Covers: concept of ownership and classification of ownership; the mode of acquiring ownership of property; the lawful ways of acquiring private ownership; property and its classification; work :the best and dignified work; the classification of work; the physical and manual work; office work (salaried employment); intellectual work; the qualities of a good worker; rights and protection of worker; unemployment; sale [types of sale; conditions of valid sale; conduct of the parties in a sale transaction; lawful and unlawful sale transactions; gift distinguished from other related concepts; gift distinguished from sadaqah (alms, deed); gift distinguished from ariya; conditions for a valid gift; structure of a gift; donation subject-matter (Al-mawhub); revocation of a gift]; testate succession: types of will; void and voidable will; object of making a will; gorm of will; revocation of a will; lapse of a will; intestate succession: definition; pre-Islamic law relating to succession; constituents of succession (Arkanul - Mirath); grounds of inheritance; liabilities of the deceased; legal heirs; legal impediments to acquisition of property; fraud (Gish/Ghabn); Hoarding (Ihtikar); bribery (Rashwah); death-sickness gift (Ahwal Mard-ul-Mawt); theft (Sariqah); impediments to inheritance (Mawani'al-Irth). Index, bib, 110pp, NIGERIA. MALTHOUSE.

Constitutionalism is steadily becoming the prevalent form of governance in Africa. But how does constitutionalism deal with the lingering effects of colonialism? And how does constitutional law deal with Islamic principles in the region? Constitutional governance has not been, nor will it be, easily achieved, Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im argues. But setbacks and difficulties are to be expected as part of the process of adaptation and indigenization of an essentially alien concept of nation-state and its role in large-scale political and social organization. An-Na'im discusses the problems of implementing constitutionalized forms of government specific to Africa, from definitional to conceptual and practical issues. 232pp, USA. UNIVERSITY PRESS OF PENNSYLVANIA.

A comprehensive study of the impact of Islam in sub-Saharan Africa, looking at the archaeological evidence of the spread the religion and culture across the continent. Index, refs, maps, b/w illus, 470pp, UK, CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS.

Now in paperback. A product of a life-time's study, widely acclaimed in scholarly and academic circles, the book contains over 1,300 entries and 32 pages of colour illustrations and covers all aspects of Islam, from religious belief, ritual and practice to science, politics and architecture. Helpful cross-referencing tempts the reader to explore further entries. The result of extensive research, this book has the advantage of being written by a Western scholar of the Islamic faith. Cyril Glasse's extensive travels throughout the Islamic world have given him an intimate acquaintance with his subject. Revised edition, chronology, bib, 534pp, STACEY INTERNATIONAL, 1900988062

Explores processes of secularisation and re-islamization among Cape Muslims in the context of a post-apartheid South Africa in which liberal and secular values have attained considerable purchase in the new political and social elites. Fractured by social status, ethnicity and religious orientation, Cape Muslims have responded to these changes through an ambiguous accommodation with the new order. The study explores this ambiguous accommodation through chapters on conversions to Islam among black Africans in Cape Town, Cape Muslim women's experiences with polygamy, Cape Muslims and HIV/AIDS, the status of Islam in a prison in Cape Town in the post-apartheid era, and on contestations over rituals among Cape Muslims. Apps, bib, gloss, notes, 356pp, NETHERLANDS. AMSTERDAM UNIVERSITY PRESS.

When one third of Muslims live as members of a minority, the rise in fundamentalism can be understood as a result of the efforts of westernised Muslims to reassert their identity. The author looks at these issues through the context of globalisation, and discusses the impact of modern jihad movements such as Al Qaeda and the work peaceful organisations like Tablighi Jama'at on the identities of Muslim communities. Index, notes, xi, 349pp, UK. HURST & CO.

A comprehensive history seeking to identify the creative and crucial role that Islam and Muslims have played in the story of African development. Index, gloss, notes, bib, maps, x, b/w illus, 591pp, UK. JAMES CURREY PUBLISHERS.

Shows how Islam and other aspects of coastal civilization have evolved since about 1000 AD as an organic whole. Argues that coastal Africans adopted Islam as the spiritual vehicle best suited to their expanding intellectual needs and to meeting the opportunities presented by their physical and cultural environment. Map, bib, index, xiv, 273pp, UK. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS.

This second volume of studies by the late Nehemia Levtzion pursues the themes covered in his previous collection, ISLAM IN WEST AFRICA; it also maintains a particular interest in the history of Africa while including broader chronological and geographic perspectives. It includes four new papers, delivered by the author in the years before his death, specially prepared for publication in this volume. In the first part, there is an emphasis on processes of conversion and Islamization, but the studies also cover Islamic perceptions of and presence in Africa; the second focuses on Islamic movements of revival and renewal, Sufism and fundamentalism. 336pp, UK. ASHGATE.

Political liberalization and economic reform, the weakening of the state, and increased global interconnections have all had profound effects on Muslim societies and the practice of Islam in Africa. The contributors to this volume investigate and illuminate the changes that have occurred in Africa, through detailed case studies, with essays on Nigeria, Mauritania, Chad, Somalia, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Niger and South Africa. 288pp, UK. PALGRAVE.

Islam in this twenty-first century is caught between three inter-related forces: globalization, international terrorism and the rise of the American Empire. This book examines those forces from the perspective of the rise and fall of civilizations. If Edward Gibbon and Arnold Toynbee could trace the decline of the Roman Empire to the challenge of Christianity, should we now anticipate the decline of the American Empire through the challenge of Islam? This book examines the stresses and strains of relations between Islam and the West in this era of tense globalization. Issues of church and state within societies interact with issues of ideology and power in foreign relations. It ranges from the creation of the state of Israel to the aftermath of September 11, and the historical forces which led to both those momentous events. 352pp, UK. JAMES CURREY PUBLISHERS.

A study of the little studied relationship between Islam and caste amongst the Haalpulaar'en of Senegal providing insights into how marginalised artisans, poets and musicians understood themselves and how they responded to Islamification. Index, bib, notes, b/w illus, maps, xv, 270pp, UK. EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY PRESS, 0748619909

Using case studies from across the continent, the author offers a look at Muslim societies in Africa over the last 1000 years, showing the complex struggles of Muslims in states such as Morocco and in the Hausaland region in Nigeria. He also portrays the ways in which Islam was practiced in the pagan societies of Ashanti and Buganda and in Christian states such as Ethiopia. Index, gloss, xx, 220pp, UK. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS.

The dearth of materials in the English language in the somewhat complex subject matter of classical jurisprudence is addressed in this study. It highlights the uniqueness of Islamic jurisprudence as a developed system because of its exactitude in terms of meaning, province and scope. The book serves as an introductory text on the basic principles of Islamic jurisprudence for judges, lawyers, academicians, especially law lecturers, students of law specialising in Islamic law, and the general public. Contents: Introduction to Islamic Jurisprudence; Shari'ah - Islamic law; Obligations and duties; Duties created by the Hukm (rule of law); Declaratory rule (Hukm Wad'I; Legal capacity (Ahliyyah); Haqq ; The sources of Islamic law; The primary sources; Holy Qur'an as the primary source; Ijma - consensus of opinion; The secondary sources; Istihsab - juristic equity or preference; Maslahah Mursalah or Istislah - considerations of public interest or extended analogy; Istishab - presumption of continuity; Urf - custom; Sadd al-Dhara'I; Ijtihad]. Index, bib, 112pp, NIGERIA. MALTHOUSE.

Long before the September 11 attacks galvanized Western attention on what has variously been called political Islam, Islamic fundamentalism, and Islamism, African nations with sizeable Muslim populations had been experiencing significant transformations in the relationship between religion and state. This collection explores those ongoing transformations in key countries of the Sahel region. Includes a comprehensive bibliography of Islamism in West Africa. Index, 221pp, USA. LYNNE RIENNER.

A wide ranging overview of the manifestations of Islam in sub-Saharan Africa. Countries studied in depth are Nigeria, the Sudan, Kenya, Senegal and South Africa. Index, refs, notes, vi, 175pp, USA. OXFORD UNIV PRESS.

An examination of how the Koran and the Bible are interpreted and acted upon by political movements in the Arab world and Africa, offering comparisons of Islamic and Christian radicalism in the 1990s. Issues discussed include the use of the Koran and the Bible as political models in Zambia, Egypt and Nigeria; conflict in South Sudan; religious modernity in Ghana and the politics of religion and ethnicity in Cameroon. Index, notes, xi, 226pp, UK. HURST.

Compares and contrasts anthropological and historical approaches to the study of the Indian Ocean by focusing on the vexed nature of 'cosmopolitanism', demonstrating the importance of non-Western studies to the development of global historical concepts through a comparative study of Muslim societies, and of colonial and post-colonial contexts. Index, 377pp, UK. HURST.

Based on the author's writings over the last twenty years, these essays looks at the state of politics and bureaucracy in Muslim Africa. Index, notes, xi, 243pp, UK. HURST.

West Africa is defined as the area south of the Sahara between the Atlantic and Lake Chad, encompass-ing the Sahel zone, tropical forests, and pasturelands. West Africans speak languages belonging to three major families: Niger-Congo, Nilo-Saharan, and Afro-Asiatic, as well as the official languages, French and English, introduced in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The language of scholarship and learning has been Arabic since the seventh century, when Arab merchants, soldiers, and missionar-ies came south and established major trade routes. Timbuktu became a centre of commerce and learning, and kingdoms such as Ancient Ghana emerged as major regional powers. This study, which provides an overview of the region's history from medieval times to the twentieth century, traces the developments following colonialism; the effects of Arab nationalism on West African politics; the role of the Israelis in helping to develop new states; the politics of OPEC; and the rise of Islamic extremism. Index, bib, apps, 147pp, USA. MARKUS WIENER.

Argues that the world is in the grip of what can be loosely characterised as an inter-religious conflict, in which the crimes of an extremist minority are indiscriminately attributed to all Muslims worldwide. This study endeavours to correct some of these misapprehensions, with the aim of promoting mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence between different religious groups. Particular reference is made to the situation of religious conflict in Nigeria. 264pp, NIGERIA. WEST AFRICAN BOOK PUBLISHERS.