Weekly Reading: A Trek Across Madagascar, to Hijab or not to Hijab, Naval Strategy?, Aviation Black Lists in Africa and a FAO Reading List

The land grabs in Africa you don’t hear about
Fascinating article...you likely won't guess the largest constituency buying up land in Africa--you will have to click to find out.  While you are clicking, check out two great books below.
 

L'aviation africaine s'organise pour sortir de la liste noire
I've been on quite a few flights out here where I've spent most of the time praying...that the plane wouldn't fall apart.

Madness in Madagascar: Brit defies crocs and cops in bid to be first to cross island
Brit Ash Dyke is attempting to become the first person to traverse the world's 4th largest island on foot.
ashdykes.com/madagascar/
https://twitter.com/Ash_Dykes
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ash-Dykes/736642026399924

As Muslim women, we actually ask you not to wear the ‘hijab’ in the name of interfaith solidarity
These are the types of articles every American should read.  Islam, the Koran and Islamism are too often simplified and then misunderstood by our society at large.  On its face, the idea of wearing the 'hijab' in solidarity seems to be a praiseworthy idea but as the author demonstrates running through the Koran, the 'hijab' is used in many muslim cultures to denigrate and control women.  And on the other side of the argument, in some cultures wearing the 'hijab' is nearly devoid of any religious connotation.

FROM READERS: MU faculty member shares stories of racism
A beautifully written piece that should be mandatory reading for everyone--especially anyone with a knee-jerk reaction in either direction.

THE BRUTAL REALITIES OF NAVAL STRATEGY
Great book review by BJ Armstrong that completely sold me on the need for this book to be on every naval officer's bookshelf...filled with highlights.


WAR ON THE ROCKS 2015 HOLIDAY READING LIST
This is the reading list you wish you were smart enough to tackle.  That said, I did find a few books (that I may or may not understand) to add to my wish list (below)

Past Weekly Reads
What I Read Last Week: Pro-life means pro-gun control, a missile's aftermath, Yakuza photos, Contempt in Marriage and Politics in Madagascar

Weekly Reading List: Mosquito nets and fishermen, Papa's Letters, A Century of Immigration and Italy in Africa

Weekly Reading List: African Borders, A Cure for Blindness, Family, Wine, Fish and a Muslim State

Weekly Reading List: Ivory-Terrorism myths, People Hangovers, Shoeboxes and Lawrence in Syria

Weekly Reading: Writing in Italian, the Weirdness of English, Wu-Tang and the Mona Lisa, the Sainthood of Mister Rogers and Prepping for the Next Ebola in West Africa

Origins of Islam Notes

BONUS LINK:  My entire (so far) grad school notes collection can be found here. 

Origins of Islam Notes

- Koran was written in its entirety during Prophet’s time

- Hadith: statements attributed to the Prophet

- Sura = chapter

- Revelation occurred during 23 year span: 13 years in mecca; last 10 years (medina era) in Hadija? Laws were revealed during this time period.

The distinction between scholar and student looms large in Islam.

- Muhammed born in 570 AD  

- 622 AD defining moment of Islam (Islamic Year 1 AH After Hijra or migration from Mecca (Makka) to Madina—formerly called Yehtrib—inhabitants changed it to the city of the Prophet which was then shortened to just Madina)

* Ethos of region at the time was all tribal (with exception of Makka and Madina) and very warfare-centric/raiding-centric (and placed low value on women)

- Madina had lots of water and was an agricultural society (dominated by two warring tribes: Aws and Khazrag, and Jewish population also coexisted). 

*Arabs were pagans at this point

- Makka is a valley with little water or cultivation and this is where Abraham left Ishmael.  Here there is Kabba as the first place of worship on earth (a rectangle structure) that predated Islam.  It was a ritualistic pilgrammage/tourist site (month of pilgrammage is the last month of the Muslim calendar) where the idols of multiple gods were placed.  City was controlled by two families: Banu Hashim (Muhammed’s family and the custodians of the mosque) and Banu Umayya (his cousins and the merchants of the city). 

*Makka was the market as the halfway point between Yemen and Sham (Levant).

M started out as a shepherd and then shifted to working for merchants in that trade.  Khadjia was a wealthy older woman (40s) who hired people to take her goods to sell—she brokered a deal with M to carry her wares.  After a while they marry (he’s about 20 years younger).  This is the beginning of his rise in society.  In the off-season, when he was 40 (610), he received his first revelation in a different linguistic form of Arabic—which is catchy and unique.   At first this is met with skepticism, but he slowly gains followers—initially these are the weaker parts of society.  Powerful in Makka don’t like what he’s saying since he’s speaking out against prostitution and usury etc…they don’t want there to be just one god because it would cut down on the number of pilgrammages. 

NOTE:  While most were pagans, some held an Abrahamic sense of religion—Ahnaf (monetheist)—reflective and intellectual—this is what M’s family followed.  However, it did not have a system of rituals and beliefs. 

One of his first followers was someone named Ali (father of Shias)—he was  foster child of M and his cousin.  He did this as a favor to his uncle who was destitute and had helped M out at the beginning (Ali later married M’s daughter Fatima).  Another major follower was Abu Bakr (one of the first caliphs in the future).