Islam and Politics

Comparative Political SystemsGeorgetown University

November 24, 2003

Important TermsIslam = Abrahamic, monotheistic religion characterized by the acceptance of the doctrine of “submission to God”and to Muhammad as the chief and last prophet of God

Allah = “God,” as in the God of Judaism and Christianity; non-Muslim Arabs also use this word

Muslim = follower of Islam

Sunni Islam = accepts the first four caliphs as rightful successors of Muhammad

Shi`i Islam = regards `Ali and his descendants as the legitimate successors to Muhammad and rejects the first three caliphs

Sheikh = head of an Arab family, or of a clan or a tribe; the chief magistrate of an Arab village; a scholar learned in Islamic traditions

Umma = supranational community of Muslims

Dawla = Arabic, “state”

Majlis = Arabic, “chamber,” “house,”“parliament”

Jihad = internal struggle; often (mis)translated as “holy war against infidels”

Qur’an = sacred text of Islam, to Muslims the revelations of God to Muhammad

Hadith = report of the sayings or actions of Muhammad or his companions, together with the tradition of its chain of transmission

Sunna = way of life prescribed as normative in Islam, based on the teachings and practices of Muhammad and on Qur’anic exegesis

`Ulama’ = religious scholars

Shari`a = Islamic law (4 Sunni schools, 1 Shi`i school)

Shura = Islamic principle of consultation

Sufism = Islamic mysticism

Five Pillars of Islam

1. Prayer (five times daily facing Mecca)

2. Pilgrimage (to Mecca, once in one’s lifetime if able)

3. Faith (“There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his messenger”)

4. Fasting (during the month of Ramadan)

5. Zakat (alms to the poor)

Organization of the Islamic Conference - Member StatesIslam is not confined to the Arab states in the Middle East. In fact, most Muslims are not Arabs. The largest predominantly Muslim state is Indonesia, where 87 percent of the country's 206 million people are Muslims. The people of Pakistan and Bangladesh, the second and third most populous, predominantly Muslim countries, are also not Arabs.

Arab League

Algeria (Algiers) Bahrain (Manama)Comoros (Moroni)Djibouti (Djibouti)Egypt (Cairo)Iraq (Baghdad)Jordan (Amman)Kuwait (Kuwait) Lebanon (Beirut)Libya (Tripoli)Mauritania (Nouakchott)

Morocco (Rabat)Oman (Muscat)Palestine (Arab East Jerusalem, Al-Quds Al-Sharif, as future capital)Qatar (Doha)Saudi Arabia (Riyadh)Somalia (Mogadishu)Sudan (Khartoum)Syria (Damascus)Tunisia (Tunis)United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi)Yemen (San’a)

Key Topics in Arab Politics Today

Understanding Political Economy of Development

Religion and Politics

Role of Military in Politics

Economic and Political Reform

Political Succession (a fad topic?)

The Persistence of Authoritarianism