ISLAM

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ISLAM
Medina mosque
Mecca mosque
Muhammad preaches to early converts
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Key terms

• Islam submission to the will of Allah (God)
  name of religion passed down from Allah to
  Muhammad
• Muslim one who submits one who practices the
  Islamic religion
• Quran recitation Allahs revelations to
  Muhammad for 23 years
• 114 chapters (surahs)
• 6,000 verses (ayahs)
• Poetic, spiritual, moral teachings
• Pre-hijra revelations belief in Allahs
  spirituality
• Post-hijra how to organize politically,
  economically, poor, disabled, crime, etc.

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Muhammad ibn Abdullah

• Born in Mecca in Saudi Arabia (c.570 632)
• Querysh ethnicity nomadic traders who
  controlled Mecca politically economically
• Khadijah wife 4 daughters
• 40 yrs. Mt. Hira to fast meditate, received
  revelations from Allah through Jibral,
• Only 1 God, Allah, Muhammad is last prophet
• Abraham founded the religious tradition, 1st
  prophet
• Jews Christians strayed from their faith, Ms
  role was to restore faith for all people
• Next 23 yrs. continued to receive revelations

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Muhammad ibn Abdullah

• preached in Mecca
• New beliefs challenged Querysh religious beliefs
  political/economic interests
• Querysh persecuted M so moved to Medina
• 622 Hijra emigration to Medina, 1st year of
  Islamic calendar
• ruled as supreme judge political leader of 1st
  Islamic state returned to control Mecca
• 632 Mohammad died at age 72

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Shia, Sunni, Sufi Islam

• Who should become caliph upon Ms death?
• Ali, husband of Fatima Shia Ali
• Abu Bakr, Ms disciple
• M selected Abu Bakr Sunni
• Shia today 10-15 of Muslims
• Sunni today 85-90 of Muslims
• Sufism mystical ascetic spiritual practices,
  no Sharia, spiritual teachers have direct union
  w/Allah (shayks, pirs, walis, marabouts)

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Stereotypes

• Orientalism (Edward Saids Orientalism, 1979)
  Western style of dominating, imagining,
  misrepresenting having authority over the East
• Islam inherently violent, called for holy wars
  to convert people
• Post 9/11/01 backward religion, terrorists,
  violent fanatics who want to suppress freedom
  dissent
• Reality fastest growing of major religions
• 1.3 billion pple, 1/5 world population

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5 Pillars of Islam

1. Shahada profess faith in Allah Muhammad
2. Salat pray 5 times/day, facing Mecca
3. Sawam fast during Ramadan (9th month)
4. Zakat give alms to support poor, orphans,
   disabled in your community
5. Hajj make pilgrimage to Mecca (12th month)

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Aspects of Islam

• Cosmology heaven, earth, hell
• Humans represent God on earth, judged according
  to deeds
• Must follow Gods will, path of righteousness
• Weak easily tempted, must repent
• Islam submit to the will of Allah
• Day of reckoning righteous to heaven, evil to
  hell
• Sharia Islamic law politics codes for
  criminal law, family, marriage different schools
  of Islamic law (Maliki, Hanifa, Al-Shafi,
  Hanbali)

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Gender, family, marriage

• Early research focused on texts, distorted
  realities, male researchers no access to women
• Quran forbids female infanticide all sexual
  immorality
• Sharia law
• Women inherit ½ parents estate
• Women are ½ legal status of men
• Polygyny practiced but not universally
• Arranged marriages education, age, class, sex
• Economic, political, cultural factors influence
  practices no rigid norms

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The Veil
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• Pre-Islamic origins Mesopotamian, Persian,
  Jewish, Christian, Byzantine cultures
• Hijab meanings
• Sacred divide between men women
• Outward symbol of separation
• Modesty
• Morality
• Purdah enforced seclusion of women
• Revival movements women reclaim veil
• Protection from strangers
• Desexualizes work environment
• Anti-western colonialism imperialism attacked
  Islamic cultural identity

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Islamic Civilizations

• Islam spread from Arabic region (Middle East) to
  North Africa, Spain, and Asia
• Early civilizations Baghdad (Iraq), Cairo
  (Egypt), Cordoba (Spain), Palermo (Sicily)
• Baghdad (750 1258)
• Universities
• Translated texts from Greek, Roman, Hindu,
  Persian cultures into Arabic synthetic
  philosophy
• Algebra, geometry, trigonometry, physics,
  astronomy, philosophy, art, architecture,
  medicine
• Arabic (700-1300, Middle Ages) worlds major
  intellectual scientific language influenced
  the West

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Western colonization

• 1095-1291 Crusades, EU launched military
  expeditions to defeat Islamic dynasties return
  Holy Land to Christian rule
• EU wanted control of Eastern trade routes
  (spices, silk, cotton)
• 1400s Portuguese establish ports from Arabia
  to SE Asia, controlled spice trade
• 1800s EU colonizes Middle East seeking raw
  materials new markets

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British French colonies

• Suez canal 1869, connected Mediterranean Sea
  W/Gulf of Suez
• 101 miles long
• immediate and dramatic effect on world trade
• combined w/ American Transcontinental railroad,
  allowed entire world to be circled in record time
• British French owned
• increased EU penetration colonization of Africa

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• Egypt British colony in 1882 sugar, cotton
• Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco French colonies
  railroads, mining, agriculture
• Iran N. Iran was Russian colony, S. Iran was
  British tobacco
• SE Asia Dutch in 1917 sugar, coffee, tobacco,
  indigo
• Malaysia British tin, rubber, Chinese labor

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Post-WWII colonies

• French North Africa, Lebanon, Syria
• British Egypt, Iraq, Palestine, South Asia
• Dutch SE Asia
• Colonial economies based on cash crops tea,
  coffee, sugar, tobacco, cotton, opium
• Independence/nationalist movements, new
  nation-states in 1960s
• Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Iran,
  Indonesia, Malaysia, Kuwait, Iraq, Tunisia,
  Syria, Jordan

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Post-colonial Islamic Reform movements

• Egypt
• Women are equal to men in constitution
• Anti-sexual discrimination laws
• Women involved in medicine, law, engineering,
  management, government, etc.
• Liberal divorce laws
• Turkey Tunisia prohibit polygyny
• Saudi Arabia
• Gender segregation schools, jobs, transport,
  public entrances, etc.

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Why Islamic resurgent movements in 1970s?

1. 1967 Arab-Israeli war Arab territories lost to
   Israel, turned to Islamic faith for strength
2. Oil boom Allahs will revenues in Libya, Iran,
   Saudi supported fundamentalist movements
3. Disillusionment w/capitalism socialism looked
   to Islamic solution
4. Iran success Islamic revolution overthrew
   secular, Western-influenced shah

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Irans Islamic Revolution

• 1500s Shia Islam became state religion today,
  90 of Iranians are Shia
• Shia leaders
• Mullahs village preachers
• Mujtahids religious judges
• Ayatollahs religious scholars, moral
  political leaders
• Shahs political rulers

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• Iran modernizes
• economy, military, education
• Educated elite Western democratic values
  representative govt.
• Opposed Shahs absolute power
• Shia critique shah gave West permission to
  undermine Islam
• 1925-1979 Pahlavi dynasty
• Shia leaders viewed as obstacles to modernization
• Secular laws replaced Sharia law
• No more veil
• 1963 White Revolution
• Shah was Great Satan, puppet of US govt.
• Commercial agriculture, land reform, capitalism,
  landless peasants, women vote, SAVAK secret
  police
• Ayatollah Khomeini arrested

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Opposition increases

• Rural migrants sided with Islamic clergy
• Westernized middle class democratic hopes
• University students Shia Islam like liberation
  theology, free them from foreign control
• Demonstrations, protests, fervor
• 1979 Ayatollah Khomeini led revolution
• Islamic Republic of Iran theocracy ruled
  by Shia clergy
• Political, cultural, social transformation

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Islamic Republic of Iran

• Mosques government offices, places of worship,
  local police all Iranians forced to register
• Purge Iran of Western influences
• Women forced to wear head scarves
• Family Protection Act abolished
• Minimum marriage age was 13, polygyny, divorce at
  will
• 10 year war against Iraq
• Struggle moderate democrats v. conservative
  fundamentalists

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Afghanistan

• 1800s
• British supported leaders
• Modernization (built roads, etc.)
• Unify/pacify ethnic groups
• 1920s-30s
• Economic development democracy failed
• Soviet Union supported Marxist movements
• 1970s
• Soviet Union sponsored 2 successful coups

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Resistance forms

• Afghanistan ethnic groups Pashtuns (47),
  Tajiks, Uzbeks, Turkmen, Kirghiz, Hazara,
  Baluchis, Sunni (88), Shia (12)
• Mujahidin holy warriors launched jihad (holy
  war) against Soviet-sponsored govt.
• 1979 Soviet Union invaded AF to repress resist.
• West gave financial military aid to Mujahidin
• Afghans fled to Pakistan
• Soviets withdrew
• 1980s-90s
• Islamic ethnic groups fought for power
• West w/drew support from Mujahidin, fearing
  revolution like Iran

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Taliban emerges

• Taliban religious students
• 1994 Islamic faction
• Afghan religious students recruited from schools
  in Pakistan
• Militia gained control over most of Afghanistan
• Strict Islamic guidelines norms
• No music, dancing, singing, kite flying, cards,
  chess, etc
• Men cant trim beards, women wear burqas
• Al Qaeda supports Taliban
• Headed by Osama Bin Laden Saudi
  multi-millionaire terrorist

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Take-home messages

1. We must interpret multiple forms of Islam with
   respect to local cultural, historical,
   political contexts
2. No essential Islamic tradition
3. Islamic fundamentalisms have emerged within the
   context of Western colonialism, Western
   imperialism internal factional, sectarian, and
   class differences