Call for Papers: Leadership through Service, Development through Learning, Cooperation through Dialogue

The British Board of Scholars and Imams is an apolitical national assembly of imams, traditional scholars and religiously learned academics formed to facilitate scholarly intra-Muslim research and dialogue and to provide authoritative ethico-theological guidance and leadership on matters relevant to Muslims whilst promoting wider community welfare.

Through the academic symposiums, the BBSI will provide the opportunity for intellectual and practical problems and their solutions to be explored with the full resources available from within the Islamic and academic traditions.

Our diverse body of scholars believes that a new approach is needed to address the unprecedented challenges that face our community. This new approach needs to be deeply informed by Islamic theology, metaphysics, spirituality, ethics and our scholarly inheritance. Simultaneously, it must be receptive to multi-disciplinary academic and professional knowledge. Based upon this, this approach cannot be provided by one body or confessional group. Rather, a broad base of ulama, academics and experts are needed.

Topics:

Suggested topics may include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following areas and should make use of specific case studies/examples, even if dealing with theoretical issues:

• Issues of contemporary Ijtihad or fatwa relevant to Muslim (and wider) communities living in the west.
• Ethics as a contemporary and/or constitutive element of the practice of fiqh in contemporary contexts.
• Issues in contemporary Islamic Finance in light of fiqh and modern challenges.
• Issues in Islamic Psychology and counselling (mental health).
• Islamic chaplaincy and pastoral care.
• The nature of Usul al-Fiqh, its techniques and relevance in the derivation and/or justification of fiqh in the contemporary world.
• Issues in Islam and environment and sustainable energies.
• The Question of authority formation within madhabs and non-madhab juristic environments, as well as political, theological and spiritual movements.
• Issues of practical theology in light of scripture and/or classical schools of kalam, contemporary philosophy; and Muslim theological approaches.
• Philosophical and methodological questions in the formation of contemporary Muslim theology.
• Methodology in Qur’anic studies and tafsir with relevance to contemporary questions and challenges.
• Issues in medicine and ethics in light of fiqh.
• Methodology in Hadith studies with relevance to contemporary questions and challenges.
• Historical studies of Muslim societies, educational methodologies, legal, theological, spiritual practices, key events, groups etc., insofar as this sheds light on contemporary questions and challenges.
• Principles and issues related to leadership.

A collaborative peer review approach is taken for the BBSI research:

1. The author (s) submit a draft of the paper.
2. It is reviewed by a large group of experts within the field and experts of other disciplines.
3. The author (s) presents the edited paper to a larger forum of experts (online or face to face).
4. The author (s) review and edit the paper taking the feedback and comments into consideration.
5. A final review is taken by the academic team and then published.

Guidelines

Social science papers should observe the general guidelines below. Papers on other disciplines should adhere to the guidelines as much as possible.

Research articles should present research that describes outcomes, processes, or applications that enhance knowledge. A range of methods, including qualitative research, quantitative research, and experimental studies are accepted. Papers should include a title page, an abstract, introduction, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion sections.

Abstract: An unstructured abstract limited to 200 words should be provided.

Introduction: The intro- duction should include the purpose of the paper, a short,  relevant literature review, and a clear statement about the aim of the paper.

Method: Provide enough in- formation to allow replication of the procedures used. Rea- sons for selection of methods should also be included in this section. Include sample sizes, mode of observations and pro- cedures. Methods already pub- lished should be referenced. Results: Include text, figures, tables or other graphics. Do not duplicate data presented in tables within the text.

Discussion: Explore practical or theoretical implications of your findings. Avoid extensive citations and discussion of published literature. Report whether the hypothesis was supported or rejected. Acknowledge limitations under a separate sub-heading.

Conclusion: Your conclusions should be directly supported by the data that you present. Avoid making generalised conclusions that have not been substantiated by your research.

Referencing: Harvard System, MHRA, APA (7th Ed)

Honorarium: 5p per word.

Word count: 3,000 min 6,000 max (if above please let us know) words (excluding abstract and references)

Abstract: Limit to 200 words

References: Limit to 60

Tables & Figures: Limit to 5 Please send abstract to:  info@bbsi.org.uk

 

Notes:

• The abstract should be concise and clarifying.
• The abstracts will be reviewed by the academic team of the BBSI. If successful, the team will agree with the author on timelines.
• Once an abstract is selected, author is invited to discuss the issues reacting to the paper online with other experts.
• Once the paper is complete an online or in person one day symposium will be organised for presentation and group discussion. Thereafter the author will review the paper and take in to consideration the feedback given in both the online discussion and the symposium.
• A final internal peer review process will take place with the academic team. Thereafter the author will be encouraged to publish in academic journal and the BBSI website.
• The stages of peer reviews will enhance the paper before the final peer review is carried out by the journal board.
• The fees of author will be transferred online after an invoice is sent to the BBSI.