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George Mason University Schar School of Policy & Government

GOVT345-002

POLITICAL ISLAM

Spring 2017 Tuesday & Thursday, 3:00—4:15pm

Planetary Hall, Room 122 Instructor: Dr. Peter Mandaville Professor of International Affairs

Schar School of Policy & Government E-mail: pmandavi@gmu.edu Telephone: (703) 993-1054 Twitter: @pmandaville Class hashtag: #islampolitics Office: Robinson A227 Office Hours: Thursday, 11:00-12:00pm …or by appointment. AIMS & OBJECTIVES This course is designed to provide you with an overview and understanding of the multifaceted nature of political Islam in the contemporary world. We will begin with a brief history of Islam, paying particular attention to how ideas about political community and governance have evolved over time in the Islamic tradition. We then cover the formation of modern states in the postcolonial Muslim world, and the emergence of Islamism in the context of secular nationalism and persistent authoritarianism. We approach Islamism by organizing its manifestation into three broad types, each tied to a set of country case studies: (1) Islamist groups participating within the political systems of relatively stable nations; (2) Islamism within those countries defining themselves as ‘Islamic states’; and (3) Islamist groups in conflict zones or weak and fragile states. We then examine the nature of contemporary Islamic radicalism and militancy before moving on to explore various ways in which Islam and politics link to ongoing processes of globalization and increased transnationalism. More

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specifically, we look closely at the question of religious authority in the Muslim world today, and the political implications of new media. We conclude by taking up the debate on the future of Islamism and a new set of questions raised by the Arab Uprisings of 2010-11 as well as the subsequent rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The emphasis throughout will be on the diversity and plurality of political Islam—in short, the idea that it is impossible to speak in terms of a singular Islamic ‘fundamentalism’ today. Instead, we need to understand that the politicization of Islam (or its political mobilization—for Islam is inherently political) can only be understood by reference to particular circumstances in the societies in which it occurs. COURSE FORMAT & REQUIREMENTS The class will consist of a mixture of lectures, group discussion (general & text-based), and independent study/investigation. It is vital that, as an absolute minimum, you complete your weekly reading assignments and show up to class ready to discuss the week’s material & readings. Your grade for the course will be derived from the following elements: Assignment Due % of grade 1. Intention/Motivation short essay Feb 2 10% 2. Theory/methodology paper Feb 23 15% 3. Movement/group profile Mar 23 20% 4. Critical writing exercise Apr 27 15% 5. Final exam May 11 30% 6. Class participation n/a 10% ** Note: you cannot pass the course without completing all assignments ** Intention/motivation short essay For this assignment you are asked to write a short (1 full page or 400-500 words) essay discussing why you are taking this class; what questions you hope to have answered through the class; and how you see it fitting into your own educational and professional development. Are their specific assumptions, knowledge gaps or interests about Islam and politics that you bring with you into the class? Theory/methodology paper (2000 words) This assignment is designed to develop your skills in handling conceptual, theoretical, and methodological issues. Write a paper responding to one of the following questions:

1. How can social scientists evaluate the role of ideational factors, such as religion, when seeking to explain and understand social and political behavior?

2. Social science as an academic enterprise is inherently Eurocentric in nature. Critically discuss and assess the implications of this claim.

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3. Is political Islam best understood as emerging from “cultural” or “structural” causes?

Movement/group profile (2500 words) This assignment asks you to choose a group/organization, movement, or political party connected to political Islam and then write a profile that explains its origins, evolution, and agenda. You should then go on to situate it in relation to political Islam as we have studied it in class. You will want to pay attention to issues such as leadership, internal structures, and the impact of the local and global political environments in shaping the movement’s priorities and methods. For a historical movement that no longer exist, please be sure to explain how and why its work ended and for currently groups provide some analysis as to its likely future prospects. Please make sure to have your choice of group cleared by the course instructor before starting work. This assignment provides an excellent opportunity to learn something about a group, movement, or country that we haven’t addressed directly in class. You may also complete this assignment in the form of a “web essay” or online presentation. Please see me if interested in this option. Critical writing exercise (1500-2000 words) For this assignment you are required to identify a specimen of argumentation written by a third party (e.g. a book, journal article, online essay or debate) and to write a critical review of it. You will be expected to demonstrate a holistic understanding of the position being advanced by your subject author(s) and also to contextualize it in terms of background and development – in other words, to explain the bigger picture and history around the particular argument you are engaging. Your critical assessment should identify strengths and weaknesses of the argument, alternative perspectives advanced by other writers/thinkers, and provide a clear statement of your own position on the matter and the reasoning behind it. Please see the instructor to discuss your proposed subject before beginning work. Final exam The final exam will be a written examination taken in class, consisting of a combination of short answer identification terms and essay questions. Further details will be provided in class. Class participation This component of your grade represents a combination of attendance and class participation as assessed through in-classroom participations and contributions to Twitter discussions using the hashtag #islampolitics (and it would hurt to make sure you also mention @pmandaville in Tweets just to make sure I see them). Grading scale When it comes to converting number grades to letter grades, I use the following widely-employed scale:

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98+ = A+ 93-97 = A 90-92 = A- 88-89 = B+ 83-87 = B 80-82 = B- 78-79 = C+ 73-77 = C 70-72 = C- 60-69 = D Below 60 = F Please note that it is an official policy of the Schar School that Government & International Politics (GVIP) majors must obtain a minimum grade of C in this course in order for it to fulfil GVIP degree requirements. Writing Guidelines Your written assignments for this class will be graded according to the following criteria. The relative weight given to each of these categories will vary depending on the nature of the assignment.

1. Clear and sound content, including a well-stated thesis, related points to support that thesis, and applicable, logically presented, and specific evidence; clarity of argument.

2. Depth of engagement with ideas; originality; seriousness of thought; conceptual complexity.

3. Well-organized structure; text “flows” with coherent and effective transition between and among ideas; appropriate voice, tone, and style for audience and purpose (e.g. no slang); accurate word choice.

4. Sufficiently and consistently cited and documented; one style of citation used throughout the paper; references adequate number and appropriate type of sources; uses quotations and reference marks appropriately.

5. Correct mechanics including grammar, syntax, spelling, and punctuation. All papers should be thoroughly proofread before being handed in, and will be marked down for excessive typographical errors. Students often ask if the quality of their writing will affect the grade they receive. My answer to this question is an unequivocal “yes”! This does not mean that I employ a standard grade deduction for bad grammar. Rather, how well you write has an enormous impact on criteria 1, 3 and 5 specified above. In short, if the writing is poor, then you are likely to be unable to clearly communicate a well-stated thesis.

References and citation

Unless otherwise specified, it is expected that your written work will make proper use of references and citations, particularly for assignments 2 &4. Your ability to learn from, integrate, and synthesize other sources in the context of your own arguments is a large part of what you will be graded on. In particular, any time you use the words or ideas of another author, you must provide a reference. Whenever another author’s exact words are used, they must be set apart from your text "in quotes," with a proper foot/endnote or parenthetical citation included. Learning to make proper use of referencing and citation systems is a part of your overall education at college. For this class, we require you to use either the Chicago citation

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Style, with in-text citations and an accompanying list of references at the end of your paper. A quick guide to this system is available at: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html Since you are using in-text citations + a reference list you should pay attention to those items denoted T and R in this citation guide. Papers that do not make proper use of the Chicago citation system will be marked down or returned to students for revision prior to being accepted as complete. In short, your paper cannot and should not be regarded as finished until you have finalized and formatted all citations in one of the approved citations styles.

Required Sources

For the most part, it is up to you to determine how much supporting material you need to make your argument effectively. Suffice it to say that it will be obvious if your topic is poorly or narrowly researched, or if the exact same book gets referenced over and over again! Evidence of wide and diverse reading always comes through and, inevitably, has a positive impact on your grade. As a general guideline, I require you to use at least four sources. Of these, at least one should be an online source, and another two should be academic/scholarly books or journal articles found in the library or accessed via the electronic journal service. Your textbooks and assigned readings do not count, nor do encyclopedias. In fact, at this level you should move away from using encyclopedias and dictionaries for anything other than the most basic of factual information. This includes Wikipedia. Since Wikipedia entries represent open source material that has not been subjected to scholarly peer review, it is not acceptable to cite Wikipedia as an academic source.

Bibliography/list of references

Please include a full bibliography at the end of your term paper–again, formatted according to one of the standard bibliographic styles. Do not simply list authors and book titles or make up your own system of listing sources.

Other technical requirements

▪ Make sure your name, assignment title, paper title and course/section number

are all on the paper! ▪ All assignments must be uploaded to Blackboard via the MyMason portal by

the time class meets on the day they are due. Further technical details will be provided in class. Unless I expressly give you permission, e-mail submissions sent directly to me are not acceptable.

▪ Technical problems with your computer (e.g. “I don’t know what happened to the file, it somehow got deleted!”) are not an acceptable excuse for not

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submitting an assignment when due. You are expected to practice good “IT hygiene” by making regular backups of your work.

If you want to show me an outline of your paper before you start writing (and I would encourage you to write an outline; it helps to keep you on track), I am always happy to provide feedback. It’s best to e-mail it to me (along, of course, with a note of your title/topic). I do not, however, read paper drafts. Late work policy Late work will have one letter grade deducted for each day it is overdue. This turns into an F very quickly, so make sure you meet your assignment deadlines! Unless an exemption has been granted by the instructor on an individual basis, a final grade for the class will not be issued unless all assigned work has been completed. This means you cannot just skip an assignment if you calculate that you can still pass the class by not handing it in. CLASS COMMUNICATIONS Outside the classroom I use e-mail as the primary form of communicating with you. I will set up a class e-mail list based on your GMU e-mail addresses. If you do not use your GMU account as your main e-mail address, it is your responsibility to set up your GMU e-mail so that it forwards to whatever account you prefer to use. If not, then you should at least check your GMU account several times per week. I accept no responsibility for the consequences of missed e-mail communications! Major class announcements will also be posted on the course’s Blackboard site, so you would be well advised to check this on a regular basis. When you do e-mail me, please be sure to remind me of the course, section and (if applicable) the assignment to which you writing in reference. And please keep your style courteous and professional. REQUIRED & RECOMMENDED TEXTS The one required text for the class is: Peter Mandaville, Islam and Politics, London & New York: Routledge, 2nd Edition, 2014. This book is available for purchase from the campus bookstore or the usual online book vendors (e.g. Amazon, Barnes & Noble). This book has a companion website with chapter updates and additional resource that you can access at: http://routledgetextbooks.com/textbooks/9780415782579/

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Additional class readings will be accessed as PDF files from a class filestore. These are

marked below in the class schedule with a and you can access them at the following URL: http://goo.gl/4GMNgM Each file is named according to the last name of its author and abbreviated title in lower case letters followed by the file type suffix (e.g. hirschkind_what-is-political-islam.pdf). Other texts you might find useful include: Dale Eickelman & James Piscatori, Muslim Politics (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996) Roxanne L. Euben & Muhammad Q. Zaman (eds.), Princeton Readings in Islamist Thought (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009) John Esposito, Islam and Politics (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, Fourth Edition, 1998) [E] Robert Hefner (ed.), Remaking Muslim Politics: Pluralism, Contestation, Democratization (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2005) Graham Fuller, The Future of Political Islam (London: Palgrave, 2003) Charles Kurzman (ed.), Liberal Islam: A Sourcebook (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998) [E] Joel Benin & Joe Stork (eds.), Political Islam (Berkeley: University of California Press,1997) [E] You are also strongly encouraged to read beyond the prescribed chapters in the textbook in order to deepen your knowledge of particular topics. The class website contains a guide to further reading. For general reference needs regarding Islamic Studies and the Muslim world, you are encouraged to make use of Mason’s subscription to the superb Oxford Islamic Studies Online database, which can be accessed at: http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com [off campus authentication required]. You are encouraged to familiarize yourself with and follow current events related to political Islam. Some countries to watch include: Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The New

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York Times is an excellent source of world news and should be read regularly, as well as the website www.foreignpolicy.com You should also plan to regularly avail yourself of special events and other resources brought to you by the university’s Ali Vural Ak Center for Islamic Studies: http://islamicstudies.gmu.edu ATTENDANCE Attendance at each class session is mandatory (see University policy in your Student Handbook), and you will be penalized for persistent unexcused absences. Students are expected to inform the instructor before any anticipated absence or as soon as possible afterwards in emergency situations. Absence from class does not relieve you of the obligation to complete and graded work or assignment associated with that particular class. Quiz/exam make-ups are not routinely offered, and you must have a seriously good reason for missing them. PROBLEMS & DISABILITIES If you are having problems—academic, medical, or personal—please let me know as soon as possible. I will do my best to help you and be sympathetic, but only if you are forthcoming with me sooner rather than later. In other words, don’t suddenly tell me at the end of the semester that you have been experiencing personal problems for several months. If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at (703) 993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through that office. HONOR CODE As in all other aspects of community life at George Mason University, the Honor Code applies in this class. I take it extremely seriously and will enforce it with a zero tolerance policy. The policy endorsed by the members of the School of Policy, Government & International Affairs relative to the types of academic work indicated below is set out in the appropriate paragraphs below. The Honor Code in its entirety can be found in your Student Handbook.

“Quizzes, tests and examinations. No help may be given or received by students during the taking of quizzes, tests, or examination, whatever the type given or wherever taken, unless the instructor specifically permits deviation from this standard. Course requirements: All work submitted in fulfillment of course requirements is to be solely the product of the individual(s) whose name(s) appear on it. Except with permission of the instructor, no recourse is to be had to projects, papers, lab reports or any other written

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work previously prepared by another student, and except with permission of the instructor no paper or work of another type submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of another course may be used a second time to satisfy a requirement of any course in the School of Policy, Government & International Affairs.”

Furthermore, no assistance is to be obtained from [or given to] commercial organizations which sell, lease [or otherwise provide] research help or written papers. With respect to all written work as appropriate, proper footnotes and attribution are required. This last point is particularly relevant to the preparation of your term papers. Whenever you make use of the ideas of others – either indirectly or in paraphrase – they must be accorded due attribution. When you use the words of another author, they must be set apart from your own text in the appropriate manner. Using or adapting large tracts of text from another source and then adding a footnote is not acceptable and will be regarding as a violation of the Honor Code. Direct quotation from sources should be used very sparingly and only in order to support a point you are already making yourself or to make use of a particularly apt turn of phrase. Do not directly quote third party sources to provide basic factual information.

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SCHEDULE OF CLASS MEETINGS, TOPICS & REQUIRED READINGS Note: I&P denotes Mandaville’s Islam and Politics January 24 Class Introduction & overview January 26 Thinking about Islam, religion & politics Reading due: 1. I&P, pp. 1-27 2. “Religion and Politics” from The Oxford Companion to Politics of the World (2nd Edition), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. Online at: https://goo.gl/EPQaIo

(Note: must be accessed from within GMU’s network) January 31 History & key concepts (I) Readings due: 1. I&P, pp. 28-39 2. John Voll, “Islam as a Special World-System,”

Journal of World History 5:2, 1994, pp. 213-226. February 2 Intention/motivation short essay due History & key concepts (II) Readings due: 1. I&P, pp. 39-63 2. “The history of the West is not the history of the world” (interview with Pankaj Mishra), South Asia @ LSE blog: https://goo.gl/HyYPoL February 7 Modern state formation & the emergence of Islamism Reading due: 1. I&P, pp. 64-89

2. Hassan al-Banna, “Toward the Light” February 9 The Muslim Brotherhood movement & the evolution of political Islam Reading due: I&P, pp. 89-120

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February 14 Defining, Explaining & Understanding Islamism Readings due: 1. Elizabeth R. Nugent, “What do we mean by ‘Islamist’?” at: https://goo.gl/i1ra3A

2. Charles Hirschkind, MERIP Oct-Dec 1997, “What is Political Islam?” 3. Salwa Ismail, “The Study of Islamism Revisited,” excerpt

from Rethinking Islamist Politics, London: I.B. Tauris, 2006. February 16 Islam in the System (I): The evolution of Islamist strategy Readings due: 1. I&P, pp. 121-133 2. Vali Nasr, “The Rise of Muslim Democracy,”

Journal of Democracy, Vol. 16, No. 2, April 2005 February 21 Islam in the System (II): Egypt Readings due: 1. I&P, pp. 133-161 2. Steven Brooke, “The Muslim Brotherhood’s social outreach

after the coup” February 23 Theory/methodology paper due Islam in the System (III): Turkey Reading due: I&P, pp. 162-177 ( +I&P country update at https://goo.gl/xhgL1B ) February 28 Islam in the System (IV): Jordan Readings due: 1. I&P, pp. 177-202 2. David S. Patel, “The more things change, the more they stay the same:

Jordanian Islamist responses in spring and fall” March 2 Islamism After the Arab Spring Readings due: 1. Joseph Liow, “The Arab Spring & Islamist Activism in Southeast Asia:

Much ado about nothing?” 2. Monica Marks, Tunisia’s En-Nahda: Rethinking Islamism in the context

of ISIS and the Egyptian Coup”

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3. Avi Spiegel, “Succeeding by surviving: Examining the durability of

political Islam in Morocco” March 7 Islam as the System (I): What does it mean to be an “Islamic state”? Readings due: 1. I&P, pp. 203-207 2. Noah Feldman, “Introduction” from The Fall and Rise of the

Islamic State, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008 March 9 Islam as the System (II): Saudi Arabia Readings due: 1. I&P, pp. 207-229 ( +I&P country update at https://goo.gl/xhgL1B ) 2. Toby Jones, “Seeking a ‘Social Contract’ for Saudi Arabia” online at: http://www.merip.org/mer/mer228/seeking-social-contract-saudi-arabia 3. Toby Matthiesen, “The domestic sources of Saudi foreign policy:

Islamists and the state in the wake of the Arab Uprisings” March 14 NO CLASS (GMU Spring Break) March 16 NO CLASS (GMU Spring Break) March 21 Islam as the System (III): Pakistan Readings due: 1. I&P, pp. 229-245 2. Matthew J. Nelson, “Islamist politics in South Asia after the

Arab Spring” March 23 Movement/group profile due Islam as the System (IV): Iran Readings due: 1.I&P, 245-269 ( +I&P country update at https://goo.gl/xhgL1B ) 2. Ruhollah Khomeini, Islamic Government (Tehran:

ICPIKW, n.d., orig. 1970, trans. H. Algar), pp. 29-77

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March 28 Islam for Lack of a System (I): Palestine & HAMAS Reading due: I&P, pp. 270-295 ( +I&P country update at https://goo.gl/xhgL1B ) March 30 Islam for Lack of a System (II): Lebanon & Hizbullah Readings due: 1. I&P, pp. 295-304

2. Mona Harb & Reinoud Leenders, “Know thy enemy: Hizbullah, ‘terrorism, and the politics of perception,” Third World Quarterly 26:1,

2005. April 4 Islam for Lack of a System (III): Afghanistan and the Taliban Reading due: I&P, pp. 304-327 April 6 Islamism in Muslim Minority Settings: Europe & North America Readings due: 1. Council on Foreign Relations, “Europe: Integrating Islam” at http://www.cfr.org/religion/europe-integrating-islam/p8252 2. Intisar Rabb, “Civil Rights Shari’a and the Elections as a Part of the American Political Process”: https://goo.gl/VUhe1e

April 11 Militant Islamism & the modern Salafi-Jihadist movement Reading due: I&P, pp. 328-368 April 13 From Al-Qaeda in Iraq to Islamic State: The Rise of ISIS After the Arab Spring Readings due: 1. I&P Companion Website article “ISIS: origins, evolution, And current status”: https://goo.gl/R4TSx0 2. David Ignatius, “How ISIS Spread in the Middle East,” The Atlantic: https://goo.gl/vzYdPF April 18 The new Salafi factor in Islamist politics Readings due: 1. Will McCants, “A new Salafi politics,” Foreign Policy at: http://foreignpolicy.com/2012/10/12/a-new-salafi-politics/

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2. Stéphane Lacroix, “Egypt’s Pragmatic Salafis: The Politics of Hizb al-Nour,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace at” https://goo.gl/1GT9Dn April 20 Towards “post-Islamism”? Readings due: 1. I&P, pp. 369-399 2. Amel Boubekeur, “Post-Islamist Culture: A New Form of Mobilization?”

History of Religions 47:1, 2007 April 25 U.S. policy towards Islamists Readings due: 1. Steven Brooke, “U.S. Policy and the Muslim Brotherhood” at: https://goo.gl/w8MKEJ 2. Peter Mandaville: “The unexceptional Islamists,” Foreign Policy.com: http://foreignpolicy.com/2012/07/24/the-unexceptional-islamists/ April 27 Critical writing exercise due Debate: Is Islam “exceptional” in its relationship to politics? Readings due: 1. Shadi Hamid, “Is Islam ‘Exceptional’”? The Atlantic online: https://goo.gl/6fQMty 2. Hassan Mneimneh, “The Dangerous Stipulation of Islamic Exceptionalism,” Middle East Institute online at: https://goo.gl/hs8f0S May 2 The Future of Political Islam Readings due: 1. I&P, pp. 400-418

2. David Briggs, “Is it Time to Reconsider the Term Islamist?” Huffington Post at: https://goo.gl/nEx9go

May 4 Final Exam Review Session May 11 FINAL EXAM (1:30pm-4:15pm) Note: exam time differs from regular class meeting time!