Syllabus

Course Description

‘Islam and Violence’, ‘Islam and War’, ‘Islam and Peace’ are familiar topics that have become increasingly popular in the media over the past decade. These topics have been spawned by events such as the abominable attacks on the United States of America in September 2001, the Bush administration’s subsequent ‘war on terror’ in Afghanistan and Iraq, and more recently in January 2011, the so called Arab Spring, which unleashed pro-democracy movements across North Africa and the Middle East. These events aroused the curiosity of many about Islam and Muslims, and troubled the minds of some.

In order to develop more insight into and critical analysis of these and other current events, it is important to have a greater understanding of the worldview of Islam. This course on “Islamic Ethics of War and Peace” will provide students with such an opportunity. It examines the major principles of Islamic ethics and key theories of classical and contemporary Muslim ethicists.  These ethical principles and theories will be applied to analyze contemporary Muslim perspectives on war and peace.

Cognizant of the varied contexts within which ethical questions are debated, students will be encouraged to explore the impact of modernity, post-modernity, globalization and liberalism on Muslim ethical discourses. Students will also be encouraged to compare the ethical principles and theories of Islam on war and peace with that of other philosophical and religious theories to discover points of difference as well as convergence. Students are not expected to emerge from this course as experts on Islamic Ethics or any of its subfields, but rather, they will be exposed to major authors and arguments and be provided with a number of conceptual lenses that can be applied to their analysis of the diverse ways in which Islam is implicated in conflict, violence and peacebuilding on both a global and local level.

Key Questions

1. How does one appraise Islam after September 11?
2. How do we account for violence perpetrated by Muslims without succumbing to "orientalism"?
3. What are the complex causes of the erosion of peace in contemporary Muslim societies?
4. What concrete strategies and practices are Muslim peace activists adopting in pursuit of a more just and humane world?
5. Why is there not one, but many ethical theories based on Islam?
6. What can non-Muslims learn from Islamic Ethics?

Course Objectives

• To define the basic elements of Islam
• To locate the sources and nature of Islamic ethics
• To differentiate between the ethical perspectives of Muslim scholars
• To apply Islamic principles and theories to concrete cases of conflict
• To compare and contrast Islamic Ethics to other philosophical and religious ethical theories
• To discuss current world events in terms of Islamic ethics

Topics Covered

1. Islamic Worldview & Biography of Muhammad
2. Sources and Nature of Islamic Ethics
3. The Relationship between Law and Ethics in Islam
4. An Islamic Just War Theory
5. Islamic Ethics on Suicide Bombing and WMD’s
6. Muslim Extremism and US Foreign Policy
7. Islamic Theologies of Nonviolence and Peacebuilding
8. Interreligious Dialogue and Muslim Peacebuilding
9. Women and Muslim Peacebuilding
10. The Future of Islamic Ethics

Prerequisites

Though not essential it is recommended that students who enroll for this course should have previously taken introductory courses in Islam 101 and Ethics 101.

Readings

Required Textbooks

• Brockopp, Jonathan E. Islamic Ethics of Life: Abortion, War, and Euthanasia. (University of South Carolina Press, 2004) (preview)
• Kelsay, John. Arguing the Just War in Islam (Harvard University Press, 2007) (preview)
• Abu-Nimer, Mohammed. Nonviolence and Peacebuilding in Islam (University of Florida Press, 2003) (overview)
• Mamdani, Mahmood. Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War and the Roots of Terror (New York: Double Day, 2005) (preview)
• Esposito, John L., and Dalia Mogahed. Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think. (Gallup Press, 2008) (preview)

Other Reading (to be made available in class)

1. Afsaruddin, Asma. “Islam: Religion and Ethics.” In Understanding the Other, Teachers As Scholars Program at Notre Dame. University of Notre Dame, Spring 2003).
2. Moosa, Ebrahim. “Muslim Ethics.” In Blackwell Companion to Religious Ethics, ed. William Schweiker. Malden, MA: Blackwell 2005.
3. Terri-Harris, Rabia. “Nonviolence in Islam: The Alternative Community Tradition.” In Subverting Hatred: The Challenge of Nonviolence in Religious Traditions, ed. Daniel L. Smith-Christopher. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1998.
4. Omar, A. Rashied. “Islam, Conflict and Violence.” In Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World, ed. Richard C. Martin. Macmillan Reference USA, 2003.
5. Omar, A. Rashied. “Between Compassion and Justice: Locating an Islamic Definition of Peace.” In Peace Colloquy, Issue No. 7, Spring 2005. Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame.
6. Omar, A. Rashied. "Opportunities & Challenges for Islamic Peacebuilding After September 11". In Interreligious Insight, Volume 1 Number 4, October 2003.
7. United States Institute of Peace, Special Report: Islamic Perspectives on Peace and Violence. Washington, D.C.: USIP, 2002.
8. United States Institute of Peace, Special Report 218: Islamic Peacemaking After 9/11. David Smock and QAmar-ul-Huda. Washington, D.C.: USIP, 2009. (pdf)
9. Hashmi, Sohail H. “Interpreting the Islamic Ethics of War and Peace.” In Islamic Political Ethics, ed. Sohail Hashmi. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002.
10. Hashmi, Sohail H. “Islamic Ethics and Weapons of Mass Destruction.” In Ethics and Weapons of Mass Destruction: Religious and Secular Perspectives, eds. Sohail Hashmi and Steven P. Lee. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. (preview)
11. Lincoln, Bruce. “Symmetric Dualisms: Bush and bin Laden on October 7.” In Holy Terrors: Thinking about Religion after September 11. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003. (preview)
12. Asad, Talal. On Suicide Bombing (Columbia University Press) (preview)
13. Ramadan, Tariq. Western Muslims and the Future of Islam (Oxford University Press, 2004, pp 23-30) (preview)
14. Johansen, Robert C. (1997). "Radical Islam and Nonviolence: A Case Study of Religious Empowerment and Constraint Among Pashtuns". Journal of Peace Research 34 (1): pp. 53–71 (abstract)

Recommended Reading

1. Ernst, Carl W. Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World. (University of North Carolina Press, 2003)
2. Hashmi, Suhail H. Islamic Political Ethics: Civil Society, Pluralism and Conflict. (Princeton University Press, 2003)
3. Abu-Nimer, Mohammed. Nonviolence and Peacebuilding in Islam (University of Florida Press, 2003)
4. Safi, Omar, ed. Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender and Pluralism. (Oneworld  Publications, 2003).
5. Twiss, Sumner B., and Bruce Grelle. Explorations in Global Ethics: Comparative Religious Ethics and Interreligious Dialogue. (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2000). (preview)
6. Jurgensmeyer, Mark and John Carman. A Bibliographical Guide to the Contemporary  Study of Ethics. (Cambridge University Press, 1991) (preview)
7. Hashmi, Suhail H., and Steven P. Lee. Ethics and Weapons of Mass Destruction: Religious  and Secular Perspectives. (University of Cambridge Press, 2004) (preview)
8. Swidler, Leonard and Paul Mojzes. The Study of Religion in an Age of Global Dialogue (Temple University Press, 2000) (preview)
9. Kung, Hans. Yes to a Global Ethic. (New York: Continuum Publishing, 1996)
10. Ramadan, Tariq. Western Muslims and the Future of Islam. (New York, Oxford  University Press, 2004). (preview)
11. Lawrence, Bruce. Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama bin Laden (Verso Press, 2005) (preview)
12. United States Institute of Peace, Special Report: Islamic Perspectives on Peace and Violence. (Washington, D.C.: USIP, 2002)
13. Lincoln, Bruce. “Symmetric Dualisms: Bush and bin Laden on October 7.” In Holy Terrors: Thinking about Religion after September 11. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003. (preview)
14. Kelsay, John. “‘Do Not Violate the Limit’ Three Issues in Islamic Thinking on Weapons of Mass Destruction.” In Ethics and Weapons of Mass Destruction: Religious and Secular Perspectives, eds. Sohail Hashmi and Steven P. Lee. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. (preview)
15. Bukhari, Muhammad ibn Ismail, and Yusuf Talal De Lorenzo. Imam Bukhari’s Book of  Muslim Morals and Manners. (Al-Saadawi Publications).
16. Ibrahim, Mohsin. Organ Transplantation, Euthanasia, Cloning and Animal  Experimentation, An Islamic View. (London: The Islamic Foundation, 2001)
17. Foltz, Richard, Frederick Mathewson Denny, and Azizan Haji Baharuddin. Islam and Ecology: A Bestowed Trust. (Harvard University Press, 2003)
18. Quasem, Muhammad. Ethics of Al-Ghazali. (Quasem, 1975)

Grading

Research Paper (20%)

(Substantial Analytical-3000 words-12 double spaced pages)

The topic for the term paper is open to the student’s interest. Topics should be identified early on in the course in consultation with the instructor. The 2-3 page paper proposal, with topic, outline, hypothesis and half a dozen references (books or journal articles) is due during first week after break. Students may also prepare a joint group paper. The length of group papers should be commensurate to the number in the group.

• Refer to the Guidelines for Writing and Writing Evaluation
• Due Date: Last Day of Class

Four Short Review Papers (20%)

(Review of Course Materials – 500 words 2-3 pages)

Students may choose to write brief responses to four of the prescribed readings and will be asked to lead the class discussion on two of the readings. The purpose of these papers is to demonstrate critical engagement with the literature.  You need not address all the assigned readings in your paper, but you should include more than one and thus put the authors “in conversation” with one another.  These short papers should emphasize substance and argument over summary.  You may write on any of the study questions for that week or formulate your own original line of inquiry and argument.  Your approach can be varied – you may choose to further develop the themes presented in the readings, critique perceived gaps or insufficiencies, or suggest potential future research agendas or applications stemming from the authors’ insights.

Five Class Quizzes (20%)

The purpose of the quizzes is to provide students with another opportunity of engagement with the course literature and an assessment of their own progress. The format of the quizzes varies. One will be an open book quiz, and another is a take home quiz.

Final Examination (10%)

Final Examinations are based entirely on the questions contained in the syllabus as well as in the quizzes.

Current Events Journal - Five Entries – (10%)

All students should keep a journal of press reports, discussions in the public space, all electronic media on topical issues related to the course, with specific reference to ethics. Students should not only report these issues but also seek to explore possible ways of examining and exploring the question at hand based on the knowledge developed during the class. The journal should include no less than five entries. In the first entry students would state why they are enrolling for this course and what their expectations are? The fifth entry should be a reflection on what they have learned from the course and questions that require further explorations. One of the journal entries should be a reflection about their excursion visit to the mosque. More entries are welcome.

Class Participation (10%)

Students will be rewarded for their innovative class participation and generating debate and discussions especially pertaining to issues covered in the media. In the event of class absence students are expected to notify the instructor by email. All students will also make formal class presentations on their term paper or on one of their journal entries. Students are encouraged to form joint working groups of up to three students. Participants can change after four weeks depending on the synergies they develop in their groups. Students will be rewarded for their innovative presentations and generating debated and discussions on their chosen topic.

Portfolio (10%)

Each student is required to hand in a portfolio of all of their written work, including journal entries, quizzes, exams, class papers, and one or two of their best readings. Students are encouraged to be creative in the presentation of these portfolios. The portfolio serves as a useful external evaluation of student participation in the course as well as a record of the course for future reference.

Educational Excursion: Visit to the Islamic Center

Students are required to attend the educational excursion visit to the local Islamic Center. The excursion will take place outside of class time and is designed to provide a practical firsthand experience of a key institution in Islam. We will meet with the Imam and members of the local Muslim community. The hosts will speak to students about the architecture and services provided by the mosque and there will be time for asking questions. We have a debriefing of the mosque visit during our subsequent class.

Late Policy

The Research paper is due on the last day of class.
All other assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date. Students must hand in hard copies of papers on the due date to avoid penalties. For each additional day beyond the due date, students will incur an automatic 5% penalty, for a maximum of a 35% deduction. In the event of the student experiencing difficulties in completing the assignment it would be advisable to discuss these with the instructor. Students are allowed to take an incomplete (“I”) grade only with the prior permission of the instructor; this should be done only in exceptional cases and should not simply be a fallback for not completing work on time.

Academic Ethics and Discipline Policy

Academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, is a serious academic offence. As with all Notre Dame Courses, students are expected to uphold the standards in the Academic Code of Honor Handbook. Failure to do so could result in a report to a university committee. The Code is available on-line at http://www.nd.edu/~hnrcode. To avoid plagiarism, students must always indicate when the ideas or words come from another source. If verbatim quotes are used, the exact wording and punctuation (including mistakes if there are any) of the original source, should be enclosed in quotation marks. If another person’s ideas are paraphrased, the original source must still be cited.

• For all writing assignments students must follow the Chicago Manual of Style.