Download Islamic World Islamism (salafi Islam, fundamentalism) (15

Islamic World
• Islam
- Ancient religion of 1.5
billion people
- Diversity of beliefs,
practices, and politics
- Modernists, traditionalist
and orthodox (80-85%?)
• Islamism (salafi Islam, fundamentalism) (15-20%?)
– Islam must have political power and a state
– Response to European colonialism
– Reject modernism and turn to Islam
– But no unanimity about democracy
• Jihadism (salafiyya jihadiyya) (<1%?) 15 Mill.
– Extremist version of Islamism
– No gradual implementation or political process
– Only violence can recreate an idealized Islamic state called the
“Caliphate”
Pre-Islamic Religion
• Byzantine Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism
• Predecessor—Bedouin tribes (polytheist, animistic nomads)
• Local tribal deities, numerous spirits, angels, demons, fairies
• Mecca’s Ka’ba housed the Black Stone and images
of 360 gods and goddesses and relics
The Formation of Early Islam
• Invitation to Medina
• Muhammad in Medina
• Early Battles for control of Mecca
• The Last Years of Muhammad
Life of Muhammad
• Muhammad born in Mecca in 570
• Orphaned as a young boy and taken in by his uncle—a camel
driver for caravans
• In mid-twenties marries widow trader
• While in the desert, he hear Gabriel’s call to be a prophet of
Allah “Night of Power”
• He saw himself as the final revelation of both previous
traditions: Judaism and Christianity
Muhammad’s Five Pillars of Faith
1.
Confession of faith (shahadah)
2.
Prayers five times a day (salaht)
3.
Almsgiving (zakaht)
4.
Observance of fasting and Ramadan (sawm)
5.
Making a hajj to Mecca
Origins of the Kaaba
• Islamic tradition states that the Kaaba was built by
Abraham and Ishmael as a reminder of the links between
Muslims and Jews.
• It is also believed to be the site of the place where Abraham
was planning on sacrificing Isaac
Muhammad left his
hometown and
moved to Medina
(hijrah) in 622.
After converting
Medina, he
returned to Mecca
and destroyed the
idols in the Kaaba.
Quran = recitation
• Beliefs about Quran:
- Written in Heaven, revealed to Muhammad, surpassing
all other scriptures
• Nature of God – Allah, angels, jinn,
• Predestination – fatalism vs freedom and responsibilty
• Eschatology – final judgment of the soul
Under Muhammad 622-632
632-661
661-733
Spread of Islam in just over a century
Expansion of Islam
Paralleled the expansion of Christianity.
Jihad=holy war and internal struggle over sin
There wasn’t much difference between holy wars from both
Christianity and Islam
Conversion wasn’t so much forced as much as the
advantageousness of being within Islam.
Factors slowing Islamic spread
• Constantinople and Greek fire
• Charles Martel (the Hammer) from Tours
Divisions within Islam
After Muhammad’s death several “denominations” developed
within Islam:
• Sunni=the tradition of the Prophet (the orthodox 90% of
Islam who believe in election from within the faith)
• Shiites=claim that they are descendents of Ali and only
Shiites should be rulers
The First Three Caliphs or “Rashidin” Sustain the Salaf: The
Community of Islam as it was under Muhammed
Abū Bakr 632-34
Umar 634-44
Uthmān 644-656
Ali 656-661
Alī grew up with Muhammed
and is revered by Sunni
Muslims as the last of the four
Rightly Guided Caliphs and
an authority on the Qur'an
and Islamic Law.
Shi'a consider him the First Imam appointed by the Prophet Muhammad and
the first rightful caliph. Ali was the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad. SHIA
is short for šī at Ali "the party of Ali". Shia Muslims adhere to the teachings of
the Prophet Muhammad and the religious guidance of his family who they refer
to as Ahl al-Bayt. Ali is killed by the followers of Uthman in a Civil War and
the Umayyads rule the Caliphate.
Islamic Theology
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One God with many heavenly figures
Messengers, jinns (between humans and angels)
Predestination—within limits
Eschatology—after death one waits for the end time and
then one is judged based upon works
Muslims go to mosques on Friday where imam preaches
Polygamy and second-class relationship
No pork, birds, donkeys, etc.
Jihad—dual nature of personal and defensive wars
Significance of Karbala 680 (Husayn)
Muharram, first month of the
Islamic calendar. Muslims
commemorate the martyrdom
of Husayn, (Imam) the
grandson of the Prophet
Mohammad and spiritual leader
of the Shi'a people.
Karbala
London
Ashura, the 10th day of
Muharram commemorating the
day of the massacre.
He refused to swear allegiance to
Yazid, the second Umayyad
Caliph. He tried to travel from
Medina to Kufa but was
surrounded by forces loyal to
Yazid in the desert at a place
now known as Karbala.
Outnumbered, most of the family
of Mohammad are slaughtered.
The captive women and
children of the family of
Mohammad are paraded
in
chains from town to town. This contributed to the end of
Yazid's rule. The tragedy played an enormous role in the
development of Shi'a identity. The story of Husayn and
the killing of the family of Mohammad heavily influenced
the rapid spread of Shi'a Islam.
Abbasid Dynasty 750-1258
Shifted the capital from
Damascus to Baghdad.
Went into decline with
the rise to power of the
Turkish army it had
created, the Mamluks.
Their rule was finally ended in 1258, when Hulagu Khan, the
Mongol conqueror, sacked Baghdad. While they continued to
claim authority in religious matters from their base in Egypt, the
dynasty's secular authority had ended.
Spread of trade and culture
• Islamic traders North Africa (salt, slaves, gold, etc.)
• Timbuktu, Damascus, Baghdad, Cordoba, Cairo—great
centers of power, libraries, and learning
•
Surpassed Western Christendom in wealth, education,
libraries, arts and culture
• With the Mongol invasions in 1258 the tide began to turn
• Islamic Culture multicultural (Arab and non-Arab)
Islamic Art and Architecture
Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain 784-787
Alhambra, Spain
Dome of the Rock,
Jerusalem
687-691
Sufi…purification through physical
sensation of dance and music
N.B. Recall the differences between
the East (emotional) and the West
(logical)
Whirling Dervishes
The Clash of Civilizations
Modernity, the Palestinian problem, and
terrorism are the central issues facing Islam
today. How these issues play themselves out
will determine much of our futures.