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This study investigated the potential for the development of dark tourism in Lebanon, a destination that has suffered multiple crises in recent years including conflicts and the world's largest non-nuclear explosion, which devastated a large section the country's capital city, Beirut. Research was carried out using desk audit, key informant interviews and archival research, which identified 21 potential dark tourism sites that could be incorporated into a new dark tourism product as part of the recovery of Lebanon as a tourism destination. Of these 21 sites, the majority were found in Beirut, suggesting that an urban dark tourism product may be the most suitable product to develop as the country emerges from crises. However, a number of barriers would need to be overcome in order for dark tourism to contribute to a form of phoenix tourism in the country, including the engagement of diverse stakeholders, the security of international tourists in the destination, and the ability of the public sector to invest in destination marketing in the post-crisis period.

The Mediterranean has long been celebrated for the richness, diversity, and historical depth of its cultural heritage. However, in recent years heritage and heritage practice could be said to have become a new mode of production in the region (Bianchi, 2005). There are a number of reasons for this; one has to do with the stagnation of the Mediterranean's traditional “sun, sea, and sand” tourism. As a result of this tour operators and national governments have started to push the packaging of “culture” and “heritage” for a more diversified “up-market” product to attract higher-spending tourists to the region's cities and rural hinterland. Another factor is the restructuring and liberalization of the regional economy since the closing decades of the 20th century. There has seen a shift from agriculture to services as the dominant economic sector in this region and the concomitant discovery of culture has become an economic asset for investors seeking an outlet for global capital flows (Bianchi, 2005; Daher, 2007; Nogués-Pedregal, 2002). The European Union (EU) has had an important role to play in these processes, both in driving the region's neoliberal market reforms, and in promoting the establishment of its cultural heritage economy. Cultural heritage has become a priority area in EU Mediterranean policy, with millions of euros earmarked for heritage related projects. This takes the form both of loans to private investors from the European Development Bank, and of grants for public sector cultural heritage initiatives, for example, through its Euromed Heritage programs, the fourth phase of which is underway at the time of writing (Bianchi, 2005; Euromed Heritage, n.d.).

This chapter introduces ASPIRE as an example of international collaboration and cooperation, involving 12 universities drawn from 8 countries running over a four-year period. With funding in excess of €1.3m ($US 1.4m), provided by the European Union, it brought together an eclectic mix of private and public institutions unified by a number of common aims and objectives (Mehtap, 2014). It reports and reflects upon the first-hand direct experiences of both authors own participation in the ASPIRE Project over the four years the Project ran.

The success of the project would be determined by the extent to which mutual trust and respect could be established between partners. The intended outcomes included cross institutional capacity building, innovative curriculum design and the development of a footprint beyond the project for further collaboration and cooperation in research, learning and teaching strategies; what the European Union refers to as legacy. One of the many successes, the launch of the Centre For Entrepreneurship (CFE) at Beirut Arab University is used as an exemplar by the authors to illustrate as to how the coming together of international university partners can act as a catalyst to empower and engage the local faculty’s enthusiasm to establish such a legacy in enterprise and entrepreneurship teaching.

The Syrian refugee crisis is too big and complex for any single country to mount an adequate response. Mitigating the human tragedy, deciphering its root causes, and developing sustainable solutions require effective international collaboration. To teach collaboration of this kind to university students, researchers in the US, UK, and Lebanon used accessible communication technology in development of a Virtual Exchange in Global Health, connecting students in medical and allied health fields. Through a problem-based learning curriculum, students from Cardiff Metropolitan University in Wales and the Modern University for Business and Science in Beirut worked collaboratively to conduct desktop research on the crisis and develop a protocol to interview camp residents about the public health issues affecting them. Students in Beirut then conducted interviews and gathered 360-degree video footage of conditions in the camp, which students in the UK studied using low-cost Virtual Reality (VR) viewers. Student feedback provided preliminary indications that the problem-based learning methodology, including the immersive VR experience, contributed to the participating students’ intrinsic motivation to study the problem. The students collaborated in dividing and distributing tasks as well as in engaging with each other in a Joint Problem Space, and began to build relationships outside class, relationships that will serve them well as practicing professionals in the field of global health. These outcomes create warrant for further development of the program and suggest possibilities for deployment of this high impact model for teaching in other fields where complex problems require international collaboration.

States in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have historically leaned towards conservative, reactionary models of drugs policy. The combination of authoritarian forms of government, whether dynastic monarchies (Morocco, Jordan and Persian Gulf countries), semi-military republics (Syria, Egypt and Algeria) or religiously sanctioned republics (Iran), with the strong influence of Islamic law and norms, has signified that the region has enforced strict forms of drug prohibitions. For that matter, the region is home to cultural and social norms that are less permissive than in other regions of the world: for instance, with regard to premarital sex, homosexuality, clothing, alcoholic drinks and freedom of expression. This image of the MENA region is often overplayed by media commentators and Western scholars, especially in the field of drugs policy. The almost total absence of studies of drugs policy or drugs history in the MENA, excluding works in epidemiology, speaks well about the oblivion to which the region has been relegated over the last decades. The chapter provides first a background on the main questions regarding MENA drugs policy, looking at the historical developments in drug regulations and drug trends. Then, it discusses the current policies that operate across the region and, if pertinent, the prospects of policy development. When necessary, the argument refers to contextual elements that have influenced the direction in national and transitional drugs policy. Conscious of the fact that the MENA is as vast and diverse as a continent, I have opted to focus on three paradigmatic cases (Iran, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia), which provide an adequate geographical and thematic coverage of the MENA drugs policy. The three cases cover different aspects of today’s MENA drugs policy spectrum, from draconian repressive measures to progressive harm reduction programmes. Taken in their geographical dimension one can appreciate the variety and difference that exists within the MENA region, therefore supporting one of the key objectives of this chapter, which is to provide a nuanced analysis of drugs policy against the grain of homogenising and culturally reductive approaches.

A family takaful certificate is subscribed by a takaful participant for the purpose of preparing financial support for his dependants after his death. The takaful benefits could then be made payable to a nominee named as the beneficiary under conditional hibah (gift). In this respect, the participant is free to decide to whom the benefits are to be given since the law is silent as to the criteria of the beneficiary. This situation gives rise to the issue on whether such a practice fulfils the objectives of Sharīʿah, especially when the nominated beneficiary is not the sole dependant of the deceased participant. Therefore, this research aims to evaluate the status of family takaful benefits, analyse the rules of conditional hibah from the Sharīʿah perspective and propose solutions whenever necessary. The research adopts doctrinal analysis by examining existing primary and secondary materials including statutory provisions and other legal and non-legal literatures. The study predicates that the application of conditional hibah to the whole benefits does not reflect the objectives of Sharīʿah if determination on the status of the benefits is solely based on the nomination made by the participant. It is observed that takaful benefits payable from the Participant’s Account should be considered as the deceased’s estate and must be distributed according to fara’id or Islamic law of inheritance. Conversely, the sum covered payable from the Participant’s Special Account may be paid to the deceased’s dependants whose criteria are determined by the Sharīʿah Advisory Council as the highest authority in Islamic financial matters.

Purpose – Differing opinions about the status of cash waqf are not new among jurists. Several studies have been conducted relating to this issue. This chapter discusses cash waqf from the perspective of certain scholars in Indonesia, the Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI, Indonesian Scholars Council) and the scholars of Aceh, and the fatwa (opinion) on cash waqf.

Methodology/approach – Data for this study were collected from interviews and academic literature to reach general and specific conclusions. The study was conducted in Aceh, Indonesia.

Findings – Different views exist on the validity of cash waqf between the MUI and the scholars of Aceh. The MUI has declared that the practice of cash waqf is allowable and valid, while some scholars of Aceh reject it except when the cash is exchanged (istibdal) for permanent assets.

Originality/value – MPU scholars and pondok scholars are not in agreement as to the legality of cash waqf. Pondok scholars reject the practice of cash waqf except if the money is substituted (istibdal) into a fixed asset. This is so even when many other scholars of Aceh ruled that cash waqf is still valid even if it is not converted into a fixed asset.

This chapter presents a case study of a ‘Massive Open Online Courses’ (MOOCs) structure that is offered through an agreement between a traditional university and a MOOC provider. This arrangement has been helping in reaching very large numbers of learners in the Middle East. In implementing this agreement, I categorise the concerns of three key stakeholders (administrators, faculty and students) regarding this mode of instruction. A framework (abbreviated as LOGIC – LEADS – LEARNing) is proposed that could be of use to higher education institutions when they embark on non-traditional education. A common concern among the primary stakeholders was the issue of legitimacy of such an education. I argue the MOOCs so far do not represent a substitute or a threat to traditional face-to-face education. In addition, there are no foreseen reputational risks for universities if MOOCs are included as a mode of education. The value from MOOCs needs to be seen from the perspectives of students and other stakeholders. MOOCs have the potential to lead to positive consequences for the university − as a whole − and other relevant stakeholders as well. However, MOOCs in the Middle East are not likely to operate under a workable business model, at least not in the short run. As MOOCs rise to make more sense to students, their disruptive power would become more tangible. This, however, will take some time and will only be threatening if educational institutions become complacent in response to the novel ways by which the new generation is approaching learning.