Wilfred Scawen Blunt and his Ideas on the Future of Islam

Wilfrid Scawen Blunt, like many aristocratic Englishmen in the age of Empire in the late 19th century, took an interest in the Muslim populations of the colonies being governed by Britain. As a prolific writer and poet, his approach differs from his contemporaries in being, on the whole, genuinely sympathetic to Islam. In his book ‘The Future of Islam’ he shows how important the power of Islam in coming centuries is likely to be, and touches upon many important topics, such as the growing spread of Islam in the world and possible adjustments to the Caliphate. He would like to see the formation of a friendly association between Great Britain and the Muslims of the world in the political interests of Britain. Inevitably, many of his predictions and wishes did not materialize in the 20th century. Wilfred Scawen Blunt [1840-1922] was an English gentleman who followed the leisurely pursuits available to affluent members of Victorian society, i.e, travelling and poetry. His travels in the Middle East made a powerful impression on his intellectual and emotional sensibilities. As E.M. Forster wrote in his essay on Blunt, he ‘was drawn to Islam, and at one time thought of professing it.’1 He was, no doubt, in sympathy with the subjugated peoples of the Middle East and with the Indians of South Asia who were groaning under the colonial yoke. Further in the essay, Forster writes, ‘Egyptians found him too proTurkish and Indians too anti-British.’2 This attitude was unique for a stolid Englishman of the time of the ‘highnoon of Empire’. Blunt feared the advance of European powers in Oriental lands. Forster further writes: ‘His detachment is amazing. He dreaded a war because it must involve Asia and Africa, and complete the enslavement of the conservative Oriental nations, whom he loved and who loved him……

Composite Material Solution for Armoring

Textile composite materials are extensively used for high-tech applications like aerospace, ballistics, automotive, sports, etc. Ballistics are one of the hot research topics owing to the law and order issues around the globe. Conventionally the ballistic composite materials are produced by laminating 2D fabrics. The composite materials fabricated from 3D woven textile reinforcement are widely studied for different applications, but fewer products are being manufactured from them. This research focused to investigate the effect of fillers on the performance of 2D laminated composites and weaving parameters (stuffer yarn count and binding thread density) on the ballistic performance of 3D composite materials. Firstly, the composites were fabricated using silica nano-fillers to reinforce the Kevlar/epoxy composites. It was found that the addition of silica nano-fillers results in the formation of hybrid composite materials that offer improved flexural, tensile and impact properties. Optimum properties were obtained at a filler concentration of 8%. Limited data is available on the properties of 3D woven structures and the associated composite materials. Therefore, the subsequent studies investigated the effect of weaving parameters (stuffer yarn count and binding thread density) on the properties of 3D woven structures. An extensive experimentation was performed to understand the behavior of 3D woven structures using flax fibre, owing to the high cost of para-aramid. Novel hybrid 3D woven structures were produced, and it was seen that increase in stitching points in a 3D structure increase the mechanical properties and energy absorption of the fabric. Similarly, addition of stuffer yarn in the 3D woven structure leads to improved mechanical properties. Based on the performance of the developed composites, structures with better performance were reproduced with para-aramid to fabricate composite materials. The energy absorption behviour of these composite materials was investigated using an indigenously developed setup. The energy absorption was also modelled numerically for these composites to validate the experimental results. It was found that the woven structure with more stuffer yarns and high binding density exhibits better performance and can be potentially used to produce the ballistic vest.