Course: IS6415: Islam in the Modern World

Semester: Fall 2008

Time: Monday 1:10-4:00 p.m.

Room: NW232

Professor: Dr. Charles Amjad-Ali

Office: 210F Northwestern Hall

Office Hours: Wednesday 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

And by appointment at extension 523 or camjad@luthersem.edu

Course Description:

We are living in an era of extraordinary social, political and cultural changes. These changes are marked by the creation of great divisions and deep conflicts among peoples and societies. And they are being articulated more and more in terms of the politics of identity. Injustices, violence and disregard for human rights abound all around us. As the world shrinks beyond any expectation there have emerged, or at least now have become more apparent, cleavages and conflicts, which quickly acquire proportions that threaten to expand and engulf those beyond their immediate impact.

Yet in spite of this desperate picture of life today, people all over are also searching for ways of achieving some unity of purpose, reconciliation of historically experienced oppressions and maltreatments, and for the overall human development which is sustainable both in terms of economic and political justice and also exercised within environmental limitations.

This course looks into what religion has to offer in terms of the resolution of these issues both in practical terms of policy making, etc., and on the theoretical and epistemological levels, to pose the question in new ways for a quest of some new answers.

We will look particularly at some of the ways Islam is trying to deal with these issues. The interaction between Islam and the contemporary world may give us some new insights into the current political issues and problems, and may even show some new directions and possibly new trajectories for proceeding further. We will be exploring Islamic theological responses to the contemporary socio-political questions. We will explore Islamic historical and doctrinal issues as they come in contact with the western socio-political theoretical issues. This necessary limitation is deceptive, however, because Islam is an all-embracing religion, it does not leave society and politics out of its concern. Throughout we shall be inquiring how Christian theology and tradition does and should deal with similar issues, and how it acts as a basis on which we define and deal with the political issues. We will also explore the crises Christianity faces in the West, particularly in the U.S. and what are its global/international (catholic) dimensions which should be our theological concern.

Requirements:

Students must attend all classes, complete all reading assignments on time, and contribute substantially to class discussions.
Each student will be in charge of leading at least one discussion on the assigned readings and prepare 3-5 pages, double spaced papers for every member of the class, by Friday midday before the Monday presentation. In this paper and in the class presentation the student will:

highlight the issue(s) which the author is focusing on and covering;
explain the logic and rationale the author follows to explain the problem and look for its resolutions;
having accomplished the first two steps, only then should the student approach the third step which is to first critique the logic and method applied to deal with the issue(s) and then discuss whether the parameters and various components of the issue(s) have been laid out as you think they should be and then your own opinion on this issue(s). If you make such a critique you should give solid reasons for the critique, just personal feeling is unacceptable as basis for public discourse.

Besides this leading discussion paper, each student will also write up (1-2 double spaced pages paper) to make a response in the class to the discussion paper of your choice.
There will be a final paper of 15 double space pages to be submitted on the day of the final exam as indicated in the catalogue, i.e. December 18. You must discuss the topic of the paper with the professor ahead of time (by end of November). Please note, as I will be leaving for South Africa just after Christmas for at least two months (my health permitting) there is, therefore, no possibility of extension on final paper.

Bibliography:

1. Charles Amjad-Ali, Islamophobia or Restorative Justice: Tearing the Veils of Ignorance (Johannesburg, South Africa: Ditshwanelo CAR²AS, 2006). {This book is available in the Faculty Support Office in Gullixson Hall. If you have any further questions on this issue please contact the Faculty Secretary, Ms Victoria Smith, (GH105), ext # (641-3)209.

2. John L Esposito and Françios Burgat, eds., Modernizing Islam: Religion in the Public Sphere in Europe and Middle East (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2003).

3. Peter Gottschalk and Gabriel Greenberg, Islamophobia: Making Muslims the Enemy (Lenham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2008)

4. Irfan A. Omar, ed., A Muslim View of Christianity: Essays on Dialogue by Mahmoud Ayoub (Mayrknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2007)

5. An Interpretation of the Qur’an: English Translation of the Meanings, A Bilingual Edition, translated by Majid Fakhry (New York: New York University Press, 2004).

Weekly reading assignment leaders and responders:

Week 1: September 8: General Introduction to the themes and issues

Islam’s reaction to Modernity and contemporary political development:

Week 2: September 15: General Introduction to the themes and issues continued

Text: Gottschalk & Greenberg: Islamophobia, pp. ix-x, pp. 1-88

Week 3: September 22:

Texts: Gottschalk & Greenberg: Islamophobia, pp. 89-151

Ayoub & Omar, A Muslim View, pp. xi-xiii; 1-31 (Preface, Introduction, Chapters 1 & 2)