HIST 310 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Sayyid Qutb, Ali Shariati, Takfiri
30 Nov 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
11/24--Islamism (Political Islam)
● Erdogan with gulbuddin hikmetyar
○ Hikmetyar generally described as militant islamist from afghanistan
○ Relationship w erdogan thus pointed to as connected to taliban
○ But in reality, hikmetyar does not hav taliban connections
■ Was funded by US against USSR, but then fought against taliban after
○ Is still an islamist warlord, responsible for the deaths of abt .5 mil civilians
○ Was briefly president of afghanistan, tho not really democratic
○ Positioned self as anti-imperialist
■ Opposed US wars in middle east
● Can we really define islamism
○ “The belief that islam should guide social and political as well as personal life”
○ “Political movement that favors reordering government and society in accordance
w laws prescribed by islam”--AP def
○ “A movement so broad and flexible it reaches out to ‘everything and everyone’ in
Islam, making it ‘unsustainable’”--prob the most accurate
○ “A theocratic ideology that seeks to impose any version of Islam over society by
law” (a former islamist)
○ Not monolithic movement
○ Islamists don’t call themselves islamists--call themselves muslims
● The extremes
○ Salafism
■ Official ideology of saudi arabia
■ Argues that islam was perfected in its first 100 yrs
■ Very conservative, literal interpretation
○ Takfirism
■ Relates mostly to treatment of other muslims
■ Refuses to acknowledge those who follow different interpretations as
muslim
○ Jihadism
■ Started mostly in 1980s in (post)colonial countries
● Afghanistan, russia (caucasus), bosnia, iraq, syria
■ Broadly interpreted as a struggle/war
● The conservationists
○ Sayyid abul ala maududi (1903-1979)
■ Born indian, became pakistani
■ Advocated for a mix btwn democracy/theology
■ Elections for muslim citizens, politicians would lead in an islamic way
○ Hassan al-banna (1906-1949)
■ Egyptian, died by execution
■ Founder of muslim brotherhood
● Group used violence--assassinations
■ More in line w movements of colonial resistance
■ After his assassination, violence decreased
● Since 1960 group completely dropped violence
● Islamist revolutionary left?
○ Sayyid qutb (1906-1966)
■ Started as a secularist, then converted to islam
■ Refused to accept worldly govt, adopted an almost anarchist position
■ Didn’t condemn violence, was strong antisemite
○ Ali shariati (1933-1977)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Hikmetyar generally described as militant islamist from afghanistan. Relationship w erdogan thus pointed to as connected to taliban. But in reality, hikmetyar does not hav taliban connections. Was funded by us against ussr, but then fought against taliban after. Is still an islamist warlord, responsible for the deaths of abt . 5 mil civilians. Was briefly president of afghanistan, tho not really democratic. The belief that islam should guide social and political as well as personal life . Political movement that favors reordering government and society in accordance w laws prescribed by islam --ap def. A movement so broad and flexible it reaches out to everything and everyone" in. A theocratic ideology that seeks to impose any version of islam over society by law (a former islamist) Argues that islam was perfected in its first 100 yrs. Relates mostly to treatment of other muslims. Refuses to acknowledge those who follow different interpretations as. Started mostly in 1980s in (post)colonial countries.
