About

David Cook is a professor of religion at Rice University specializing in Islam. He completed his undergraduate degrees at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 2002. His areas of specialization include early Islamic history and development, Muslim apocalyptic literature and movements (both classical and contemporary), radical Islam, historical astronomy, and Judeo-Arabic literature. Cook has authored several books, including 'Studies in Muslim Apocalyptic,' 'Understanding Jihad,' 'Contemporary Muslim Apocalyptic Literature,' and 'Martyrdom in Islam.' He is actively engaged in translating classical Muslim apocalyptic sources, such as Nu`aym b. Hammad al-Marwazi’s 'Kitab al-fitan,' and serves as co-editor for Edinburgh University Press’ series on Islamic Apocalyptic and Eschatology. Additionally, he sponsors research on Boko Haram’s ideology, working with students and fellows to analyze and translate the group's texts and videos.

Research topics

• Toxicology
• Agricultural science
• Economics
• Ancient history
• Ecology
• History
• Agronomy
• Biology
• Botany

Selected publications

• Response by David Cook to Jacob Lassner’s ”Modern Europe and Traditional Islamic Views of Jews and Judaism”

  The Journal of the Middle East and Africa · 2025-04-03

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Potential Economic Impact of Grapevine Phylloxera (Hemiptera: Phylloxeridae) on Western Australian Winegrapes

  Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research · 2025-01-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Grapevine phylloxera Daktulosphaira vitifoliae Fitch (Hemiptera: Phylloxeridae) has been present in Australia for almost 150 years but has not spread to south‐west Western Australia, in part due to the relative isolation of the region. Recent improvements in tourist access, with interstate flights now arriving at Busselton Margaret River Airport, raise concerns about potential phylloxera introductions via wine tourism. In this paper, we simulate the potential economic impact on the Western Australian winegrape industry following a hypothetical arrival event in the Margaret River wine region. We use soil texture maps to assess the suitability of winegrape‐growing areas to phylloxera establishment and construct a model to predict the likely cost and revenue implications of replanting vines to resistant rootstock as they become infested. Our results suggest that if strict quarantine measures to limit spread are not implemented, a phylloxera incursion could affect 60%–70% of vines and cause cumulative losses of AUD150–290 million over a 50‐year period. This is equivalent to a 3%–6% annual contraction of winegrape production.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Ultraviolet-C-based sanitization is a cost-effective option for hospitals to manage health care-associated infection risks from high touch mobile phones

  Frontiers in Health Services · 2025-01-13 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Mobile phones have become essential tools for health care workers around the world, but as high touch surfaces, they can harbor microorganisms that pose infection risks to patients and staff. As their use in hospitals increases, hospital managers must introduce measures to sanitize mobile phones and reduce risks of health care-associated infections. But such measures can involve substantial costs. Our objective in this paper was to consider two mobile phone risk mitigation strategies that managers of a hypothetical hospital could implement and determine which involves the lowest cost. The first strategy required all staff to sanitize their hands after every contact with a mobile phone. The second involved the hospital investing in ultraviolet-C-based mobile phone sanitization devices that allowed staff to decontaminate their mobile phones after every use. We assessed each intervention on material and opportunity costs assuming both achieved an equivalent reduction in microbe transmission within the hospital. We found that ultraviolet-C devices were the most cost-effective intervention, with median costs of approximately AUD360 per bed per year compared to AUD965 using hand hygiene protocols. Our results imply that a 200-bed hospital could potentially save AUD1-1.4 million over 10 years by investing in germicidal ultraviolet-C phone sanitizers rather than relying solely on hand hygiene protocols.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Two Christian Arabic prophecies of liberation from Muslim rule from the late 18th century

  Rice University's digital scholarship archive (Rice University) · 2025-03-06 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  L'article traite de deux textes apocalyptiques arabes chretiens de l'epoque ottomane qui figurent dans le Tarikh al-Sham du pretre syrien Mikha'il Burayk al-Dimashqi (vers 1750), et le Mukhtasar ta'rikh jabal Lubnan du Pere Augustin Tanus al-Khuri (vers 1800). L'A. traduit ces textes en anglais et montre ce qu'ils revelent des sentiments des chretiens en Syrie et au Liban a cette epoque envers le pouvoir ottoman.

  PublisherDOI

• Digital Technologies for Environmental Sustainability

  2024-10-15 · 1 citations

  bookOpen access

  Recognizing the immense challenges posed by climate change and aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 13, which focuses on climate action, the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) established the Digital Technology and Climate Change Task Force in December 2022. The Task Force aims to identify opportunities to leverage digital technologies effectively in combating climate change and to provide recommendations for professionals and relevant institutions. Since its inception, the Task Force has met regularly. After conducting a scoping exercise and defining a taxonomy, a comprehensive questionnaire was distributed twice among IFIP stakeholders, namely, technical committees and member societies, to gather insights and understand the diverse perspectives of the IFIP community on this specific matter. This document presents the Task Force's findings and is structured into two parts. The first part introduces the main concepts and challenges of climate change and digital technologies. It discusses the key challenges and concepts related to climate change, the widely adopted strategies for combating it, and the digital technologies and skills required to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of these strategies. The second part of the document focuses on recommendations tailored to various stakeholders, including individuals, computer societies, governments, the information and communication technology (ICT) industry, the research and development sector, and specific industries considered strategic in the fight against climate change: energy, manufacturing, agriculture, and transportation. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of public awareness and education. The Final Remarks section summarizes the findings and proposed actions, emphasizing the critical role of digital technologies in mitigating and addressing climate change. This section also presents general recommendations for various stakeholders. The Task Force Composition and Historical Background section introduces the task force members and provides a brief historical overview. Finally, the References section lists sources and additional reading materials. The illustration on the cover page, created by DALL·E on March 24, 2024, through interactions with Raimundo Macêdo, depicts two people shaking hands—one representing the green transition and the other representing the digital transition.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• <i>Medieval Syria and the Onset of the Crusades: The Political World of Bilad al-Sham 1050–1128</i> By <scp>James Wilson</scp>

  Journal of Islamic Studies · 2024-10-21

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Cost effectiveness of spread mitigation strategies for polyphagous shot hole borer Euwallacea fornicatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

  Frontiers in Insect Science · 2023-12-18 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Eichhoff was detected in Western Australia in September 2021, and an eradication campaign funded by the Commonwealth government is underway. As part of contingency planning, we examined the cost effectiveness of alternative control strategies that could be used to mitigate urban forest impacts and maintain the benefits of trees to the local communities if eradication was not feasible. At the time this work was undertaken, decision-makers were concerned about the potential need to replace all urban trees susceptible to attack. We considered this strategy alongside less destructive strategies and assessed their cost effectiveness in terms of material and labor costs and the loss of ecosystem services resulting from reduced tree foliage. Using a stochastic simulation model, we found that a strategy that involved pruning necrotic limbs and treating trees biennially with systemic insecticide was almost always more cost effective than removing infested trees and replanting to resistant varieties. We estimated this strategy would cost A$55-110 million over 50 years, while tree removal would cost $105-195 million. A third strategy using a mix of chemical suppression and tree removal was also considered in light of new information about the pest's host preferences. With an estimated cost of $60-110 million, this strategy was only slightly more expensive than using chemical suppression alone and could actually lead to eradication if the host range is as narrow as recent survey data suggests.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Economic impact of polyphagous shot hole borer <i>Euwallacea fornicatus</i> (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in Western Australia

  Agricultural and Forest Entomology · 2023-03-11 · 18 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Following the discovery of polyphagous shot hole borer Euwallacea fornicatus (Eichhoff) in Western Australia in September 2021, we estimated the likely economic damage that will result in the coming decades and the return on investment in eradication. A bioeconomic model was used to simulate the insect's spread and economic impact based on additional urban and commercial tree management costs. Two scenarios were examined, one in which an eradication policy response was initiated, and one in which it was not. With no eradication response, results indicated that median costs would reach A$6.8 million per annum in 30 years, with 98% of these costs relating to management in urban forests. We conclude that the eradication funding currently proposed, involving an investment of A$45.0 million over 3 years, will not generate sufficient benefits to offset costs in the short‐term, but may produce net benefits in the longer term.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• An ecosystem services penalty system for evaluating international trade proposals

  Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy · 2022-08-25

  article1st authorCorresponding

  The World Trade Organization is not explicitly in the business of environmental protection, but through recent initiatives it has sought to better understand the complex relationship between trade and the environment and its role in promoting sustainable trade growth. In line with these initiatives, this paper discusses ways it might explicitly consider ecosystem services impacts when ruling on trade disputes so as to internalise ecosystem services externalities. We propose a change to existing methods of settling trade disputes to include a comparison between the traditional gains from trade and the multilateral change in ecosystem services associated with trade by incorporating a penalty system into the dispute resolution process. If this comparison assesses damages to ecosystem services to exceed the gains from trade then the penalty system suggests trade should not be allowed to take place. This penalty system in turn can create an incentive for exporting countries to reduce their impacts on ecosystem services to facilitate trade.

  PublisherDOI

• A benefit–cost analysis of different response scenarios to <scp>COVID</scp>‐19: A case study

  Health Science Reports · 2021-06-01 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Background This paper compares the direct benefits to the State of Western Australia from employing a “suppression” policy response to the COVID‐19 pandemic rather than a “herd immunity” approach. Methods An S‐I‐R (susceptible‐infectious‐resolved) model is used to estimate the likely benefits of a suppression COVID‐19 response compared to a herd immunity alternative. Direct impacts of the virus are calculated on the basis of sick leave, hospitalizations, and fatalities, while indirect impacts related to response actions are excluded. Results Preliminary modeling indicates that approximately 1700 vulnerable person deaths are likely to have been prevented over 1 year from adopting a suppression response rather than a herd immunity response, and approximately 4500 hospitalizations. These benefits are valued at around AUD4.7 billion. If a do nothing policy had been adopted, the number of people in need of hospitalization is likely to have overwhelmed the hospital system within 50 days of the virus being introduced. Maximum hospital capacity is unlikely to be reached in either a suppression policy or a herd immunity policy. Conclusion Using early international estimates to represent the negative impact each type of policy response is likely to have on gross state product, results suggest the benefit–cost ratio for the suppression policy is slightly higher than that of the herd immunity policy, but both benefit–cost ratios are less than one.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Shuang Liu

  Shanghai Ocean University

  76 shared

• Darren J. Kriticos

  ACT Government

  74 shared

• Paul J. De Barro

  CSIRO Health and Biosecurity

  58 shared

• Dean Paini

  Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

  44 shared

• Rob Fraser

  40 shared

• Matthew B. Thomas

  University of York

  30 shared

• Shuang Liu

  Shanghai Ocean University

  26 shared

• Denys Yemshanov

  25 shared

Education

• Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Agriculture

  Imperial College London

  2004

• PhD (Agriculture), School of Agricultural and Resource Economics

  University of Western Australia

  2002

• BEc (Hons), Economics

  Murdoch University

  1997