The War for Muslim Minds:A History of 21st century Islamic Extremism

BCDS Senior Spring Elective 2009

The goals of this course

What do you know about Islam and Islamic

extremism?

Why you should study these issues? To be able to engage intellectually and critically in the discourse

on “Islam” To be able to answer/problematize questions like:

Why do “they” hate “us”? Is Islam inherently violent?

Syllabus

Grading Process (15%) Progress (15%) Performance (70%)

Process (15%) Class work Homework Study guide Meeting mile markers/pacing Collaboration/group work Taking responsibility

Progress (15%)

Improvement in writing Improvement in process and product Improvement in participation and leadership Meeting terms of expected growth

Performance/Product (70%)

Blog entries-20% Blog conversations-20%

http://islamicextremism.wordpress.com/ Weekly entries

Final Project/Essay-20% Projects/Presentations/Debates-20% Class Participation-20%

Texts

Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam (2003), Gilles Kepel (GK)

Reader

The classPresentation on readings

 

You will be asked to read chapters from the book, and present them orally to the

class: Read pages and take notes Explain your reading to the class Do not paraphrase Use notes, and do not read Find questions to ask to the class about the reading Use paragraphs in book to explain your arguments Support your ideas with evidence from other readings Be prepared to answer questions from the class

Your presentation should be 7-10 minutes long.

Syllabus: Timeline of the rise of 21st century Islamic extremism

Ottoman Empire (1299-1923) disintegrates after World War 1Reader, AH pg. 207-225, 256-258

Colonization by Britain, France and RussiaReader, AH, pg. 263-264, 299-301

Decolonization after World War2

The rise of Arab nationalism 1950-60s

The failure of Arab Nationalism (late 1960s)

Islamism and its evolution into Islamic extremism •The failure of Arab nationalism and the

rise of the Muslim Brotherhood- (GK 23-32, 62-69)

•The rise of Saudi Arabia (GK 50-53, 69-75)•Iranian revolution 1979 and its legacy (GK 106-118, 118-136)•Jihad in Afghanistan (GK 136-150)•The Palestinian Israeli crisis (GK 150-158)•Gulf War and the Taliban’s Jihad (GK 205-217, 217-236)

•Pan-Arab nationalism and Nassirian politics (AH 340-349,397-400)•The ascendancy and failure of Nasirism (AH 407-415)

The rise of Islamic extremism

•The failure of Islamic revivalism•The birth of Islamic extremist groups and the ideology behind it (explain salafiyya, jihadi and takfir) •Hamas (GK 323-334)•Hezbollah (GK 123-130)•Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda (GK 313-322)•Conclusion (GK 361-376)-summit

The beginning of Islam andIslam todayJE, Introduction, pg 1-28

?

Where do we go from here?

Choose an issue that is related to this topic that you’re interested in

I will incorporate 2 issues with the most votes into the last part of our syllabus

Definitions (3-4 minutes) for tomorrow, March 3, 2009 Islam Muhammad Qur’an Sunni-Chris L Shi’a-Sam O’ Reilly Shari’a Jihad-Rachel D & Roland A Salafism Takfirism-Sam Freeman Islamism-Jon Z. Wahhabism Orientalism-Andrew G and Stephanie G Extremism- Terrorism- Cala F. Fundamentalism

Is extremism Islamic?

NO!!! Extremism exists in other religions too.

Rev. Paul J. Hill (1954-2003)

"If I am in fact killed, I think you could justifiably call me a martyr," Mr. Hill said. "Of course, the world sneers at martyrs, but there's no question that God has used people who are willing to die for their cause to save human life, and I'm certainly willing to do that."

Is extremism Islamic?"Contrary to popular belief, the highest value for a Jew is not the preservation of human or even of Jewish life. The highest value is doing what God wants you to do. So in an attempt to put Jewish values in a hierarchy, human life in general, Jewish life in particular, is high on the list. But it's not the top."

"There are a number of circumstances under which the individual is enjoined to take a Jewish life if necessary without consulting a court. If you see a person preparing to commit a capital crime -- rape or murder -- it is your duty to stop him. You must stop him any way you can. It's similar in some respects to the right Jewish law accords the individual to restore his own property from a thief if it is stolen. You don't have to bring him to court. If you can catch up with him, you can take your property back by force. You don't have to bother the court with stuff like that. Rabin was stealing Jewish property, proposing to give it away.

(Yoel Lerner)

Yigal Amir

Yitzhak Rabin(1922-1995)

Is this Islamic Extremism?

New York City, September 11 2001 Bali, Indonesia, October 12 2002

Madrid, March 11 2004 Attacks in Victoria Terminus, Mumbai, November 26-29, 2008

The Middle East/Arab Region

20% of Muslims live in the Middle East

30% of Muslims live in South Asia

15.6% of Muslims live in Indonesia

BCDS Survey Question:What do you identify Islam with?

The Middle East/Arab Region

Arabs are…All Arabs are

Muslims

BCDS Survey Questions

All Arabs speak

Arabic

Muslim populations in the world

Rank Country Muslim Population1 Indonesia 182,570,0002 Pakistan 134,480,0003 India 121,000,0004 Bangladesh 114,080,0005 Turkey 65,510,0006 Iran 62,430,0007 Egypt 58,630,0008 Nigeria 53,000,0009 Algeria 30,530,00010 Morocco 28,780,000

Source: CIA World Factbook

BCDS Survey:What is the most populous Muslimnation in the world?

Who practices Islam?

85 % Muslims are Sunni while the rest are Shia

Who practices Islam?

Indonesia

Malaysia

Who are Muslims?

Islam

What does it mean?

A strong commitment to God, attaining peace through commitment to God’s will

Who is a M/muslim?

One who practices the central tenets of Islam

One who has a strong commitment to God

Islam Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) (570 CE-632 CE)

The last messenger of God

Islam is part of the monotheistic Abrahamic faith. Why?

They worship the God of Abraham as do Christians and Jews

What about the biblical prophets and stories?

Muslims recognize the biblical prophets and God’s revelation to Moses, Jesus, and Mary. They share the same stories from the Torah and the New Testament.

Islam

What is the Qur’an? Central religious text of Islam Cannot be seen as the “bible” of

the Muslims, but instead, it is the “Jesus” of the Muslims

God’s revelation to Mohammed through the angel, Jibril (Gabriel) from 610 CE- 632 CE

Arabic as the language of revelation

The five pillars of Islam Shahadah (Profession of faith)

Salat (Prayer)

Zakat (Almsgiving)

Sawm (during Ramadan)

Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca)

“There is no God but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God”

Nothing except God deserves to be worshipped

What is tawhid?

Muslims pray 5 times a day

Muslims are required to contribute2.5% of all liquid assets , not just annual income, to the poor, sick, or suffering

A time for physical and mental reflection Muslims refrain from food, drink and sexual activity fromdawn to dusk

Why Mecca?It is the birthplace of Muhammad and it was the place where Islam was first revealed

Islamic Caliphate

Ottoman Empire (1299-1923)

Hussein-McMahon correspondence, 1915-1916Between the Sharif of Mecca, Hussein bin Ali and Sir Henry McMahon, the British High Commissioner in Egypt. The British encouraged Sharif Hussein to revolt to distract the Ottoman Empire during WWI

In return, the British promised Sharif Hussein that he would have all areas liberated from the Ottoman Empire in the Arab region except:

"The two districts of Mersina and Alexandretta and portions of Syria lying to the west of the districts of Damascus, Homs, Hama and Aleppo cannot be said to be purely Arab, and should be excluded from the limits demanded."

Sykes-Picot Agreement, May 1916Between Great Britain, France and Russia

Balfour Declaration, 1917Between the British Cabinet and Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland

British government states supports the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.

However, "nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.“

Treaty of Versailles, 1919

Stated that the Arab countries formally under Ottoman rule could be provisionally recognized as independent, subject to the rendering of assistance and advice by a state charged with the “mandate” for them

Britain-Iraq and Palestine

France- Syria and Lebanon

Creation of an independent Turkey

The Muslim Brotherhood

Founded in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna (1906-1949)

It is the world’s largest and most influential Islamic political group

Called for the return to “original” Islam and that the Arab world today has been corrupted by Western influences

Was often in conflict with Nasser Attempted assassination of Nasser in

1954 led to full scale repression of MB

Sayyed Qutb (1906-1966) For Muslims, there are no gap between

faith and life The Qur’an and the Hadith provide the

principles on how one should live Redefined the Quranic term jahilliya

(pre-Islamic period of ignorance), jihad and ummah

Revolution from the bottom His works are widely read across the

Muslim world Important to recognize that he is not a

cleric

Middle East in the 1920s

Ottoman Empire disintegrates after WW1 Britain, France and Russia carve up the

Empire (1916 Sykes-Picot Arrangement)-oil interest

Britain controls the area of Palestine, France controls Lebanon and Syria

Ramifications of the carving up of the Middle East Lack of concern regarding the different

religions, tribal groups in each political boundary e.g. Lebanon, Iraq

Palestinian-Israeli crisis

Decolonization and the rise of Arab nationalism Creation of new nation states in the Middle

East Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918-1970) of Egypt

Nasserism-Arab nationalism-pan Arab identity-modernization and industrialization of the Arab

world-espouses a secular ideology-Islam was marginalized during this period (God is

dead period)

The Failure of Arab Nationalism Lack of growth in the Middle East despite the

heavy investment Concentration of power and wealth among

the few Seen as corrupt and weak by the Arabs The Six Day War 1967

The rise of Islamism

A reaction to Arab nationalism Muslim Brotherhood-Sayyed Qutb Sayyid abu a’la Maududi

Islamic revivalism Petro-Islam Iranian Revolution 1979 Soviet-Afghanistan War (1978-1988) Palestinian-Israeli Crisis

Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi (1903-1979) Islamization from above

through politics Founded the Jamaat-e-Islami

as the vanguard of the Islamic Revolution

Petro-Islam: Saudi Arabia and Islam Practices the Wahhabi

interpretation of Islam Home of the two holiest sites of

Islam-Mecca and Medinah Uses its large financial

resources to fund global Islamic missionary activities (Why?)

The Iranian Revolution 1979

The revolution, led by Ayatollah Khomeini, deposed the Shah of Iran and created an Islamic republic

Symbolized a victory against capitalist and imperialist forces

Became an inspiration for the Islamist movements around the world

Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988)

Soviet-Afghanistan War (1978-1988) The Soviet’s Vietnam War The largest US funded

covert operation in history ($600million per year)-aided by Pakistan (Zia ul-Haq) and Saudi Arabia

Drew mujahideens from all around the world

Map of the Middle East

Palestinian-Israeli Crisis

Yasser Arafat (1929-2004) founded the PLO in 1974

Fused Arab nationalism and Islamism with the Palestinian cause

The return of the Palestinian state coupled with the destruction of Israel has become one of Islamic extremism’s biggest goal

Islamic Extremism Today

Hezbollah Al-Qaeda Hamas

What triggers Islamic extremism today? US occupation of Iraq Palestinian-Israeli crisis Globalization and modernity