Islam & Political Islam – Core Points

Course Administrative Updates

The research-proposal amendment now requires:
• Q4: 3 course-list sources.
• Q5: 7 externally researched sources (no Wikipedia).
Answer Q1–2 concisely; Q3–5 in paragraph form.
Length: ≤ 3 pages plus bibliography.

Origins and Core Beliefs of Islam

Islam arose in 7th-century Arabia.
• Prophet Muhammad (b. 570 CE in Mecca) received revelations at age 40; these form the Quran.
• Islam is strictly monotheistic: Allah is the sole, omnipotent God; Muhammad is His final messenger, not divine.
• By 632 CE Muhammad had united most of Arabia under Islam; his migration (Hijra) from Mecca to Medina in 622 marks year 0 of the Muslim calendar.

Historical Spread and Demographics

Islam is the world’s second-largest faith: ≈ 2 billion adherents today.
Projected growth: 1.6 → 2.76 billion by 2050.
Only ≈ 20\% of Muslims live in the Middle East; the largest national community is Indonesia.

Five Pillars of Islam

1. Shahada – profession of faith in Allah and Muhammad.

2. Salat – prayer five times daily.

3. Zakat – compulsory almsgiving.

4. Sawm – fasting during Ramadan.

5. Hajj – pilgrimage to Mecca once in a lifetime if able.

Sunni–Shia Split

Cause: dispute over succession after Muhammad’s death ( 632 CE).
• Sunni (≈ 85–90\%): leadership (caliph) chosen by community; first caliph was Abu Bakr.
• Shia (≈ 10–15\%): leadership (imam) must descend from Muhammad through Ali.
Major Shia populations: Iran, Iraq, Bahrain; minorities in Lebanon, Yemen, etc.

Key ritual/practical contrasts: Sunni pray in five distinct sessions; Shia combine into three; Shia permit men & women to pray together; grave-site prayer discouraged by Sunnis; distinct worship spaces.

Sharia and Islamic Jurisprudence

Sources: Quran, Hadith (reports of Muhammad’s sayings), and Sunnah (prophetic practice).
Application varies:
• Full constitutional basis in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman.
• State religion without full legal basis in Morocco, Jordan, Tunisia.
• Hybrid systems (e.g.
Iraq).
Four main Sunni legal schools (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafiʿi, Hanbali) and major Shia Jafari school.

Sufism

Mystical strand seeking union with God via inner purification; known for dhikr and whirling dervish ritual.
More common within Sunnism but present in Shia contexts.

Political Islam: Muslim Brotherhood

Founded Egypt 1928 by Hassan al-Banna; Sunni, pan-Islamic, anti-colonial, socially active (schools, hospitals).
Legalised during Arab Spring; won Egypt’s 2012 presidency (Morsi) but banned again after 2013 coup.
Current state support: chiefly Turkey and Qatar.

Extremist Movements: Al-Qaeda vs. ISIS

Al-Qaeda (founded 1988 by Osama bin Laden)
• Salafi-jihadist network; anti-West; responsible for 9/11, Charlie Hebdo etc.
• Operates via decentralised guerrilla cells; remnants in Somalia, Syria, Yemen.

ISIS (split from AQ 2004; declared caliphate 2014)
• Claims authority over all Muslims; targets West and Shia.
• Functions like an army/state; imposed Sharia in territories (Raqqa, Mosul).
• Pioneered global online recruitment; attracted foreign fighters, creating complex repatriation issues.
Key distinctions: Al-Qaeda avoids mass-sectarian slaughter and state-building; ISIS prioritises both.

Key Takeaways

Islam’s core theology is uniform, yet historical disputes over leadership and jurisprudence generated diverse traditions (Sunni, Shia, Sufi, legal schools).
Political Islam ranges from reformist social movements (Muslim Brotherhood) to militant jihadist groups (Al-Qaeda, ISIS).
Understanding these layers—religious, legal, political, and extremist—is essential for analysing Middle East politics and global security debates.