Political Science

Study Guide for the Final
Political Science 201

Objective Section
From Esposito, The Islamic Threat (online) Chapter 3 (on moodle for course)
P 45 two themes dominate . . . imperialism . . . struggle for independence
from [European] colonial rule . . . few events . . . remain alive
— liberal national [attempts to end colonial rule and gain independence] . . .
failed . . . Muslims today
p 45 colonialism . . . drew the boundaries . . . leaders . . . Muslim world
p 45 [imperialism] replaced or transformed . . . challenged . . . culture
p 45 image of Islam as both . . . threat . . . decline . . . crown and cross
p 46 [prior to European colonialism] the Muslim community . . . a sense of history
. . . remained triumphant . . . Muslims had ruled Muslims
p 47 the external [European colonial] challenge . . . on the heels of . . . revivalism
. . . decline of community
— [Christian] missionaries credited the triumphs . . . on Islam
p 47[The Question for Muslims . . . ??]
p 47 Islam possesses a rich, long . . . reform (Islah)
— [through previous eras of decline] individuals undertook the renewal . . . a
return to [the early form of] Islam . . . model for Islamic reform
p 47 [18 th , 19 th century revivalist] movements had sprung up . . . [especially the]
Wahhabi
p 48 most revivalist movements . . . internally . . . within the Muslim world
p 48 all were movements . . . moral reconstruction . . . [in response to the] cause
. . . departure from true Islamic . . . return to “true Islam”
p 48 several of these movements led . . . states [Sudan, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi
Arabia]
p 48 key ideological components [4 points . . .]
p 49 map of the Muslim world [after WWI] . . . Turkey and Iran
p 49 Muslim views of the West . . . imitation
p 49 implicit in [European colonialism’s] policies . . . inherent Christian cultural
superiority
p 50 the Egyptian, as viewed by the British . . . blind to the benefits . . .
— preachers and missionaries . . . an arm of imperialism
p 50 four diverse Muslim responses [1-4 list]
p 51 [the “military resistance alternative” jihad] . . . given the superior military
strength of Europe . . . doomed to defeat
p 53 Islamic modernism . . . ambivalent . . . attraction and repulsion
p 53 [reformers like al-Afghani] . . . argued the compatibility . . . science . . .
selective synthesis
p 53 in contrast to . . . revivalist . . . reformulate its Islamic heritage . . . of the
West
p 53 for most of these reformers [the overwhelming motivation was to achieve]
independence . . . learn the secrets . . . to cast off . . . autonomy
p 54 for al-Afghani, the revitalization . . . confrontation

— the Islamic community . . . must learn from the West . . . sources of its power
— the ultimate goal . . . Muslim fortunes
p 55 [Muhammed Abduh, a disciple of al-Afghani] . . . early champion of . . .
reforms . . . Muslim women
pp 55-6 Qasim Amin . . . denounced subjugation . . . linked to the nationalist
cause
p 57 [in south Asia, Iqbal] leveled sharp criticism . . . imperialism
pp 57-8 [Iqbal] believed that nationalism was antithetical . . . separate Muslim
state
p 58 [Egyptian Taha Hussein, born blind, with a doctorate from Paris’ Sorbonne]
believed . . . modern needs of society . . . separation of religion and politics
— not a critic of West . . . an unabashed admirer
p 60 many of those who led nationalist . . . ideals of the French Revolution
— in contrast to the traditional Islamic . . . ethnic ties and history
p 60 Islam played an important role [in developing national identity, however] if
religion was one factor . . . only one
pp 66-7 [new versions of revivalist Islam arose as well, including] the Muslim
Brotherhood of Egypt . . . the West surely seeks to humiliate us . . . led by
England and America
p 67 [they emphasize the failure of . . .??] [Hassan al-Banna, leader of
Brotherhood assassinated in 1949]
p 68 [Arab Nationalism] indicted European imperialism . . . artificial boundaries . .
. continuing struggle
pp 68-9 [Nasser of Egypt: his characteristics as nationalist leader]
p 70-1 Israel was considered a European American colony . . . struggle against
Israel . . . the battle against imperialism
From Resurrecting Empire (on moodle for course)
P1 . . . notwithstanding invasions of Mexico, Cuba . . . . American’s deeply cherished . . .
Nation goes to war when it absolutely has to, only goes after being attacked
P3 [in reference to the 2002 document] National Security Strategy of the United States
of America . . . [Michael Howard says that] Bush “seemed to be . . . . century”
New doctrine that “the best defense is a strong offense” we will not hesitate to act alone,
if necessary, to exercise the right of self defense by acting promptly. One of the most
important documents in the history of America, and its full implications are just
beginning to sink in…seemed to be demolishing the whole structure of international law
as it had developed since the 17 th century
P4 [American public opinion polls up to 2 years after 9/11/01 attack] . . . existence of an
Iraqi connection . . . . accepted by . . . despite . . . no evidence whatsoever . . .
After the event showed that the existence of an Iraqi connection with 9/11 was accepted
by a large majority of Americans, despite the fact there was no evidence for such a
connection
P5 [on justification for war in Iraq, “regime change” was] insufficiently .