The College of Islamic Studies (CIS), part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), has launched another volume of Astrolabe: A CIS Student Research Journal, featuring original, faculty-reviewed research work by graduate students. The journal is a platform for CIS students to apply their Islamic grounding and interdisciplinary approach to discuss the nuances of multilayered issues affecting Muslim communities around the world. 

Themes covered in the third Astrolabe edition include sustainable architecture, child abuse reporting, biomedically assisted procreation, and Shari’ah-compliant margin trading. Others are the misalignment of legalism and social practices, labor rights of Gulf women, tolerance and Quranic diplomacy, the conceptualization of Islamophobia, and Sustainable Development Goal-driven market performance through a financial lens. 

The edition covers a range of disciplines in keeping with the blended academic programs and cross-disciplinary research centers and clusters at CIS. In turn, faculty on the review committee are actively engaged and contribute to global scholarship in a wide range of research areas. Those include Islamic finance, applied Islamic ethics, global governance, the preservation of Islamic heritage and culture, and Islam and societies, among others. 

Dr. Emad El-Din Shahin, Dean at CIS, HBKU, said: “Astrolabe makes a unique contribution to Islamic scholarship by adding fresh perspectives to topics of contemporary interest to a global audience. It is our hope that the dedicated support given to our students has helped to enhance their learning as much as their writing will enrich our readers. In keeping with our aim to highlight the applied nature of Islamic studies, we look forward to continuing this vibrant academic dialogue in forthcoming editions.” 

Astrolabe is published by HBKU Press on behalf of CIS. The online version is in open-access format and can be viewed or downloaded at: www.hbku.edu.qa/en/cis/astrolabe.