Islamist Political Theory: from al-Banna to bin Laden

1 Course Unit

This course focuses on one of the most important but least understood strands of Muslim political theory: Islamist political thought. We begin by defining such politically-laden terms as Islam, Islamism, the West, terrorism, jihadism, etc. We then systematically analyze the arguments of a range of Islamist thinkers and organizations, including al-Banna, Qutb, Mawdudi, al-Ghazali, Khomeini, al-Qaradawi, bin Laden, Hamas and ISIS. Among the questions central to the course are: what is the relationship, if any, between Islamism and democracy? How do Islamists seek to remake the modern state? What explicit claims about women, and implicit assumptions about gender, characterize the work of many Islamist thinkers, and why does this matter? What does jihad mean, and does it necessarily legitimate violence? Relatedly, is violence ever justifiable, and under what conditions? What are the arguments for globalizing jihad? And importantly: why ask these questions rather than others; what assumptions are built into them; and what kinds of political dangers do they court? 1 Course Unit