Arhum Naweed

The madrassa, as an institution for learning has occupied an integral place in Islamic civilization for as long as one can recall. The word itself means to “to study”. One of the earliest institutes was established in eleventh century by the Seljuk vizier Nizam al Mulk known as the Nizamiyya Madrassa in Baghdad. This served as a Centre for Sunni Islamic learning. For centuries, it served as a focal point in education regarding medicine, technology, philosophy and literature.

Waking up in a highly digitalized era, should one question technological thresholds? Is it progressive to consider its nature to be inherently bad? Does it not place us, a decade behind? We’re worrying about the right things in a wrong context. The user is what defines the nature of the technology. One must question the ethical stance of the practitioner and the merits of entertainment. Deepfakes, in a recent turn of events, are suddenly the most widely-spread and intriguing form of entertainment.

In recent years, China has emerged as a pivotal economic player in the international system. From measures to strengthen the internal system to designing and implementing trade policies, China relies excessively on economic influence in order to maintain its dominance in the international order. However, another aspect of China’s economic strategies has come to the spotlight, lately.