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Islamic Political Movements Islamic Political Movements Spring 2009 Kristin Smith Diwan SIS 496/696 [email protected] Ward 301; Wed 5:30-8PM Clark 123; OH M 4-6; T 12:30-2:30 September 11 th presented Americans with a violent Islam, bent on extracting vengeance. Yet Al Qaeda is just one extreme answer to questions that have been preoccupying the Muslim world since the collapse of the Ottoman caliphate, the imposition of colonial rule, and the rise of nation states. What is the proper role of Islam in political identity and political life? And how should it define relations within and between Muslim-majority states and with the rest of the world? This course will present the answers that have emerged to these questions through the study of contemporary Islamic political movements. The goals of the course will be to recognize the great variation in the political movements attempting to integrate Islam into modern political life, and to gain a nuanced understanding of the political contexts which shaped their emergence and are likely to shape the future of the Middle East and beyond. After an introduction to Islamic politics and their analysis, the course is organized into four sections: 1) the Muslim Brotherhood, 2) Islamists and elections, 3) Salafi politics and jihadism, and 4) Shia politics. We will begin by gaining a basic understanding of Islam and its political expression in the pre-modern period, and by debating different approaches to the study of Islamic politics. We will then proceed to an expanded case study of the Muslim Brotherhood: the “mother organization” of all Islamic political movements. Its history of mass organization, suppression, and fragmentation into both radical jihadist movements and reform- minded political participation in Egypt encapsulates many of the ideologies, repertoires and strategies of Islamic political movements. We will then discuss the experience of Islamic movements and parties in elections, with an eye towards assessing the potential for the integration of these movements into democratic systems. We then follow the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood on the Saudi state’s religious ideology – Wahhabism – and on the emerging Salafist tendencies in the Gulf. Our analysis of the growing influence of Salafi institutions and ideology will take into account the growth of global Islamic networks, born through petro-dollars, Western immigration, and jihad in Afghanistan. This will include a debate about the driving forces behind al-Qaeda and other transnational jihadi movements, along with an examination of the internal debates amongst jihadis over strategy. Finally we will turn to Shia politics, stressing the regional importance of the Iranian revolution, the enduring influence of transnational Shia networks, and the experience of Hizbollah. Although drawing upon the history of Islamic political movements, the focus will be squarely on understanding the political forces and organizations shaping politics in Muslim countries – and the world – today. Course Organization and Requirements : The success of this course depends on everyone preparing and coming to class ready to discuss and debate. This is a seminar and class participation will be considered in evaluating your performance in this course. Part of each class time will be dedicated to a critical analysis and discussion of the readings. When completing the reading for the week, seminar participants are encouraged to think critically. What does a critical reading involve? Critical Reading Reading critically requires that you first make an assessment of each of the readings: What is their main argument? What are they omitting? Why? To whom are they speaking? To what end? It then asks that you “dialogue” with the readings: Are they in agreement? Where do they differ: in underlying assumptions, on the level of analysis, on objective facts, on proscriptions? How might one article allow you to see another in a different light, bringing out something you missed before, highlighting hidden strengths and weaknesses? Be sure to interject your own voice into your analysis: How did reading this personally change your assumptions or confirm something that you have felt strongly about all along? Which viewpoint do you find most appropriate or convincing? What biases or inconsistencies do you detect? Why is the whole literature off the mark, or contrastingly why should we (or policymakers) pay closer attention to what they are saying? What applications to contemporary problems could you see emerging from this literature? In your assessment, strive for sound analysis and originality. Ideally this process of dialogue – between readings and with your own knowledge and viewpoints – should bring something new to the table; since we possess varied experiences and opinions we all see things differently and this shows in our readings and analysis. Expert Groups To encourage and facilitate a lively class discussion, seminar participants will be assigned to one of four expert groups: 1)the Muslim Brotherhood; 2) electoral politics; 3) Salafi movements; and 4) Shia politics. These expert groups will serve as incubators for generating discussion – both in class and online – and for bringing additional insights about these Islamist trends through outside research beyond the scope of class readings. Specific tasks will include: 1) News updates to be presented in class. 2 2) Debates, actions, and critical issues to be posted on Blackboard online. 3) Policy briefings to be written, posted online, and presented in class. Members are responsible to meet as a group in order to strategize about topics; to set plans of action; and to delegate workloads. While each member will be responsible for specific tasks and presentations, group work will be enhanced by coordination and information-sharing. In addition, each member of the group will need to undertake either 1) a news update and critical issue briefing or 2) a policy paper to be written up and presented orally to the class. The news update/critical issue briefing will summarize the media and viewpoints surrounding some event or debate of relevance to Islamist politics. These issue briefings will by nature be more topical and timely, depending on critical issues under debate in the Islamic world. They will likely involve a thorough investigation of relevant media outlets and a serious attempt to capture the debate at hand in all of its aspects. The student will be expected to provide background for the debate and to analyze the media content. This issue report should be roughly three pages long. The policy papers are a study of some aspect of Islamist politics of particular interest to the student and relevant to the expert group topic (i.e. Muslim Brotherhood, Salafi Politics, Electoral Politics, Shia Politics). They need not – and in most cases should not – be material covered directly in class, but rather represent an opportunity for the student to supplement and enhance our classroom study in these areas. Policy papers should be concisely written (3-5 pages) and should consist of four sections: 1) stating the issue and its relevance, 2) providing pertinent background, 3) critical analysis, and 4) policy proposition. Teams are welcome – and are encouraged – to meet with me to define topics of research. Both policy papers and news update/critical issue briefings should be posted online by Tuesday 5PM so that class members may look at them before class and be prepared to discuss them. In addition to these weekly requirements, seminar participants will have two exams: a midterm and a final. The midterm will be a take home essays (5 pages, double-spaced), provided in class and to be returned in class the following week. It will require your analysis based on the course readings and classroom activities from the first half of the class and will not require additional research. The final will be a comprehensive exam to be taken during the exam period. The final will test substantive knowledge along with your analysis and will consist of short answer ID and brief essay questions. 3 Grading Your grade will be determined as follows: Attendance and Participation 10% Expert Group Grade 10% Expert Group Paper and Presentation 20% Midterm (take home essay) 30% Final (in class) 30% News sources In addition to the usual news sources, students might take advantage of the reports and briefings of the International Crisis Group at http://www.crisisgroup.org . The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace currently has a program on political reform in the Arab world. You can access their site – and register for their newsletter – at http://www.carnegieendowment.org/programs/global/index.cfm?fa=proj&id=101 A general portal for Arab newspapers can be found at http://www.al-bab.com/media/newspapers.htm Required Books: Madawi Al-Rasheed, Contesting the Saudi State: Islamic Voices from a New Generation (Cambridge: 2007). Laurence Louer, Transnational Shia Politics: Religious and Political Networks in the Gulf (New York: Columbia University Press, 2008) Vali Nasr, The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam will Shape the Future (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006). Bernard Rougier, Everyday Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam among Palestinians in Lebanon (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2007): Carrie Rosefsky Wickham, Mobilizing Islam (New York: Columbia University Press, 2002). Also recommended: Fawaz Gerges, The Far Enemy: Why Jihad Went Global (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005). Gilles Kepel, Muslim Extremism in Egypt: The Prophet and Pharaoh (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003). 4 Brynjar Lia, The Society of Muslim Brothers in Egypt: The Rise of an Islamic Mass Movement 1928-1942 (Reading, UK: Ithaca Press, 1998). Shaul Mishal and Avraham Sela, The Palestinian Hamas: Vision, Violence, and Coexistence (New York: Columbia University Press, 2006). Jenny White, Islamist Mobilization in Turkey: A Study in Vernacular Politics (Seattle: Univ. of Washington Press, 2002) Quintan Wiktorowicz, ed., Islamic Activism: A Social Movement Theory Approach (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004).
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