Simon Wolfgang Fuch
Biographic Data
| ID | 335658 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Simon Wolfgang Fuch |
| GIVEN NAMES | Simon Wolfgang |
| FAMILY NAME | Fuch |
| SIGNATURE | FUCH S W |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Freiburg |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6522-9872 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 19 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 16 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 19 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Towers of Ivory and Steel. How Israeli Universities Deny Palestinian Freedom, written by Maya Wind
Devotion to the Administrative State
The “Discovery” of Modern Islam in East Germany after 1979
This article explores the sudden, unexpected emergence of Islam after 1979 as a central topic of research in Middle Eastern Studies conducted in East Germany, the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). Drawing on archival research, East German publications, and personal conversations, this contribution argues that the Iranian Revolution and the resurgence of religion which it symbolized constituted a shock moment for Marxist approaches to Area …
Reflektierte Führer in der Allianz der Toleranz
The attacks of September 11, 2001 spurred an intense interest in “moderate Islam” in U.S. government circles. Some high-ranking officials, for example, saw “moderate Muslims” as necessary allies in the “War on Terror.” In this article, we examine how the United States went about making allies in the Muslim world after the attacks. The goal was supposedly straightforward: “moderate” Muslims were to be strengthened and empowered to act as an antido…
Redding, Jeffrey A. A Secular Need
Brannon D. Ingram, Revival from Below. The Deoband Movement and Global Islam
A Direct Flight to Revolution
This article explores the engagement of the Pakistani Jamaʿat-i Islami (JI) with the Iranian Revolution. I argue that the Islamist JI was drawn to the events because it reflected a core concern and signature idea of Abu ’l-Aʿla Maududi, namely to establish the sovereignty of God ( hakimiyya ) on earth. My analysis of various travelogues and JI publications from the 1980s demonstrates that JI observers were deeply familiar with internal revolution…
The New Sectarianism. The Arab Uprisings and the Rebirth of the Shiʿa-Sunni Divide, written by Geneive Abdo, 2017
Legalised Pedigrees
This article draws on a wide range of Shiʽi periodicals and monographs from the 1950s until the present day to investigate debates on the status of Sayyids in Pakistan. I argue that the discussion by reformist and traditionalist Shiʽi scholars (ʽulama) and popular preachers has remained remarkably stable over this time period. Both ‘camps’ have avoided talking about any theological or miracle-working role of the Prophet's kin. This phenomenon is …
Casting Aside the Clutches of Conjecture
Why did the famous North Indian modernist and founder of the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College in Aligarh, Sayyid Aḥmad Khān (d. 1315/1898), lash out against emulation ( taqlīd ) in Islamic law ( fiqh )? The usual explanation is that he wanted to shift religious authority away from the religious scholars ( ʿulamāʾ ) toward ordinary Muslims. Countering this claim, I argue that his goal and that of his followers and associates at Aligarh was not pr…
Religious Minorities in Pakistan
This introduction to the special section of South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, titled ‘Religious Minorities in Pakistan’, reviews the existing scholarship on this topic, points out gaps in the research, and discusses problematic notions and assumptions in both popular and academic discourses on minorities. Furthermore, it attempts a definition of the term ‘religious minority’, demonstrates its extensive entanglement with the question of …
Reclaiming the Citizen
At first glance, Christians and Shi‘is occupy starkly differing socio-economic and religious positions in Pakistani society. Yet, this article argues that both communities share some remarkable similarities in their engagement with the seemingly hostile Pakistani state. Both Christians and Shi‘is have not given up on claiming their stakes as full citizens of the nation despite repeated attempts by parts of the majority population to ostracise and…
Afghanistan Rising. Islamic Law and Statecraft between the Ottoman and British Empires, written by Faiz Ahmed, 2017
Faded networks
This article questions the often-assumed centrality of Saudi Arabia for the development of anti-Shi‘i sectarianism in Pakistan. I argue that those groups and individuals who have been most vocal about the Shi‘i ‘threat’ since the 1980s lacked (and continue to lack) any strong lineages with the Kingdom. Instead, their local polemics in Urdu foregrounded Pakistan as a political idea and global promise for Islam. This status of Pakistan’s self-view …
Die islamische Ehe in Südasien. Zeitgenössische Diskurse zwischen Recht, Ethik und Etikette, written by Johannes Rosenbaum, 2017
Muslim Cosmopolitanism in the Age of Empire, written by Seema Alavi, 2015
Third Wave Shiʻism
This paper seeks to illuminate the intellectual impact of the Iranian Revolution of 1979 among Pakistani Shiʻas by focusing on Sayyid ʻArif Husain al-Husaini, the dominating Shiʻi leader of the 1980s. In particular, I am interested in exploring how al-Husaini adapted hallmark themes of the Iranian revolutionary message, such as Muslim unity or political leadership of the religious scholars ( ʻulama ), to the specific circumstances of Pakistan. Cr…
Failing Transnationally
This paper adds to the growing literature on transnational Shiʿism which has so far mostly focused on social history and political contestations. By tracing the thought, transnational legacy, and ultimate failure of the reformist Shiʿi scholar, Muhammad al-Khalisi (d. 1963), I argue for the crucial importance of local contexts and ideas for the genesis of Islamic modernist projects. In his native Iraq, al-Khalisi not only distinguished himself as…
Do Excellent Surgeons Make Miserable Exegetes
This article is an attempt to explore how ǧihādī authors make use of the Sunni tradition to bolster their case. Islamicists have rarely embarked on such a discussion, given the tendency to a priori chastise extremist authors for their untenable misrepresentation of Islam. Similarly, ǧihādī arguments are frequently tossed aside as an already familiar rehashing of an insignificant, isolated stream of thought that stretches directly from Ibn Taimīya…
Religious Minorities in Pakistan
This introduction to the special section of South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, titled ‘Religious Minorities in Pakistan’, reviews the existing scholarship on this topic, points out gaps in the research, and discusses problematic notions and assumptions in both popular and academic discourses on minorities. Furthermore, it attempts a definition of the term ‘religious minority’, demonstrates its extensive entanglement with the question of …
Failing Transnationally
This paper adds to the growing literature on transnational Shiʿism which has so far mostly focused on social history and political contestations. By tracing the thought, transnational legacy, and ultimate failure of the reformist Shiʿi scholar, Muhammad al-Khalisi (d. 1963), I argue for the crucial importance of local contexts and ideas for the genesis of Islamic modernist projects. In his native Iraq, al-Khalisi not only distinguished himself as…
A Direct Flight to Revolution
This article explores the engagement of the Pakistani Jamaʿat-i Islami (JI) with the Iranian Revolution. I argue that the Islamist JI was drawn to the events because it reflected a core concern and signature idea of Abu ’l-Aʿla Maududi, namely to establish the sovereignty of God ( hakimiyya ) on earth. My analysis of various travelogues and JI publications from the 1980s demonstrates that JI observers were deeply familiar with internal revolution…
Third Wave Shiʻism
This paper seeks to illuminate the intellectual impact of the Iranian Revolution of 1979 among Pakistani Shiʻas by focusing on Sayyid ʻArif Husain al-Husaini, the dominating Shiʻi leader of the 1980s. In particular, I am interested in exploring how al-Husaini adapted hallmark themes of the Iranian revolutionary message, such as Muslim unity or political leadership of the religious scholars ( ʻulama ), to the specific circumstances of Pakistan. Cr…
Do Excellent Surgeons Make Miserable Exegetes
This article is an attempt to explore how ǧihādī authors make use of the Sunni tradition to bolster their case. Islamicists have rarely embarked on such a discussion, given the tendency to a priori chastise extremist authors for their untenable misrepresentation of Islam. Similarly, ǧihādī arguments are frequently tossed aside as an already familiar rehashing of an insignificant, isolated stream of thought that stretches directly from Ibn Taimīya…
Do Excellent Surgeons Make Miserable Exegetes
This article is an attempt to explore how ǧihādī authors make use of the Sunni tradition to bolster their case. Islamicists have rarely embarked on such a discussion, given the tendency to a priori chastise extremist authors for their untenable misrepresentation of Islam. Similarly, ǧihādī arguments are frequently tossed aside as an already familiar rehashing of an insignificant, isolated stream of thought that stretches directly from Ibn Taimīya…
Third Wave Shiʻism
This paper seeks to illuminate the intellectual impact of the Iranian Revolution of 1979 among Pakistani Shiʻas by focusing on Sayyid ʻArif Husain al-Husaini, the dominating Shiʻi leader of the 1980s. In particular, I am interested in exploring how al-Husaini adapted hallmark themes of the Iranian revolutionary message, such as Muslim unity or political leadership of the religious scholars ( ʻulama ), to the specific circumstances of Pakistan. Cr…
Failing Transnationally
This paper adds to the growing literature on transnational Shiʿism which has so far mostly focused on social history and political contestations. By tracing the thought, transnational legacy, and ultimate failure of the reformist Shiʿi scholar, Muhammad al-Khalisi (d. 1963), I argue for the crucial importance of local contexts and ideas for the genesis of Islamic modernist projects. In his native Iraq, al-Khalisi not only distinguished himself as…
Muslim Cosmopolitanism in the Age of Empire, written by Seema Alavi, 2015
Die islamische Ehe in Südasien. Zeitgenössische Diskurse zwischen Recht, Ethik und Etikette, written by Johannes Rosenbaum, 2017
Afghanistan Rising. Islamic Law and Statecraft between the Ottoman and British Empires, written by Faiz Ahmed, 2017
Faded networks
This article questions the often-assumed centrality of Saudi Arabia for the development of anti-Shi‘i sectarianism in Pakistan. I argue that those groups and individuals who have been most vocal about the Shi‘i ‘threat’ since the 1980s lacked (and continue to lack) any strong lineages with the Kingdom. Instead, their local polemics in Urdu foregrounded Pakistan as a political idea and global promise for Islam. This status of Pakistan’s self-view …
The New Sectarianism. The Arab Uprisings and the Rebirth of the Shiʿa-Sunni Divide, written by Geneive Abdo, 2017
Legalised Pedigrees
This article draws on a wide range of Shiʽi periodicals and monographs from the 1950s until the present day to investigate debates on the status of Sayyids in Pakistan. I argue that the discussion by reformist and traditionalist Shiʽi scholars (ʽulama) and popular preachers has remained remarkably stable over this time period. Both ‘camps’ have avoided talking about any theological or miracle-working role of the Prophet's kin. This phenomenon is …
Casting Aside the Clutches of Conjecture
Why did the famous North Indian modernist and founder of the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College in Aligarh, Sayyid Aḥmad Khān (d. 1315/1898), lash out against emulation ( taqlīd ) in Islamic law ( fiqh )? The usual explanation is that he wanted to shift religious authority away from the religious scholars ( ʿulamāʾ ) toward ordinary Muslims. Countering this claim, I argue that his goal and that of his followers and associates at Aligarh was not pr…
Religious Minorities in Pakistan
This introduction to the special section of South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, titled ‘Religious Minorities in Pakistan’, reviews the existing scholarship on this topic, points out gaps in the research, and discusses problematic notions and assumptions in both popular and academic discourses on minorities. Furthermore, it attempts a definition of the term ‘religious minority’, demonstrates its extensive entanglement with the question of …
Reclaiming the Citizen
At first glance, Christians and Shi‘is occupy starkly differing socio-economic and religious positions in Pakistani society. Yet, this article argues that both communities share some remarkable similarities in their engagement with the seemingly hostile Pakistani state. Both Christians and Shi‘is have not given up on claiming their stakes as full citizens of the nation despite repeated attempts by parts of the majority population to ostracise and…
Brannon D. Ingram, Revival from Below. The Deoband Movement and Global Islam
A Direct Flight to Revolution
This article explores the engagement of the Pakistani Jamaʿat-i Islami (JI) with the Iranian Revolution. I argue that the Islamist JI was drawn to the events because it reflected a core concern and signature idea of Abu ’l-Aʿla Maududi, namely to establish the sovereignty of God ( hakimiyya ) on earth. My analysis of various travelogues and JI publications from the 1980s demonstrates that JI observers were deeply familiar with internal revolution…
Reflektierte Führer in der Allianz der Toleranz
The attacks of September 11, 2001 spurred an intense interest in “moderate Islam” in U.S. government circles. Some high-ranking officials, for example, saw “moderate Muslims” as necessary allies in the “War on Terror.” In this article, we examine how the United States went about making allies in the Muslim world after the attacks. The goal was supposedly straightforward: “moderate” Muslims were to be strengthened and empowered to act as an antido…
Redding, Jeffrey A. A Secular Need
Towers of Ivory and Steel. How Israeli Universities Deny Palestinian Freedom, written by Maya Wind
Devotion to the Administrative State
The “Discovery” of Modern Islam in East Germany after 1979
This article explores the sudden, unexpected emergence of Islam after 1979 as a central topic of research in Middle Eastern Studies conducted in East Germany, the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). Drawing on archival research, East German publications, and personal conversations, this contribution argues that the Iranian Revolution and the resurgence of religion which it symbolized constituted a shock moment for Marxist approaches to Area …
Political science (16 works) · Islamic Studies and History (15 works) · Islam (13 works) · Law (13 works) · Philosophy (12 works) · Sociology (10 works) · History (9 works) · Law (9 works) · Politics (8 works) · Religious studies (8 works)