Islam in the Post-Colonial World
Fall 2010
Instructor: Najam Haider
Office: 219d Milbank Hall
nhaider@barnard.edu or nih2104@columbia.edu
Office Hours: Mon 11-1, Wed 2:30-4 and by appointment
I. Schedule:
The class meets in Milbank 202 on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:10-10:25. Classes vary in format from
lecturing to in-class discussions of primary and secondary sources.
II. Course Description and Scope:
This course focuses on the multiple manifestations of the Islamic vision in the modern world. The semester
begins with a survey of the central elements that unite a diverse community of Muslim peoples from a variety
of geographical and cultural backgrounds. This includes a look at the Prophet and the Qur’ān and the ways in
which both were actualized in the development of Jurisprudence and Sufism/Mysticism. The course then
shifts to the modern period, examining the impact of colonization and the rise of secular modernity on the
Muslim world. Topics range from intellectual attempts at societal/religious reform (e.g., Islamic Revivalism,
Modernism, Progressivism) and political re-interpretations of traditional Islamic motifs (e.g., Third-Worldism
and Jihadist discourse) to traditional efforts at accommodating scientific and technological innovations (e.g.,
evolution, bioethics). The class ends by examining the efforts of American and European Muslim
communities to carve out distinct spheres of identity in the larger global Muslim community (umma) through
expressions of popular cultural (e.g., Hip-Hop).
III. Course Requirements and Grading:
- Class Participation (15%): This class utilizes a modified form of the Socratic method common in law
school. I choose two students at random at the start of every class to answer factual questions throughout that
day’s lecture/discussion. The questions are not very difficult if you have done the reading. For example, I
might ask for a summary of a thinker’s (e.g., Fazlur Rahman) approach to a contemporary issue (e.g., gender).
In addition to fact-based questions, the selected students may also (occasionally) be asked more analytic
questions (Why do you think the issue of predestination was so important to political leaders?). If a selected
student is absent (without excuse), he/she will receive a zero for that day; this is not an insignificant portion
of your grade. Keep in mind that all students are expected to participate regularly (even on days when they
are not selected!). No one wants to hear me lecture for an entire class! Finally, if you have a specific
problem with participation (stage fright, anxiety), please let me know and we can work out an alternative
arrangement.
- Response Papers (25%):Every Sunday (by midnight), students are required to submit a response paper for
the upcoming week’s readings through a blog ( http://edblogs.columbia.edu/reliv3311-001-2010-3/ ). Instead
of merely posting a summary, these reports give you a chance to reflect on aspects of the reading that you
find interesting, contentious, or unclear. In the larger picture, these “response papers” are designed to help
you “think through” the major themes in the readings and gain insight that will better allow you to participate
in class discussions. Responses should indicate that you have critically engaged the week’s subject matter;
large quotes from the readings are as unacceptable as a rambling current of thoughts unrelated to the subject
at hand. I often post questions that you should reference in your own responses. Replies to postings from
other students are also encouraged as this activity is meant to facilitate discussion.
*Each response should end with one question/issue of confusion prompted by the readings*
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Beginning with week #2, students are required to turn in at least ten out of the possible thirteen response
papers. Response Papers are graded on a scale of 1-4 with a 3 equivalent to a B+ or an A-.
- Prophecy Assignment (10%): This is a mini-thought experiment centered on the notion of prophecy. It will
be explained in greater detail during Week #2. The assignment will be due no later than Friday Oct. 1.
- Short-Answer Exam (10%): The midterm will be administered via email and Courseworks on Thursday
Oct. 7.
- Evolution Debate Assignment (10%): The instructions for this assignment will be handed out in class.
There will be two parts which will be submitted electronically through Courseworks on or around Nov. 24.
- Final Paper (30%): This will consist of a written assignment (see below) of 7-9 pages in (normal font,
borders, and double spaced) essays due no later than Thursday Dec.16.
IV. Required Reading and Other Issues:
All of the readings required for this class are available on Courseworks. I reserve the right to change/alter the
readings on the syllabus as I see fit (I will give you sufficient notice when/if this happens). On average there
will be 70-100 pages of reading a week (this is a lot of reading!). The reading format is a little unorthodox
and will be explained in greater detail on the first day of class. All Readings for a given week are due on
the first class of that week! Thus, the readings for Week #2 must be completed by Sept. 13!
Cell phones should be turned off before class begins and laptops are banned unless you have a compelling
reason.
A note on attendance: This course depends on your participation. Coming late or missing class will have an
adverse effect on your final grade. If you have a legitimate reason such as a personal or family emergency,
please contact me (preferably prior to missing class). I can be reached by email. If you miss a class, it is
your responsibility to find out what you missed, including any changes in the assignment for the next
class, and to schedule a meeting with me to review the missed material.
Students with disabilities who will be taking this course and may need disability-related classroom
accommodations are encouraged to make an appointment to see me as soon as possible. Also, stop by the
Office of Disability Services in 105 Hewitt to register for support services.
V. Honor Code
Approved by the student body in 1912, the Code states:
We, the students of Barnard College, resolve to uphold the honor of the College by refraining from every
form of dishonesty in our academic life. We consider it dishonest to ask for, give, or receive help in
examinations or quizzes, to use any papers or books not authorized by the instructor in examinations, or to
present oral work or written work which is not entirely our own, unless otherwise approved by the instructor.
We consider it dishonest to remove without authorization, alter, or deface library and other academic
materials. We pledge to do all that is in our power to create a spirit of honesty and honor for its own sake.
Please refer to the Honor Code booklet, distributed to all new students. If you do not have a copy at this time,
please pick one up in the Dean of Studies Office.
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VI. Course Program:
1. Wed
2. Mon
3. Wed
4. Mon
5. Wed
6. Mon
7. Wed
8. Mon
9. Wed
10. Mon
11. Wed
12. Mon
13. Wed
14. Mon
15. Wed
xx. Mon
16. Wed
17. Mon
18. Wed
19. Mon
20. Wed
21. Mon
xx. Wed
22. Mon
23. Wed
24. Mon
25. Wed
26. Mon
Sept. 8
Sept. 13
Sept. 15
Sept. 20
Sept. 22
Sept. 27
Sept. 29
Oct. 4
Oct. 6
Oct. 11
Oct. 13
Oct. 18
Oct. 20
Oct. 25
Oct. 27
Nov. 1
Nov. 3
Nov. 8
Nov. 10
Nov. 15
Nov. 17
Nov. 22
Nov. 24
Nov. 29
Dec. 1
Dec. 6
Dec. 8
Dec. 13
Introduction
Geography and Intro to Muslim World
The Study of Islam
Pre-Islamic Arabia
Muhammad
The Qur‘ān
Islamic Law (Classical Jurisprudence)
Sufism (Mysticism)
Shī‘ism 101
Confrontations with Colonialism I (Crusaders and Napoleon)
Confrontations with Colonialism II (The Ottoman Empire)
Islamic Revivalism
Islamic Modernism (Jamal al-Dīn al-Afghāni and Muḥammad Abduh)
Progressive Islam I (Fazlur Rahman’s Double Movement Theory)
Progressive Islam II (On Gender and Sexuality)
No Class
Meditations on Suicide Bombing
Jihadist Discourse I (Historical Roots)
Jihadist Discourse II (OBL and Sunnī Radicalism)
Traditional Islamic Law I (On Gender)
Traditional Islamic Law I (Bioethics)
Muslims as Minorities (Europe and the Problem of Assimilation)
No Class – Evolution Assignment
Shī‘ism Re-oriented I (Westoxification)
Shī’ism Re-oriented II (Third Worldism)
Islam and the Blackamerican
The Hip Hop Umma
The Clash of Civilizations (Huntington and Soroush)
VII. Question for Final Essay Due Date December 16
You are interning for your local senator from a fictional state and manage to get yourself invited to
a dinner party at his home. As you settle into your seat, you’re surprised to find Bernard Lewis
sitting to your right and Samuel Huntington on your left. You feel special. The Senator does not
know very much about the world outside his fictional home so he turns to Lewis and Huntington
and asks, “What’s the deal with Islam and the Middle East?” Lewis speaks first, theorizing in his
posh English accent:
Ultimately, the struggle of the [Islamists] is against two enemies, secularism and
modernism. The war against secularism is conscious and explicit, and there is by now a
whole literature denouncing secularism as an evil neo-pagan force in the modern world and
attributing it variously to the Jews, the West, and the United States. The war against
modernity is for the most part neither conscious nor explicit, and is directed against the
whole process of change that has taken place in the Islamic world in the past century or
more and has transformed the political, economic, social, and even cultural structures of
Muslim countries. [Political Islam] has given an aim and a form to the otherwise aimless
and formless resentment and anger of the Muslim masses.
This is no less than a clash of civilizations -- the perhaps irrational but surely historic
reaction of an ancient rival [Islam] against our Judeo-Christian heritage, our secular present,
and the worldwide expansion of both.
(Lewis, “The Roots of Rage,” Atlantic Monthly – September 1990)
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Huntington adds:
At a superficial level much of Western culture has permeated the rest of the world. At a
more basic level, however, Western concepts differ fundamentally from those prevalent in
other civilizations. Western ideas of individualism, liberalism, constitutionalism, human
rights, equality, liberty, the rule of law, democracy, free markets, the separation of church
and state, often have little resonance in Islamic… culture. Western efforts to propagate
such ideas produce instead a reaction against “human rights imperialism” and a
reaffirmation of indigenous values, as can be seen in the support for religious
fundamentalism by the younger generation in non-Western cultures.
(Huntington, “The Clash of Civilizations” – Foreign Affairs 1993)
You try to keep your mouth shut. You *really* don’t want to say anything… But having just
completed a class on Islam which devoted considerable time to Islam’s interactions with modernity,
you are incapable of controlling yourself. You begin to talk and suddenly realize that you should
stop… so you do, giving way to an awkward silence. As the guests are saying their goodbyes, the
Senator pulls you aside and confides, “I never trust professor types. They lie for a living. You
know a thing or two about Islam, write me up your take on Lewis and Huntington.”
Your assignment: Write a 7-9 page assessment of the perspective articulated by Huntington
above. There are a wide array of points/arguments in the passage provided above so that it is
virtually impossible to address everything. You may want to take a look at Huntington’s entire
article (in the Dec 13 readings) before you begin writing. Keep in mind that there are no right
answers and you have total freedom to agree or disagree with Huntington BUT (that being said)
you must support your assertions with evidence taken from the wide range of topics discussed in
throughout this course.
VIII. Weekly Readings
Week #1
Sept. 8 General Introduction
Week #2
Sept. 13 The Geography of the Middle East
2.1 C.C. Held, "Patterns of Peoples and Cultures," Middle East Patterns (Boulder 1989), 84-94
2.2 B. Lewis, "The Map of the Middle East”, The American Scholar, 58(1988-9), 19-38
Map #1: “Middle East: Annual Rainfall," in W.B. Fisher, The Middle East, London (1978), 4
Map #2: “Physical and Cultural Geography”
Sept. 15 The Study of Islam
2.3 Hodgson, The Venture of Islam, v. 1, 22-39, 56-60,62, 71-99
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Week #3
Sept. 20 Pre-Islamic Arabia
3.1 B. Lewis, Arabs in History, 21-35
3.2 J. Berkey, Formation of Islam (Cambridge 2004), 19-38
3.3 Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad, transl. A Guillaume, 98-103 (Early Monotheists)
3.4 “Extracts on the Arabs before Islam” c/o M. Cook
Sept. 22 Muḥammad
3.5 A. Schimmel, And Muhammad is His Messenger, 9-55
3.6 Ibn Isḥāq, The Life of Muhammad, trans. Guillaume, 79-81, 117-21, 130-1, 133-7, 142-5, 678-83
Week #4
Sept. 27 The Qur’ān
The Gathering of the Text
4.1 Calder, Mojaddedi, Rippen, Classical Islam, 80-2
Meccan Chapters
4.2 M. Sells, Approaching the Qur’an, pp. 1-28, 42-55 (Q1 Q53 Q81 Q82), 78-81 (Q89)
Medinan Chapters
4.3 Robinson, Discovering the Qur’an, 196-223
Optional: Translation of Q2 (The Cow)
Sept. 29 Islamic Law (Classical Jurisprudence)
4.4 Weiss, The Spirit of Islamic Law, 38-87
4.5 Hallaq, An Introduction to Islamic Law, 7-30
Week #5
Oct. 4 Sufism
5.1 Schimmel, And Muḥammad is His Messenger, 123-43
5.2 Calder, Mojaddedi, Rippen, Classical Islam, 228-32 (Ghazali)
5.3 Abu Sa‘id b. Abi’l-Khayr, Selections
5.4 Renard, Tales of God’s Friend’s, 136-43 (Anatolia) 208-15 (Somalia)
Optional 342-58 (Java)
Oct. 6 Shi‘ism 101
5.5 Mottahedeh, Loyalty and Leadership, 7-17
5.6 Madelung, The Succession to Muhammad, 4-27 (the sections in the file marked optional should be read!)
5.7 Sobhani, Doctrines of Shi‘i Islam, 48-60 (Divine Justice), 96-112 (Imamate)
Chart: Genealogical Descent of the Imāms
Week #6
Oct. 11 Confrontations w/ Colonialism I (The Crusaders and Napoleon)
6.1 Martin, Islamic Studies, 22-38 (1400 years in 16 pages)
6.2 First Contact: Pope Urban II and Usama b. Munqidh
6.3 Jabarti, Chronicle of the French Occupation, 1-15, 19-38
Oct. 13 Confrontations w/ Colonialism II (The Ottoman Empire)
6.4 Itzkowitz, Ottoman empire and Islamic tradition (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1972)
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Week #7
Oct. 18 Islamic Revivalism
7.1 Dallal, “The Origins and Objectives of Islamic Revivalist Thought”, JAOS 113 (1993) 341-59
Oct. 25 Islamic Modernism (Afghāni and Abduh)
7.2 Keddie, “Sayyid Jamal al-Dīn al-Afghāni” in Pioneers of Islamic Revival (Rahnema), 11-29
7.3 Haddad, “Muhammad Abduh” in Pioneers of Islamic Revival (Rahnema), 30-60
Primary Sources
7.4 Jamal al-Din al-Afghani (from Keddie, An Islamic Response to Imperialism)
“Refutation of the Materialists” excerpts (132-47 and 167-74)
“Answer to Renan.” 181-7
7.5 Muhammad Abduh in Kurzman, Modernist Islam, 50-60
Week #8
Oct. 25 Progressive Islam I (Fazlur Rahmān’s Double Movement Theory)
8.1 Saeed, “Fazlur Rahman,” Modern Muslim Intellectuals, 37-66
8.2 Fazlur Rahman, “Islam and Modernity,” Liberal Islam, 304-18
Oct. 27 Progressive Islam II (On Gender and Sexuality)
8.3 Wadud, Qur’an and Woman, 62-91
8.4 Bowen, “Qur’an, Justice, Gender (in Indonesia),” History of Religions, 38 (1998) 52-78
8.5 Kugel, “Sexuality, Diversity, and Ethics,” Progressive Muslims, 190-234
Week #9
Nov. 1
No class!
Nov. 3 Meditations on Suicide Bombing
The Legal Angle
9.1 Rosenthal, “On Suicide in Islam,” JAOS, 66 (1946) 239-59
A Post-Modern Perspective
9.2 Asad, On Suicide Bombing, 39-96
Primary Sources
9.3 Qardawi’s Stance in Favor of Suicide Operations (check his bio on Wikipedia) at
http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Area=sd&ID=SP54203#_edn1
9.4 Shaykh Faisal al-Mawlawi’s Ruling at
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-EnglishAsk_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503543974
9.5 Al-Ansari’s Ruling at
http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP96805
9.6 The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia’s Ruling at
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2014
9.7 Ahsan, “A Bid to Define Terrorism,” at
http://www.islamonline.net/English/Views/2002/05/article02.shtml
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Week #10
Nov. 8 Jihadist Discourse I (Historical Roots)
10.1 Peters, “The Political Relevance of the Doctrine of Jihad in Sadat’s Egypt” in National and
International Politics in the Middle East, ed. Ingram, 252-71
10.2 Wright, The Looming Tower, 84-98.
10.3 Gesink, “Chaos on Earth,” The American Historical Review, 108 (2005)
Optional:
Kepel, The Prophet and the Pharaoh, 129-56 and 210-18 [need to check this out]
Nov. 10 Jihadist Discourse II (OBL and Sunnī Radicalism)
10.4 Wright, The Looming Tower, 60-83 (take this out of arab 428 14.2)
10.5 Lawrence, “Introduction” in The Statement of OBL (Lawrence)
10.6 Bin Laden, The Statements
“The Betrayal of Palestine,” 1-14
“The Invasion of Arabia,” 15-19
“Among a Band of Knights,” 186-206
“Depose the Tyrants,” 246-75
Week #11
Nov. 15 Traditional Islamic Law I (On Gender)
11.1 Stowasser, “Old Shaykhs, Young Women, and the Internet,” The Muslim World, 91 (2001) 99-118
11.2 M. Fadel, “Two Women, One Man,” IJMES, 29 (1997) 185-204
Nov. 17 Traditional Islamic Law II (Bioethics)
11.4 Krawietz, “Ethical versus Medical Values,” Recht Van de Islam, 16 (1999) 1-16
11.5 Bowen, “Contemporary Muslim Ethics of Abortion,” in Islamic Ethics of Life, 51-76
11.6 Krawietz, “Brain Death and Islamic Traditions,” in Islamic Ethics of Life, 194-207
Week #12
Nov. 22 Muslims as Minorities (Europe and the Problem of Assimilation)
12.1 Abou El Fadl, “Islamic Law and Muslim Minorities,” ILS, 1 (1994) 141-87
12.2 Malik, “Fiqh Today: Muslims as Minorities” at
http://www.islamonline.net/english/Contemporary/2004/03/Article03.shtml
12.3 The Hijab in France: Selections from the following website:
http://www.islamonline.net/english/in_depth/france/france.shtml
The hijab: why?
(http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?cid=1123996016142&pagename=IslamOnline
-English-AAbout_Islam/AskAboutIslamE/AskAboutIslamE )
French interior minister confronts Muslim veiled women
(http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2003-04/22/article02.shtml )
France’s churches urge Chirac to support hijab
(http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2003-12/09/article05.shtml )
French women can remove hijab if forced: Tantawi
(http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2003-12/30/article09.shtml )
Qaradawi threatens legal action against French hijab ban
(http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2004-01/07/article07.shtml )
12.4 Fetzer, Muslims and the State in Britain, France, and Germany, chapters 1 and 6
12.5 J. Klausen, The Islamic challenge. Politics and religion in western Europe (Oxford: OUP, 2005),
chapter 5: Christian and Muslim Europe, pp. 136-170
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Nov. 24
No class – Evolution Assignment
Week #13
Nov. 29 Shi‘ism Re-oriented I (Westoxification)
13.1 Al-e Ahmad, Westruckness, 95-126, 163-86
Dec. 1 Shi‘ism Reoriented II (Third Worldism)
13.2 Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth, 145-80 (On National Culture)
13.3 Rippen and Knappert, Textual Sources, 139-44 (Husayn’s death)
13.4 Bahrululoom, The Tale of the Martyrdom of Imam Hussain, 15-20, 68-77
13.5 Shariati, Jihad and Shahadat, 162-3, 166-9, 178-81, 192-4, 208-09, 212-14
Week #14
Dec. 6 Islam and the Blackamerican
14.1 Jackson, Islam and the BlackAmerican, 1-21, 59-97
14.2 Miyakawa, Five Percenter Rap, 1-37.
Handout #1: Message to the Blackman (Elijah Muhammad)
Handout #2: The Story of Yakub (Five Percenters)
Handout #3: Supreme Mathematics (Five Percenters)
Dec. 8 The Hip Hop Umma
14.4 Miyakawa, Five Percenter Rap, 41-72
14.5 Floyd-Thomas, “A Jihad of Words,” Noise and Spirit, 49-70
14.6 Swedenburg, “Islamic Hip Hop Versus Islamophobia,” Global Noise, 57-62, 69-77
Optional: Chang, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop, 67-85
Handout #4: Rap Lyrics
14.8 BBC Documentary on American Hip Hop:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/tx/documentaries/islamichiphop.shtml
Musical Samples
14.8 “Who is the Terrorist” by DAM (Palestine) (http://www.dam3rap.com/men_erhabe.html)
14.9
Lord Jamar – (1) Supreme Mathematics (2) The Corner, The Streets
Poor Righteous Teachers – (3) Word iz life
Native Deen – (4) For The Prophets
Blackstar (Mos Def and Talib Kweli) – (5) Astronomy (8th Light)
The Roots – (6) The Spark
Lupe Fiasco – (7) American Terrorist
Outlandish – (8) Una Palabra (9) Kom Igen
MBS – (10) Enfants Innocents
Optional (for your listening enjoyment): http://www.africanhiphop.com/radio/
Samples: South Africa and Egypt
Week #15
Dec. 13 The Clash of Civilizations (Huntington and Soroush)
15.1 Huntington, “Clash of the Civilizations,” Foreign Affairs (1993) 22-49 and 186-94
15.2 Soroush, Reason, Freedom, and Democracy in Islam,
“Introduction,” ix-xix
“Tolerance and Governance,” 131-55
“Three Cultures,” 155-70
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