Focusing on some contemporary Islamic reformers' solutions, in particular, Abolkarim Soroush, Mohsen Kadivar, and Fazlur Rahman, to concrete issues in Muslim societies, this article examines two different methodological strategies of alternative readings of the Sunna: an archeological one and a genealogical one. In the archeological perspective, the holy text has been considered as a repository of answers to all sorts of questions. Through a pathological analysis, this view suggests solutions to correct distortions and looks for new windows seeking an original interpretation of the Qur'an. The genealogical view, on the other hand, puts aside this pathology and instead insists on the idea of the contingency of any interpretation. Regardless of accuracy and validity, according to the genealogical view, all interpretations have addressed temporal and contextual questions. What is important in this perspective is not returning to an original source for finding the exact message of Allah, or correcting previous interpretations, but recurrently referring to an open-ended text in order to explore the futures of the Qur'an.

In this article we examine Iranian women's reading of Victoria, a very popular TV series in Iran. Based on Active Audience and especially Cross-Cultural Consumption Theory (CCCT), we tried to study how the audiences consume Victoria in different manners. By using a qualitative method, in depth interviewing among 30 women, and thematic analysis, we distinguished some themes which explain why they like Victoria and how they read it. We showed that women were being attracted by and simultaneously very cautious of Victoria. In fact, they know that Victoria present them different cods which are not compatible with their own situation. In addition, comparison between ours and theirs provided them with a situation to read the text actively. Accordingly, women distinguished unpleasant native from pleasant foreigner which provided them with an imaginary situation to identify with a desirable and pleasant role.

Today, marketing researchers have considered creating a good congruency between clients and Brands personality. Because, it has two of the most important consequences; one, creating a long term relationship and two, word of mouth. Hence, this research has been to explain the relationship of the brand personality congruency and word of mouth with mediating customer-brand relationship in the banking industry. The study sample is including all students at the Shahid Beheshti University. In the sampling, the sample was calculated using Cochran formula, minimum requirement of 385 samples. Then, randomly and easy, 412 questionnaires were collected and; their data was used. In order to analyze Questionnaire data and test hypotheses was performed description test, means comparison and structural equation modeling using Smart-PLS software. The results show that personality congruency has positive and significance effect on customer-brand relationship dimensions (Self-Connection, Partner Quality and Affective Commitment); and relationships have been confirmed. Also, relationship between customer-brand relationship dimensions and word of mouth have been confirmed; and they have positive and significance effect. According to results of total effect, the largest total effect for word of mouth, it belongs to personality congruency (0.705); and this effect is only indirect. After personality congruency, partner quality has more effective on word of mouth (0.367).

Akhundzade is one of the greatest Iranian modern intellectuals. Addressing nationalism, literary criticism, and alphabet reform in the Muslim world, and, most importantly, provoking trenchant criticism of the Islamic religion, he initiated a persistent controversy among the Iranian intellectuals. It is often argued that he approached the European thought through the lens of self-orientalism and grounded a so-called will to imitation. Drawing on his method of Qirītīkā (criticism), particularly in Maktūbāt (1865), I argue that he confronted the Western ideas instrumentally and was aware of the historical and social context of Iran. Furthermore, despite his apparent secular approach, which is labelled usually as garbzade (West-struck), he articulated an ensemble of elements that can be traced back to pre-Islamic Iran, India, and the West. His intellectual works not only stand as the figureheads of regional studies but also represent a pathbreaking approach to the problem of backwardness in Muslim societies.

No abstract