach particularly hot topics in your class. We’ll explore in some detail how to get the most out of journal assignments and learning logs. And...
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...Quezon City Polytechnic University Batasan Satellite Campus Batasan Hills, Quezon City Research Paper in Symbolic Logic HOMOSEXUALITIES Submitted by Joann E. Buenavente Submitted to Prof. Fabian Avila I. Introduction Homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As an orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectionate, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same sex; "it also refers to an individual's sense of personal and social identity based on those attractions, behaviors expressing them, and membership in a community of others who share them." Homosexuality is one of the three main categories of sexual orientation, along with bisexuality and heterosexuality, within the heterosexual-homosexual continuum (with asexuality sometimes considered a fourth). Scientific and medical understanding is that sexual orientation is not a choice, but rather a complex interplay of biological and environmental factors,[1][3] especially with regard to early uterine environment. While there are those who still hold the view that homosexual activity is "unnatural" or "dysfunctional", research has shown that homosexuality is an example of natural variation in human sexuality and is not in and of itself a source of negative psychological effects. Prejudice and discrimination against homosexual and bisexual people...
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...Is Childhood Disappearing? 2012 Brendan Dolman Sociology, Unit 3 5/1/2012 Abstract This is a report to look at the social construct of Childhood and whether it is disappearing. This report explores the history of childhood and current socio cultural influences on modern day childhood. Is Childhood disappearing? Introduction I am interested in this subject area because childhood is a social construct which seems to be diminishing from society. This is of particular interest to me because childhood as we know it has only been about for the last century but now it seems that it is once again diminishing from society. I say this because when looking at childhood from 50 years ago and comparing it to childhood today there is a huge difference. Today toys seem to be targeted at children of ages 1-10 years old but not for children above that age (Manhattan Institute for Policy Research). Children seem to be pushed into the spotlight of adult activities such as the fashion and glamour world in the case of beauty pageants (Daily Mail Online 2011). There also seems to be more of a focus on older children playing on computer consoles with violent games which depict realistic and gruesome actions. These computer games also depict real life situations such as the war in Afghanistan and give these older children the opportunity to play as a soldier in this scenario. Content What is childhood? Childhood is not to be confused with being a child, it is a completely different...
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...Homosexuality From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about homosexuality in humans. For homosexuality in other animals, see Homosexual behavior in animals. Sexual orientation Male and female symbols overlaid Sexual orientations Asexual Bisexual Heterosexual Homosexual Non-binary categories Androphilia and gynephilia Non-heterosexual Pansexuality Polysexuality Queer Research Biological Human female sexuality Human male sexuality Demographics Environment Hetero/homosexual continuum Kinsey scale Klein Grid Neuroscientific Queer studies Sexology Timeline of sexual orientation and medicine Non-human animals Animal sexual behaviour Non-reproductive sexual behavior in animals Homosexual behavior in animals (list) Category Category v t e Part of a series on Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people LGBT flag Sexual orientation Homosexuality Demographics Biology Environment History LGBT history Timeline Social movements Culture LGBT community Coming out Pride Slang Symbols Gay village Rights Laws around the world Marriage Union Adoption LGBT parenting Military service Legal aspects of transgenderism Intersex human rights Social attitudes Heteronormativity LGBT stereotypes Queer Religion and homosexuality Religion and transgender Prejudice / Violence AIDS stigma Anti-intersex Biphobia Genderism Heterosexism Homophobia Lesbophobia Binarism Sexualism Suicide among LGBT youth Transphobia Violence against LGBT people LGBT trafficking ...
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...Socio-Economics 29 (2000) 21–37 Is it necessary to have Islamic economics? M. Umer Chapra*,1 Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, Riyadh 11169, Saudi Arabian If Islam can be shown to be capable of providing fruitful vision to illuminate the modern conscience, then all mankind and not only Muslims, have a stake in the outcome. (Marshall Hodgson, 1977, Vol. 3, p. 441) Apart from the Islamic world, where fundamentalist political tendencies are quite marked, the global political scene is dominated by rhetoric and values that are primarily consumption-oriented and that stress personal self-gratification as the primary purpose of political action. (Zbigniew Brzezinsky, 1995, p. 53) Keywords: Islamic and conventional economics; Vision; Worldview; Method 1. Introduction Conventional economics, which dominates modern economic thinking, has become a well-developed and sophisticated discipline after going through a long and rigorous process of development over more than a century. The development continues uninterrupted, as reflected in the publication of innumerable journals, books, and research reports throughout the world. Individuals, universities, research organizations, and governments are all participating actively in this development. As a result of accelerated development in Western industrial countries over a long period, substantial resources are available to scholars to pursue their research. It goes to the credit of the West that there is a great quest for knowledge; researchers are...
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...Master Thesis Ethnic Conflicts and Transition to Democracy in Africa: Recurrence of Ethnic Conflicts in Kenya (1991-2008) Author: Berita Musau Matrikelnummer: 0601567 Academic degree aspired Master (M.A) Vienna, August, 2008 Studienkennzahl: A 067 805 Studienrichtung: Global Studies - a European Perspective Advisor: Prof. Dr. Walter Schicho Table of Contents Dedication ……………………………………………………………………. iii Acknowledgment …………………………………………………………….. iv List of Acronyms …………………………………………………………….. v List of Tables and figures …………………………………………………….. vii Abstract in English …………………………………………………………… viii Abstract in German …………………………………………………………... ix Chapter One: Introduction ………………………………………………… 1 1.1. Introduction …………………………………………………………… 1 1.2. Problem statement …………………………………………………….. 2 1.3. Aim and objectives of the research …………………………………… 4 1.4. Research questions and hypotheses …………………………………... 7 Chapter Two: Literature review and theoretical framework ……………. 8 2.1. Literature review ……………………………………………………… 8 2.2. Transition to democracy and ethnic conflicts in Africa ………………. 12 2.3. Definition of concepts ………………………………………………… 16 2.4. Theoretical framework for analysis of ethnic conflicts ……………….. 18 2.4. Research methodology ………………………………………………... 21 2.5. Significance of the research …………………………………………... 23 Chapter Three: Background to the struggle for democracy and ethnic conflicts in Kenya……………………………………………………………. 24 3.1. A short retrospect in to Kenya’s colonial...
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