Unit 4 Notes
Unit 4: The Roots of Fundamentalism in Islam Research Questions B Period (17) Student____Cece 1. Summarize the major themes in the Quran and highlight verses that fundamentalist Muslims use or abuse to justify their actions. [See “Quran_Sharia_Gender” folder] * Quran is the holy book of islam, covers justice mercy, violence. * Core Messaging, misinterpretations, etc. * Tawhid: The belief of the one-nes of god * Prophethood/guidance * justice/morality: Fairness and ethical conduct * compassion and mercy * Jihad: both an internal struggle for self improvement, and a defensive struggle against oppression * Misuse of verses * engage in selective interpretation, and ignore context of the verses. * "kill them wherever you overtake them" : actually about defending against oppression in specific types of war * "strike terror into the hearts of enemies" * "Fight in the way of Allah, those who fight you, but do not transgress" * the Quran provides counters to extremism * no killing allowed in the Quran, so its a little hypocritcal
Student____Hugo 2. What is “Ijtihad” and why was the “Sack of Baghdad” in 1258 by the Mongols a turning point in Islamic history? [use pages 44-46 in Battle for God PDF and “Ijtihad and Sack of Baghdad” folder] * What is Itjihad: process of independent reasoning, to allow flexibility and adaptation in islamic law * provided diverse interpretations of islamic law. * a form of higher criticism * Sack of baghdad in 1258 * mongols attacked * house of wisdom destroyed * led to the decline of intellectual centers * scholars became more reliant on past rulings over higher criticism * backtracked on their innovations * switched back to talquid: lower criticism from itjihad * devestation created a climate where questioning and innovation were discouraged due to fear and conservatism * led to the decline of scientific and philisophical proress in islamic civilization, strengthened more rigid traditionalist interpretations of islamic law. * Weakened the political and religious authority of the caliphate
Student____Mia 3. What are the “Hadiths” and how is Sharia Law interpreted (Fiqh) differently throughout the Muslim World (for example women’s rights and head coverings)? [See “Quran_Sharia_Gender” folder] * Hadith * reports sayings and actions of the prophet muhammad, considered a major source of guidance and law, second only to the Quran. * Sharia Law * Originally means "clear well trodden path to water" * fasting, donations, prayers, etc. * a womens right to head coverings
Student____Leah 4. What is the historic conflict between Sunni & Shia Muslims about? [See “Sunni_Shia” folder] * Background * When Mohammad dies, there was an issue with succession * real divide happens after the 4 closest ppl to the prophet dies. * Shia * succession should be blood related * Cousin and adopted son of Mohammad, Ali * Sunni * succession should go the the BEST person * Abu Bakr, companion of Mohammad * Conflict in modern time * Most of history, sunni and shia have lived side by side, and not had a problem. * External conflict, famine, civil war, etc. * In most muslim countries, sunni run the govt because they are a majority in the world. * only iran and iraq have shia majority * Yemen identifies w the shia, meaning they are good allies.
Student____Grace 5. What is the “Twelver” sect of Shia Islam and why is it so important in the “Muslim World”? (Be sure focus on the 1st, 3rd, and 12th Imams) [See “Twelver Shia Sect” folder] * Ashura/story: how to appoint new leadership * 12 imams * #1 Ali, cousin/son-in-law of mohammad, * #3 grandson of muhammad, Al-Husayn * martyred at Karbala in 680 * #12, and last, Al-Mahdi * kept alive by god, will come back in the end times, and get rid of evil in the world. * reminiscent of the second coming of Jesus. * Iran/Iraq have high shia population * In Iran: The political system work on the behalf of the 12th imam * Hezbollah is a terrorist group that incorporates
Student____Sam 6. What are the eschatological beliefs in Islam (what is the roles of the Madhi, Isa, and Al-Dijahl)? [See “Eschatology in Islam” folder] * Revolves around the final judgement, al-qiyamah, in which allah will punish the sinners * signs of the end of times * minor signs: The worlds gets "bad", adultery and fornication will be performed in public, consumption of toxins * major signs: rising of the sun in the west, east west and arabian peninsulas will have landslides * key players * Dajjal: version of the antichrist, often ugly, will claim divinty and mislead, one eye * Mahdi: good guy, is the messiah, and will restore justice + lead the believers to salvation, from the family of muhammad. * Isa Al-Masih: basically just jesus from christianity, is a prophet and will return and help defeat the antichrist, Dajjal * Timeline * Mahdi Appears * Dajjal Appears * Isa Returns * Dajjal Defeated * Final Judgment * Why is this appealing? * provides hope for persecuted muslims, and people will prevail * their suffering has meaning * sense of accountability, faith that they have will be eventually rewarded.
Student____Heidi 7. How are Islamist, Salafist, and Jihadist Muslims distinct? [See “Islamist_Salafist_Jihadists” folder] * Islamists * Like christian nationalists * believe that their religion should be the focus of their life and government * premodern laws * shariah law is part of the state * traditional, but engaged in society. * lower right quadrant * Salafists * comared to the Amish * want to be like the prophet and his earliest followers * ultra-conservatives * believe in not just the spirit of the law but also take the law literally(brush their teeth like mohammad, and dress like him) * very adverse to society, etc. * lower left quadrant * Jihadists * Use violent tactics to push their beliefs. * can be salafist-jihadist or islamist-jihadist * al-qaeda and isis are jihadist. *
Student____Charlie 8. Who was Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and what is Wahhabism? (focus on his alliance with the “House of Saud” in 1744 and his doctrine of “Takfir”). [See “Saudi Arabia_Iran” folder] * Wahhab was 18th century muslim scholars * born in najud in present day saudi arabia * wants to purge islam from the polytheistic practices * wrote the tauhid - stating that god is one and one only. * takfir doctrine - declaring other muslims apostates if they dont follow the basics of islam. * wahhab had an alliance with the house of saud * eventually becomes saudi arabia * justified military expansion * house of saud sponsored wahhabism * set the modern foundation for saudi arabia. * Modern day influence * due to oil wealth, so they use that money for mosques and madrasses. * has become more moderate, under international pressure * ISIS and other extremists use wahhabism in radical manner * takfir
Student____Sophie 9. Summarize the {post 1938 discovery of oil} Saudi Arabia/US relationship (include the influence of Abd al-Wahhab and Saudi Arabia’s exporting of Wahhabism globally through “Madrassas”). [See “Saudi Arabia_Iran” folder] * Saudi gains power and influence in exchange for exporting oil to the US. * The relations between SA and US improve during the cold war * oil for security agreement, and saud continues to gain influence. * 1973 oil embargo strained the relationships, but fixed it later on * Modern relations * 9/11 attacks strain relations b/c highjackers were saudi nationals * cooperation during war on terror * even though AQAP is tied to wahhabist brand of islam * Influence of Abd al-Wahhab * madrasses - islam schools for studying the quran etc.
Student____Parsa 10. Summarize Iranian Revolution of 1979 (focus on Shah Reza Pahlavi & Ayatollah Khomeini). Why is it considered a turning point is Islamic history? [See “Saudi Arabia_Iran” folder] * What is it? * Involved iranians overthrowing the uS-backed shah * Shah Reza Pahlavi was overthrown and went into hiding * Ayatollah Khomeni returned from exile and took power * a theocratic regime replaced the monarchy * triggered a lasting shift regional and global politics. * re-drew power balance in the middle east * Background * Under the shah, Iran was modernizing * US and UK overthrow irans elected pm in 1953 * the shahs regime fueled inequality and silenced dissent. * growing unrest united religious and secular opposition * The Shah of Iran before the revolution * backed by western powers after 1953 coup * Khomeini * was a vocal critic of the shah * was exiled * returned in 1979 and led the islamic revolution * established Iran as a Shia theocracy * the pivot of Shia Islam * Iran became the first modern shia theocracy * clerics became mered with religious authority and state power * shia ideology became central to irans idenity and policies * sparked sectarian rivary across the middle east * Promise to theocracy * system of govt in which priests rule in the name of god * freedom, justice, and soverignty * became a clerical dictatorship * khomeini took advantage of the opportunity and accumulated a lot of religious authority * political opposition was repressed * people became critics of the theocracy * many iranians grew disillusioned with the theocracy * turning point in islamic history * proved that islamic movements could overthrow western backed monarchy * Shia clerics claimed leadership of the muslim world. * rivalry with sunni power intensivied after 1979 * religion became a tool for state power and regional influence
Student____Clay 11. How does “The Right of Return,” the “Palestinian birthrate,” and the differing Palestinian governments of Fatah (West Bank) and Hamas (Gaza) affect the Israeli/Palestinian peace process? Why did Hamas attack Israel on October 7, 2023? [See “Israel_Palestine” folder] * The right of return * contested topics in israel-palestinian conflict * palestinian refugeees want to return to former homes from 1948 * israel fears loss of jewish demographic majority * one of the most disputed peace topics in peace talks, no compromise in sight * Palestinian birth rate, * 7.45 mil jews, 7.53 arab israelies and palestinians * jewish are growing much faster * worried over long term national identity * fatah vs hamas * fatah is in west bank, secular national party, probably corrupt * hamas rules gaza strip * islamist militirist organization * marked as terrorist organization * making peace talks w israel difficulty * rifts between wb and gaza * Peace process implications * Hamas rejects israels right to exist and commited to armed resistacnce * no palestinian elections since 2006 * israel and western nations refuse to negotiate w hamas. further excluding gaza from peace discussions * oct 7th incident * hamas launched a surprise attack on israel. 250 civilians and soldiers are kidnapped, and 1200 civialns die.
Student____Arhaan 12. Why did Al-Qaeda attack the U.S. on 9/11 and how has the U.S. responded since then? [See “911” folder] * What was 911 * Terrorists claimed to be islam and doing it in the name of their religion * osama bin laden, leader of al-qaeda, would twist religious teaching s to justified violence. * Divine retributions against US polifies in the middle east * Why did al-qaeda attack the US * after the gulf war, the us stationed troops in saudi arabia * sanctions on iraq caused suffering in Iraq * al-qaeda want4ed to provoke a massive conflict between the islamic world and the west. * not many true religious reasons behind the attack. * How has the US responded since then? * within the first weeks, the US invaded afghanistan * US navy seals killed bin laden in pakistan * domestically there was no security in airports * US created Department of Homeland Security
Student____Aidan 13. Who are these “Godfathers of Terrorism” and how are they important to understanding fundamentalism in Islam: Sayid Qutb and Osama bin Laden? [See “Godfathers of Terrorism” folder] * Sayid Qtub * Egyptian writer born in 1906 * criticized western cultures and values * believed modern islam was over * called this jahlliah - * called for the overthrow of secular governments through jihad * was executed for plotting against egyptian state * Osama Bin Laden * Born in saudi arabia * founder of AQ * Took Sayid theory, and turned it into violence * Change of thoughts from mind to mind * Wahhab: Bad muslims should be called out for their shortcomings. * Qtub: bad muslims could be killed for their false beliefs. * Bin Laden: we should kill anyone who isnt a good muslim.
Student____Devin 14. Who are these “Godfathers of Terrorism” and how are they important to understanding fundamentalism in Islam: Saif al Adel and Abu Bakr Baghdadi? [See “Godfathers of Terrorism” folder] * Saif Al Adel * al qaedas leader * played a role in the 1998 us embassy bombings in africa * wanted to restore a caliphate * govt run by interpretation of sharia law * more structured model of islamic extremism * Abu Bakr Baghdadi * leader of isis * wants to take over parts of iraq and syria * uses violence to achieve his goals * unlike AQ, wants immediate control over land * killed in 2019 in a raid in syria * used mass executions and teretorial warfare * Fundamentalism in islam * both trying to create a caliphate * even after both groups died, the ideologies carried on.
Student____Cam 15. What are the history, goals, and methods of Al-Qaeda and The Islamic State and how are they distinct? [See “Jihadist Groups around the World” folder] *
Student____Roshan 16. How are jihadist groups acting in the current conflicts in: West Africa and Yemen? [See “Jihadist Groups around the World” folder]
Student____Edison 17. How are jihadist groups acting in the current conflicts in: Afghanistan/Pakistan and Somalia? [See “Jihadist Groups around the World” folder] * Jihadist Groups in Afghanistan * Taliban (very salafist) * Current govt of afg * Using extremist law to maintain law * women dont get educations * men must have facial hair * they aren't trying to create a caliphate, rather peaceful with control. No conquest of other locations either. * ISIS-K (Khorasan Province) * says taliban is too soft for negotiating with west * uses brutal terror tactics to spread fear and destabilize * Pakistan * Tahrik-i-Taliban Pakistan * Operates mostly in Pakistan and seeks to overthrow the pakistani govt. * responsible for attacks on schools, military, civilians * inspired by taliban in afghanistan * destabilizes border regions in pakistan * strains pakistans relationship w afghanistan and US. * Somalia * Al Shabaab * Al Qaeda linked jihadist groups * controls rural areas, attacks cities like mogadishu * enforces brutal version of islamic law. * targets african union forces * govt buildings, and civilians * Somali govt struggling to regain control.