Despite the historical and contemporary significance of the Sharia, it has not yet been possible to solve the puzzle of its origins. Whereas previous research has postulated a greater or lesser degree of endogenous Islamic development, the present study reaches a different conclusion, namely that at the end of the 8^th century Muslim state lawyers in Baghdad codified an Islamic "Imperial Law," oriented strongly towards Roman-Byzantine law. It is part of an Islamic-Byzantine context, and can only be explained against this intercultural background.

The subjects of this volume are views and perceptions of the "other" (i.e. strangers, enemies or curiosities) within the Islamic world, as well as in the interplay between the Islamic and non-Islamic worlds. More than 20 contributions describe conceptions and contingencies of the other from very different perspectives, so arriving - with reference to Islam - at insights into the complex problems of the "other." The studies are dedicated to Professor Gernot Rotter.

Salafismus zeigt sich derzeit hauptsachlich in der medial aufgearbeiteten Form des zeitgenossischen politischen Salafismus: radikal, schnell wachsend, national und international als aktuelle Bedrohung empfunden. Dem offentlichen Diskurs fehlt es haufig an Information und Differenzierung. Es gilt einerseits, Gefahren nicht kleinzureden, um Pravention und angemessene Reaktion zu ermoglichen, und andererseits, diese Minderheit in der Minderheit daran zu hindern, das Bild der Muslime in der Mehrheitsgesellschaft zu pragen. Informierend und differenzierend untersucht der vorliegende Band das Thema...