Islam-Democrcy-Globl Terrorism

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Arab pro-democracy uprisings (the Arab Spring) that toppled autocratic regimes, the collapse of state authority challenges of governance, counter-revolutions, and the role of militant extremist groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS raise questions about the future of political Islam and democracy. We will focus on the phenomenon of political Islam in the Middle East with some reference to Pakistan and Indonesia, examining the causes, implications, and consequences for the future of Islam in politics. The course is divided into four parts: analysis of the Islamic order and the model(s) that inspire modern Islamist activists, the ideas of the main ideologues of contemporary Islamic movements; approaches to the understanding of contemporary political Islam and the Islamic movements; and case studies of movements in different contexts. It also probes the relationship between Islamism and the “Arab Spring” as well as global terrorism. Finally, the course will conclude with a critical analysis of the future of political Islam, democracy, global terrorism, and US-Muslim world relations.