POL145 Muslims in the West: Politics, Religion, and Law
Tuesdays 2 to 4:50.
Jytte Klausen, Lawrence A. Wien Professor of International Cooperation
Office: Olin-Sang 110
Contact: Klausen@brandeis.edu and x62762.
Counts towards minors/majors in Politics, IGS, IMES, Religious Studies.
Course description:
Controversies about the integration of Muslims and Islam into Western societies have risen to the
top of the political agendas in Western Europe and North America. The course investigates a
broad range of problems organized thematically. The themes are:
 Demographic and sociological description of Muslim populations in Western Europe and
the United States
 Religious practices and public policy in Western states
 Discrimination and Muslim identity politics
 Islamism and political extremism, and the impact of global politics on attitudes and
policies regarding Muslims and Islam in Western states.
The assigned readings are drawn from scholarly analysis, personal accounts by Muslims, and
public opinion surveys. Documentary material from newspaper and videos is used in class to
provide students with first-hand accounts of conflicting opinions.
We will examine and compare the controversies over mosque construction in Europe and in New
York City; the protests against the Danish cartoons purporting to depict the Muslim Prophet; facts
and fictions with respect to the size of the Muslim population in Europe; and the role of
extremism and terrorism in driving conflicts over Muslims’ rights to religious exercise.
The course is inter-disciplinary and will appeal to students in the social science as well as
students interested in the hermeneutics of Muslim discourse about faith, public ethics, and
politics. No prerequisites are required except an open mind and the ability to discuss controversial
issues civilly.
Four-Credit Course (with three hours of class-time per week).
Success in this 4 credit hour course is based on the expectation that students will spend a
minimum of 9 hours of study time per week in preparation for class (readings, discussion
sections, preparation for exams, etc.).
Learning goals:
The class will help students to develop the following core skills:
 Evaluating evidence and thinking critically about arguments, based on evidence.
 Learn to read and assess statistical information.
 Students will become familiar with patterns of Muslim migration to Western Europe and
North America, and with different national approaches to Church-state relations and the
accommodation of minority religions.
Completing the Politics major enables students to develop the following Core Sills:
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Thinking critically about arguments, based on evaluation of evidence.
Articulating reasoned arguments clearly, both orally and in written form.
Familiarity with a variety of research methods for understanding politics, including
comparative case study, area studies, textual interpretation and statistical analysis.
Ability to use the concepts and methods of political science to conduct research and
analysis.
Courses in the Politics curriculum impart knowledge about:
 The functioning and distinctive features of the American political system.
 The diversity of other political systems and the significance of these differences.
 how states, societies and transnational actors cause and resolve conflict.
 Foundational political ideas and thinkers.
 The origins and nature of democracy and democratic systems.
PLEASE NOTE: If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis
University and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see
me immediately.
PLEASE NOTE ALSO: You are expected to be familiar with and to follow the University’s
policies on academic integrity (see http://www.brandeis.edu/studentlife/sdc/ai). Any suspected
instances of alleged dishonesty will be referred to the Office of Student Development and
Conduct. Instances of academic dishonesty may result in sanctions including but not limited to,
failing grades being issued, educational programs, and suspension.
Requirements
Attendance is mandatory. Students must come to class prepared to discuss the assigned readings.
Grades are based upon contributions to class discussion and evidence of engagement with
assigned readings (50%) and a final take-home exam paper (50%). The final paper is due
December 15.
Readings
Different types of assignments are listed – roughly a book per week and various links containing
source material. Some books require more attention than others, so plan ahead. Some readings
are available for direct download via the Internet. Journal articles are available through Brandeis
Scholar. (Links in syllabus. You must log in using your UNET username and password to access
the articles.)
The books listed here are available in the campus bookstore.
 Barrett, Paul M., American Islam: the struggle for the soul of a religion. New York:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007.
 Howell, Sally. Old Islam in Detroit: Rediscovering the Muslim American Past, New
York: Oxford University Press. 2014. (Buy as ebook; only first 100 pages assigned)
 Husain, Ed. The Islamist. London: Penguin, 2007.
 Klausen, Jytte. The Islamic challenge: Politics and religion in Western Europe. New
York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press (second edition), 2007.
 Klausen, Jytte. The cartoons that shook the world. New Haven: Yale University Press,
2009.
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Ruthven, Malise. Islam: A very short introduction. Oxford and New York: Oxford
University Press, 1997.
Schedule
I. INTRODUCTION
Sept 1. [Class 1.]
INTRODUCTION: From the Rushdie Affair to Homegrown Terrorism: Three Decades of Global
Culture Wars.
Is there a clash of civilizations between two adversarial globalizing belief systems, global
Islamism and global liberalism? The Salman Rushdie affair began in 1988 with the issuing of a
fatwa by Iran's ayatollah, Khomeini, following the publication of Rushdie's allegedly
blasphemous novel The Satanic Verses. Nearly three decades later, in January 2015, two French
Muslim Extremists shot and killed the entire editorial staff at a French satirical magazine known
for satirizing all religions and also Muslim zealots, Charlie Hebdo.
Required Assignments:
 Huntington, Samuel P. The Clash of Civilizations? Foreign Affairs, Summer 1993, Vol. 72
Issue 3, p22-49. On LATTE.

Recommended:
Podcast: http://www.electricpolitics.com/podcast/2010/01/tolerance_or_capitulation.html (55
mins)
Sept 8. [Class 2.]
Facts and Fiction: The truth about the demographics of Muslims in the West
The Harvard historian, Niall Ferguson predicted in 2004 the “rise and fall” of Europe as a
civilization. He cited two reasons, the population growth of religious Muslims living in isolated
enclaves in Europe and the godlessness of formerly Christians who instead have embraced
childlessness and hedonism: “A creeping Islamicization of a decadent Christendom is one
conceivable result: while the old Europeans get even older and their religious faith weaker, the
Muslim colonies within their cities get larger and more overt in their religious observance.”
Discuss: true or false?
Reading assignment:
 Tom W. Smith, “The Muslim Population of the United States: The Methodology of
Estimates,” The Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 66, No. 3 pp. 404-417, 2002. See (log-in
using UNET PW) http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/3078769.pdf?acceptTC=true
 Pew Research Center. Section 1: A Demographic Portrait of Muslim Americans. August
30, 2011. (Available on LATTE and at: http://www.people-press.org/2011/08/30/section1-a-demographic-portrait-of-muslim-americans/
 By Niall Ferguson, Eurabia? The Way We Live Now, The New York Times, April 4,
2004. (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/04/magazine/the-way-we-live-now-4-4-04eurabia.html
 To be watched in class: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU
 Welcome to Eurabia: Will France be a Muslim Republic in 39 years?” BBC News,
August 7, 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/more_or_less/8189480.stm
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Sept 15. No class.
Sept. 22. [Class 3.]
The forgotten history of Muslims in the United States
Muslim-Americans are mostly recent migrants. Half of the Muslims living in the United States
today migrated here since the 9/11 attacks. Most are well-educated, better educated than the
average America. But the history of Muslims in the United States goes back much further. And
accommodation of Islam and the religious practices was not always conflict-free.
Reading Assignments:
 Alissa Perkins, Muslim sound, public space, and citizenship agendas in an American
City, Citizenship Studies, Volume 19, Issue 2, 2015, pages 169-183. (DOI:
10.1080/13621025.2015.1005948)
 Sally Howell, Old Islam in Detroit: Rediscovering the Muslim American Past, New
York: Oxford University Press. 2014, pp. 1-95. (Available as ebook.)
Fact sheets—Why do the numbers differ?
Allied Media Corporation: http://www.allied-media.com/AM/
 Council on American-Islamic Relations: http://www.cair.com/american-muslims/aboutislam.html
 American Religious Identification Survey (Trinity College). See Table 3, page 5:
http://livinginliminality.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/aris_report_2008.pdf
Oct. 6. [Class 4.]
What do Muslims believe and what does Islam say?
Reading assignment:
 Ruthven, Islam: A very short introduction.
Sept. 29—NO CLASS (Brandeis Monday)
Oct. 13.
[Class 5.]
Does religion influence people’s political views?
What Do American Muslims Think About Politics and Public Policy?
Required readings:
 Pew Research Center. Muslim Americans: No Signs of Growth in Alienation or Support
for Extremism. Mainstream and Moderate Attitudes. August 30, 2011.
http://www.people-press.org/2011/08/30/muslim-americans-no-signs-of-growth-inalienation-or-support-for-extremism/
 Gasim, Gamal, Jangsup Choi, and Dennis Patterson. "Explaining Muslim Americans’
Opinions on Salient Issues." Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations25, no. 1 (2014): 1326. DOI: 10.1080/09596410.2013.845951. On LATTE.
Fact sheet:
 Pew Research Center. http://www.people-press.org/2011/08/30/a-portrait-of-muslimamericans/
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Oct. 20. [Class 6.]
Debating Islamophobia.
Erik Bleich defines Islamophobia “as indiscriminate negative attitudes and feelings directed at
Muslims “ Please discuss. What are the root causes of Islamophobia? What constitute
Islamophobic thoughts and actions? Do Muslim terrorists cause hatred of Muslims?
Required reading:
 Bleich, E. 2012. “What is Islamophobia and How Much is there? Theorizing and
Measuring an Emergent Comparative Concept.” American Behavioral Scientist 55:
1581–1600. doi: 10.1177/0002764211409387
 Byers, B. D., and J. A. Jones. 2007. “The Impact of the Terrorist Attacks of 9/11 on AntiIslamic Hate Crime.” Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice 5: 43–56.
doi: 10.1300/J222v05n01_03
 Zan Strabac, Toril Aalberg, and Marko Valenta, Attitudes towards Muslim Immigrants:
Evidence from Survey Experiments across Four Countries, Journal of Ethnic and
Migration Studies. Volume 40, Issue 1, 2014, pages 100-118.
DOI:10.1080/1369183X.2013.831542
 Legewie, J. 2013. “Terrorist Events and Attitudes toward Immigrants: A Natural
Experiment.” American Journal of Sociology 118: 1199–1245. doi: 10.1086/669605
Oct. 27. [Class 7.]
A political anthropology of the European Muslim elite
Assignment:
 Klausen, The Islamic Challenge: Politics and Religion in Western Europe. (first half of
book)
Nov. 3. [Class 8.]
What do Western states want from Muslims?
It is frequently said that Islam cannot adapt to being a minority religion. What do Muslims think
about living in the West? What are the problems? Muslims and also immigrants, and immigrants
worry about social and economic security. What comes first—faith or integration?
Reading assignment:
 Klausen, The Islamic Challenge: Politics and Religion in Western Europe. (Second half
of book)
 Amaney Jamal, “Mosques, Collective Identity, and Gender Differences among Arab
American Muslims,” Journal of Middle East Women's Studies, Vol. 1, No. 1 pp. 53-78,
2005. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40326849
Nov 10. [Class 9.]
Mosque visit. To be arranged.
Religious institutions play a large role in the development of the civic organizations of religious
groups in the Untied States. Who builds mosques? And do mosques build citizenship?
Required reading:
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M. A. Muqtedar Khan. Political Muslims in America: From Islamism to Exceptionalism.
Middle East Policy, 2015. 22: 32–40. doi: 10.1111/mepo.12110 also available at
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mepo.12110/full
Nov. 17. [Class 10.]
How different?
Are American and European Muslims really different?—and are public sentiments about
Muslims different?
Reading assignment:
 Barrett, American Islam: the struggle for the soul of a religion.
 CASE STUDY: “The Mosque “near” or “at” Ground Zero”, read Basharat Peer, Zero
Tolerance, The Financial Times, August 14, 2010, available at log in using your UNET
PW): http://www.lexisnexis.com.resources.library.brandeis.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/
Nov. 24. [Class 11.]
The Danish Cartoons and the Re-engineering of the “Clash of Civilization”, part I.
In 2005, a Danish newspaper printed 12 cartoons purporting to depict the Muslim Prophet. The
publication followed on a very public debate suggesting that Denmark was gripped by selfcensorship for fear of offending Muslims. Six months after the publication, violent
demonstrations broke out throughout the Middle East and Asia that left hundreds dead and many
more injured. How could cartoons inflame a violent global conflict? Was it all about religion and
respect? Or was it about something else entirely?
Reading assignment:
 Klausen, The cartoons that shook the world, pp. 1-130.
Factsheet:
 Documentary: “Bloody Cartoons” (http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/bloody-cartoons/)
53 mins.
Dec. 1. [Class 12.]
Iconoclasm, Free Speech, and the Re-engineering of the “Clash of Civilization”, part II.
In February 2015, a Danish Muslim and former gang member attacked a meeting where free
speech and cartoonism was debated, and killed a bystander. How did the cartoons become a
source of political violence? Today, the Islamic State is destroying temples predating Islam—
charging they represent idol worship. Is this terrorism or iconoclasm?
Reading assignment:
 Klausen, The cartoons that shook the world, pp. 131-184.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsLRafzzkPE&feature=youtu.be
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJvGceJCQhw
Dec. 13. [Class 13.]
The extremists—From Hizb ut-Tahrir to The Islamic State
Are Muslim extremists religious or revolutionary fanatics?
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Reading Assignment:
 Husain, The Islamist (entire book).
 Hegghammer, Thomas. "Jihadi-Salafis or revolutionaries? On religion and politics in the
study of militant Islamism." Global Salafism: Islam’s new religious movement (2009):
244-266. (http://hegghammer.com/_files/Hegghammer__jihadi_salafis_or_revolutionaries.pdf --I think this may be available elsewhere in pubic
access?)
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