Cerebral blood flow during meditative prayer: preliminary findings and methodological issues

Meditative practices typically require several coordinated cognitive activities. This study measured changes in cerebral blood flow during "verbal" based meditation by Franciscan nuns involving the internal repetition of a particular phrase. These results are compared with those we previously described in eight Buddhist meditators who use a type of "visualization" technique. Three experienced practitioners of verbal meditation were injected via i.v. at rest with 260 MBq of Tc-99m HMPAO and scanned 30 min. later on a triple head SPECT camera for 45 min. Following the baseline scan, subjects meditated for approximately 40 min. at which time they were injected with 925 MBq of HMPAO while they continued to meditate for 10 min. more (total of 50 min. of meditation). The injection during meditation was designed not to disturb practice. Subjects were scanned 20 min. later for 30 min. Counts were obtained for regions of interest for major brain structures and normalized to whole-brain blood flow. Compared to baseline, mean verbal meditation scans showed increased blood flow in the prefrontal cortex (7.1%), inferior parietal lobes (6.8%), and inferior frontal lobes (9.0%). There was a strong inverse correlation between the blood flow, change in the prefrontal cortex and in the ipsilateral superior parietal lobe (p<.01). This study on a limited number of subjects demonstrated the feasibility of studying different types of meditation with neuroimaging techniques, suggested that several coordinated cognitive processes occur during meditation, and also raised important methodological issues.     

Reading Kant’s doctrine of schematism algebraically

Kant’s investigations into so-called a priori judgments of pure mathematics in the Critique of Pure Reason (KrV) are mainly confined to geometry and arithmetic both of which are grounded on our pure forms of intuition, space, and time. Nevertheless, as regards notions such as irrational numbers and continuous magnitudes, such a restricted account is crucially problematic. I argue that algebra can play a transcendental role with respect to the two pure intuitive sciences, arithmetic and geometry, as the condition of their possibility. It follows that Kant’s schematism of the concept of magnitude ought to be quantitatively represented in algebraic formulas in general, and also undergo several modifications in order to suit continuities.     

Cerebral blood flow differences between long-term meditators and non-meditators

We have studied a number of long-term meditators in previous studies. The purpose of this study was to determine if there are differences in baseline brain function of experienced meditators compared to non-meditators. All subjects were recruited as part of an ongoing study of different meditation practices. We evaluated 12 advanced meditators and 14 non-meditators with cerebral blood flow (CBF) SPECT imaging at rest. Images were analyzed with both region of interest and statistical parametric mapping. The CBF of long-term meditators was significantly higher (p < .05) compared to non-meditators in the prefrontal cortex, parietal cortex, thalamus, putamen, caudate, and midbrain. There was also a significant difference in the thalamic laterality with long-term meditators having greater asymmetry. The observed changes associated with long-term meditation appear in structures that underlie the attention network and also those that relate to emotion and autonomic function.     

Applicability of the Ben-Tovim Walker Body Attitude Questionnaire in Moslem women

There are some valuable questionnaires to assess the body attitude but applicability of those in Moslem women is unknown and the aim of this study was assessment of the validity and reliability of the Iranian-translated versions of the Ben-Tovim Walker Body Attitudes Questionnaire (BAQ) in Iranian women. The BAQ 44 item was administered to 304 healthy non-pregnant Iranian women. A confirmatory factor analysis was carried out. The internal consistency reliability and Inter-correlations of the BAQ subscales and concurrent validity were assessed. The results showed that 9 out of 44 items had insignificant regression weights on the respective factors that further were nominated to deletion. The 6-factor model has an acceptable fit with the data. The internal consistency was .91 for all scale of 35-item BAQ. The coefficient of repeatability (ICC) respectively were .78, .77, .89, .94, .86 and .79 for attractiveness, disparagement, feeling fat, salience of weight/shape, lower body fat and strength and fitness. Results showed that the 6-factor model the 35-item questionnaire is appropriate for evaluating body attitude in Moslem women.     

Attachment Style,Perceived Loneliness,and Psychological Well-Being in Smoking and Non-Smoking University Students

The growing rate of smoking cigarettes among the youths necessitates examining its contributing factors. Accordingly, we aimed to compare smoking and nonsmoking university students in their attachment styles, perceived loneliness, and psychological well-being. To this end, we recruited 100 current smokers and 100 nonsmoking students by using a convenience sampling method from Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. All participants completed the Adult Attachment Scale, Loneliness Scale, and General Health Questionnaire. Data analysis indicated that compared to nonsmokers, smokers had a more anxious attachment style and they felt lonelier. Moreover, current results showed that smokers suffered from higher rates of psychological problems than nonsmokers. These results suggest that smoking is influenced by a set of psychological factors and therefore, prevention and treatment programs targeting these factors may be effective in reducing the rate of smoking cigarettes among university students.     

Book reviews

Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality?. John Esposito, 1992. New York, Oxford University Press. 243 pp., hb. $22.00, £15.95, ISBN 0–19–507184–0.

The Principles of Religion in the Qur'an and the Bible. Salim K. Haddad, 1992. Pittsburgh, Dorrance Publishing Co. Inc. 159 pp., pb. $11.95, £5.95, ISBN 0–8059–3275–5.

Islamic Spirituality: Manifestations. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, 1991. London, S.C.M. Press Ltd. 548 pp., pb. £25.00, ISBN 0–334–02433–1.

Morals for the Heart: conversations of Shaykh Nizam ad‐Din Awliya recorded by Amir Hasan Sijzi. Nizam ad‐Din Awliya, Translated and annoted by B. B. Lawrence, 1992. New York, Mahwah, Paulist Press. 404 pp., pb. $18.95, ISBN 0–8091–3280‐X.

Mardzhany's Weltanschaugung and Arabo‐Islamic Philosophy. Audar N. Yuzeyeb, 1993. Kazan Russia, Tatknigoizdat. 156 pp., (In Russian) n.p.

The Theory of Contracts in Islamic Law. Susan E. Rayner, 1991. London, Graham & Trotman. 445 pp., hb. £62.50, $120.00, ISBN 1–85333–617–3.

Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate. Leila Ahmed, 1992. New Haven and London. 296 pp., pb. £9.95, ISBN 0–30–0 05583–8.

Victorian Images of Islam. Clinton Bennett, 1992. London, Grey Seal Books. xxi + 204 pp., hb. £25.00. ISBN 1–85640–028‐X.

The Distant Shrine: the Islamic centuries in Jerusalem. F. E. Peters, 1993. New York, AMS Press. 275 pp., hb. £34.95, ISBN 0–404–61629–1.

The Legacy of Muslim Spain. Salma Khadra Jayyusi, (Ed.), 1992. Leiden, E. J. Brill. 1098 pp., Gld450, $257.25, ISBN 90–04–09599–3, ISSN 0169–9433.

A Short History of Modern Arabic Literature. M. M. Badawi, 1993. Oxford, Clarendon Press. 314 pp., hb. £35.00, ISBN 0198265425.

The Socialist Movement in Turkey 1960–1980. Igor P. Lipovsky, 1992. Leiden, E. J. Brill. 193 pp. Gld85.00, $48.75, ISBN 90–04–09582–9.

Inside the Lebanese Confessional Mind. Hilal Khashan, 1992. Lanham MD, University Press of America,. 211 pp., hb. £35.00, ISBN 0–8191–8778‐X.

The Political History of Modern Iran: from tribalism to theocracy. Mehran Kamrava Westport, 1992. Connecticut & London, Praeger. 177 pp., £38.95, ISBN 027594445X.

The Islamization of the Law in Pakistan. Rubya Mehdi, 1994. Richmond, Curzon Press Ltd. 329 pp., pb. £19.99, ISBN 0–7007–0236–9.

Islam in Africa: Proceedings of the Islam in Africa Conference. Nura Alkah, et al. (Eds), 1993. Ibadan, Spectrum Books Ltd. 454 pp., pb. £18.50, S33.00, ISBN 9782461237.

The Heritage of Islam: women, religion and politics in West Africa. B. Callaway and L. Creevey, 1994. Boulder & London, Lynne Rienner Publishers. 219 pp., n.p., ISBN 1–55587–253–0.

Swahili Origins: Swahili culture and the Shungwaya phenomenon. H. De Vere Allen, 1993. London, J. Currey/Nairobi, E.A.E.P./Athens, Ohio University Press. 272 pp., pb. £12.95, ISBN 0–85255–075–8.

Islam in the Balkans: Religion and Society Between Europe and the Arab World. H. T. Norris, 1993. London, Hurst. 304 pp., £27.50, ISBN 1–85065–167–1.     

Book reviews and notes

GENERAL.

UMMAH OR NATION?: IDENTITY CRISIS IN CONTEMPORARY MUSLIM SOCIETY. By Abdullah Al‐Ahsan. Wiltshire, U.K.: The Islamic Foundation, 1992. 158pp. Np. Pb. ISBN 0–86037–220–0; Hb. ISBN 0–86037–219–7.

GOLDEN ROADS, MIGRATION, PILGRIMAGE AND TRAVEL IN MEDIAEVAL AND MODERN ISLAM. Edited by Ian Richard Netton. London: Curzon Press Ltd., 1993. 193pp. Hb. £35.00; Pb. £16.99. ISBN Hb. 0–7007–0242–3; Pb. 0–7007–0243–1.

REGIONAL.

Africa.

THE ALHAZAI OF MARADI: TRADITIONAL HAUSA MERCHANTS IN A CHANGING SAHELIAN CITY. By Emmanuel Gregoire, edited and translated by Benjamin H. Hardy. Boulder and London: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1992. 185pp. Hb. Np. ISBN 1–55587–278–6.

RELIGION AND PEACE IN MULTI‐FAITH NIGERIA. Edited by Jacob Olupona. Ile‐Ife, Nigeria: Obafemi Awolowo Univ. Press, 1992. 203pp. Pb. £7.50. No ISBN.

IN THE SHADOW OF CONQUEST: ISLAM IN COLONIAL NORTH EAST AFRICA. Edited by Said S. Samatar. New Jersey: Red Sea Press/African World Press, 1992.163pp. Pb. $12.95. ISBN 0–932415–70–9.

EUROPE.

IL RITORNO DELL'ISLAM: I MUSULMANI IN ITALIA. By Stefano Allievi and Felice Dassetto. Rome: Edizioni Lavoro, 1993. 291pp. Pb. Lire 35.000. ISBN 88–7910–541–8.

L'INSTITUT MUSULMAN DE LA MOSQUEE DE PARIS. By Alain Boyer. Paris: Centre des Hautes Etudes sur l'Afrique et l'Asie Modernes, 1992. 141pp. Pb. FF85. ISBN 2–903–182–34–5.

ASYLUM SEEKERS IN THE NETHERLANDS. Edited by Marjolein Brink and Mutiari Pasariboe. Amsterdam: Instituut voor Sociale Geografie, Universiteit van Amsterdam, 1993. 98pp. Pb. DF117.50. ISBN 90–6993–079‐X.

EUROPE AND INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION. By Sarah Collinson. London and New York: Printer for the Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1993. 189pp. Hb. Np. ISBN 1–85567–049–6.

EUROPE'S FRAGMENTED IDENTITIES AND THE FRONTIERS OF CITIZENSHIP. By Soledad Garcia. Discussion papers, no. 45. London: Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1992.26pp. Pb. £5.00. ISSN 0951–4171.

TOLERATION AND INTEGRITY IN A MULTI‐FAITH SOCIETY. Edited by John Horton and Harriet Crabtree. Department of Politics, University of York, 1992. 79pp. Pb. Np. ISBN 0–9519979–0–4.

TURKISH ATHENS: THE FORGOTTEN CENTURIES 1452–1832. By Molly Mackenzie. Reading: Garnet Press, 1993. 148pp. Pb. Np. ISBN 0–86372–143–5.

NOT EASY BEING BRITISH: COLOUR, CULTURE AND CITIZENSHIP. By Tariq Modood. Stoke‐on‐Trent: Trentham Books for Runnymede Trust, 1992. 93pp. Pb. £7.95. ISBN 0–948–080–47–7.

ISLAMIC DA'WAH IN THE WEST: MUSLIM MISSIONARY ACTIVITY AND THE DYNAMICS OF CONVERSION TO ISLAM. By Larry Poston. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. 220pp. Np. ISBN 0–19–507227–8.

Middle East.

THE ARAB PREDICAMENT: ARAB POLITICAL THOUGHT AND PRACTICE SINCE 1967. By Fouad Ajami. 2nd Edition. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1992. 279pp. Pb. $11.95. ISBN 0–521–43833–0; Hb. $44.95. ISBN 6–521–43243‐X.

THE POLITICS OF PLANTING: ISRADLI‐PALESTINIAN COMPETITION FOR CONTROL OF LAND IN THE JERUSALEM PERIPHERY. By Shaul Ephraim Cohen. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993. 203pp. Pb. $19.50. ISBN 0–226–11274–4.

BALADI WOMEN OF CAIRO. By Evelyn A. Early. London: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1992. 217pp. £29.85. ISBN 1–55587–277–8.

MIXED COURTS OF EGYPT. By Mark Hoyle. London: Graham & Trotwood, 1991. 206pp. Hb. £57.50; $117.00 (including surface postage). ISBN 1–85333–321–2.

CHRISTIAN‐MUSLIM RELA TIONS.

YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMOROW. By Munawar Ahmad Anees, Syed Z. Abedin and Ziauddin Sardar. London: Grey Seal Books, 1991. 96pp. Pb. £5.95. ISBN 185–6400212.

CHRISTIAN MISSION AND ISLAMIC DA'WAH IN MALAYSIA. By Ghazali Basri. Kuala Lumpur: Nurin Enterprise, 1992. 68pp. Pb. $5.00. ISBN 967–984–0190–0.

THE BOUNDARIES OF GOD: MUSLIMS IN CONTACT WITH NON‐MUSLIMS. Edited by David Bentley. Pasadena, Ca.: Zwemer Institute of Muslim Studies, 1993. 42pp. Np. No ISBN.

THE SEVENTH CENTURY IN WEST‐SYRIAN CHRONICLES INCLUDING TWO SEVENTH‐CENTURY SYRIAC APOCALYPTIC TEXTS. Translated by Andrew Palmer and edited by Sebastian Brock and Robert Hoyland. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 1993. 305pp. Pb. £10.00. ISBN 8–85323–238–5.

SIGNS OF DIALOGUE: CHRISTIAN ENCOUNTER WITH MUSLIMS. By Michael Fitzgerald and Robert Caspar. Zamboanga City, Philippines: Silsilah Publications, 1992. x + 245pp. Pb. Np. ISBN 971–31–0005–0.

DIEU AIME CELUIQUIAIME LES DATTES; DIALOGUE JUDEO‐ISLAMO‐CHRETIEN. By Andrée Ghillet. Paris: Editions l'Harmattan, 1993. 286pp. Pb. FF140. ISBN 2–7384–1667–5.

MUSLIMS AND MISSIONARIES IN PRE‐MUTINY INDIA. By Avril A. Powell. London: Curzon Press, 1993. 339pp. Hb. £30. ISBN 0–7007–0210–5.

ORIENTAL RESPONSES TO THE WEST: COMPARATIVE ESSAYS IN SELECTED WRITERS FROM THE MUSLIM WORLD. By Nasrin Rahimieh. Leiden: Brill, 1990. 124pp. Pb. Np. ISBN 90–04–09177–7.

WOMEN IN SOCIETY ACCORDING TO ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY. Acts of a Muslim‐Christian Colloquium organized jointly by The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (Vatican City)and The Royal Academy for Islamic Civilization Research Al Albait Foundation (Amman). 24–26 June 1992. Rome, Italy: Vatican Press. 126pp. Pb. Np. No ISBN.     

Burst Out of the Dead Land by the Help of Spirituality: A Case Study of Living with Blindness and Cancer

Blindness is one of the most complex problems related to health throughout the world. The condition is worse when such stress is accompanied with cancer. The aim of this case study was to introduce a patient with both these conditions who could come over her problems well. A phenomenological hermeneutic approach influenced by Ricoeur was used to explore the experience of the patient. Data were collected through unstructured and deep interview and by checking patient medical records. The patient is an Iranian 58-year-old teacher residing in Kerman who became blind at age 32 due to bloodshed inside the eye and was affected by breast cancer at age 52. The patient could come over these divine tests through the help of spirituality so that she believed blindness and cancer was the best events in her life. Spirituality is one of the human aspects that give meaning and purposes to life. Health care providers are suggested to implement spiritual strategies such as instructional workshops for increasing spirituality in settings, such as oncologic wards for patients to pass stages of adaptation to such great stresses easily and rapidly.