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Celebrity, Aspiration and Contemporary Youth uses the lens of celebrity to explore how young people think about their futures under austerity. Based on an interdisciplinary study, the book offers fresh insights into contemporary youth aspirations and inequalities. It helps us to understand young people's transitions into adulthood at a time of socio-economic 'crisis'. Drawing on original data, the authors examine what it means for young people to be forming their aspirations within the context of 'austere meritocracy'. The book addresses three central questions: What kinds of futures do young people desire and imagine for themselves? What is required of young people in the process of achieving these futures? And how are inequalities embedded and reproduced within these? Using young people's 'celebrity talk' to explore their aspirations, the authors challenge stereotypes of young people as a fame-hungry, get-rich-quick generation. Instead, they show how young people engage critically with celebrity and its discourses. Key chapters focus on how young people talk about youth, work, authenticity, success, happiness, money and fame in relation to their own lives and those of celebrities. Each of these chapters contains a case study of an international celebrity, including, Beyoncé, Will Smith, Bill Gates, Prince Harry and Kim Kardashian. The authors conclude with possibilities for social change. They show that celebrity offers an important way of working with young people to critically explore what futures are possible and for whom.

The rise of militant jihadist groups is one of the greatest international security crises in the world today. In civil wars across the modern Muslim world, Islamist groups have emerged out of the ashes, surged dramatically to power, and routed their rivals on the battlefield.

After decades of uncontested dominance, the era of American hegemony is ending and a new multipolar world order is emerging in its place. This transformation is also occurring alongside uncontrolled climate change and the development of volatile new technologies. Together, these factors dramatically complicate the global threat landscape. Securing Canada’s Future offers a comprehensive analysis of the most serious challenges that Canada will face in the near future. Written by leading Canadian women scholars and security experts, this collection covers the most critical risks and threats on the horizon, including rising Chinese power, resurgent Russian aggression, escalating competition in the Arctic, the near irreversibility of climate change, disaster management and mitigation, evolving cybersecurity threats, and gendered violence. Securing Canada’s Future explores what this future threat landscape will look like for Canadians and shows how Canada can prepare for and mitigate upcoming risks. This practical, forward-thinking volume maps out the most urgent national and international security issues that Canada is destined to face in the foreseeable future.

Although this is a very important issue for us Muslims to address, paradoxically, it is an issue we seldom address. Why is it so important, and why do we seldom address it? It is important because it affects our relationship with one another as well as with non-Muslims, and thus the spread of Islam- all crucial concerns for the future of the Ummah. Why then do we seldom speak about it? Because to do so is to run the risk of being abused, misunderstood and quoted out of context by people who cannot tolerate any opinion other than their own, even if that other opinion has a sound basis in Islamic teachings.Brief as it may appear, and dealing with such a topical subject, this book is quite comprehensive. The author shows motives which produce the lax and the extremist types of people. Speaking the language of hikmah, but making use of cogent arguments, she addresses committed Muslim youth with an open mind and suggests wise and efficient solutions to remedy laxity and extremism in society. Easy to read, brief, balanced and enjoyable, this book is the first of its category to deal with the burning issues of laxity, moderation and extremism. It is a must for and a companion to every responsible Muslim involved in da'wah work. Even non-Muslims can greatly benefit from such illuminating insights on what a true Muslim's attitude should be when fulfilling his obligation of transmitting the Divine message to his fellow human beings.

This book is the first translation into English of a well known and widely used, six hundred year old classical Arabic text, its author, Qadi as-Safadi [d.1378 AH] of Damascus, May Allah be pleased with him designed it for his contemporaries as a reference book to acquaint the followers of the four schools of fiqh with the ruling of the other schools, so that needless antagonism and misunderstandings did not spring up out of ignorance and prejudice. The need for such a book is even more pressing in the present circumstances, and this excellent and succint book which covers the whole spectrum of the Deen is a timely and much needed addition to the Islamic source material available in the English language. This book is designed as a reference guide to acquaint the followers of the different schools the rulings of the other schools so that needless antagonisms and misunderstandings do not spring up out of ignorance and prejudice.

"Hadith as Scripture" is the only book that covers both the earliest and most recent discussions on the authority of the Hadith. The authority of Hadith is a concern to Muslims in their daily lives, as well as a question of academic interest. "Hadith as Scripture" contains the first-ever Western language translation of the earliest extant text on the subject. This work explores the earliest extant discussions on the authority of the Hadith in Islam and compares them with contemporary debates. -- Publisher description