Comment on this article Inside the Blue Book
A Timely Tale of Islam
April 2002
by Jennifer L. Holley History 350b
Islamic Movements in the Middle East since 1773
Faculty: Abbas Amanat, Professor of History This spring, Abbas Amanat expected to teach a course on the making of modern Iran. But following the events of September 11, he shifted gears. Amanat canceled the course and replaced it with “Islamic Movements in the Middle East since 1773.” “I’ve taught a junior seminar on Islamic revivals in the Middle East on and off at Yale for 18 years,” he says. “But this year, I thought there would be enough students interest to reconstruct the seminar as a lecture course.” His instincts were right. Amanat now tries to “demystify Islam” for about 100 students (most of whom have little or no knowledge of the subject). First, the class is introduced to Islam as a religion and community—with special attention paid to its diversity. Next comes discussion of movements, beginning at the end of the 18th century with Wahhabi in Arabia, which provides one of the earliest examples of an Islamic movement coming about in reaction to external power in the Middle East (in this case, to Western colonialists). The course will conclude with events leading to the attacks of September 11. Amanat hopes to provide a balanced view of Islam in order to counteract popular biases against the religion. While some say Islam is a violent and anti-modern religion, others see it as peaceful and free from all defects. “Both extremes need to be addressed,” Amanat says. “I emphasize that there are different ways of interpreting Islamic texts.” An Iranian by birth and upbringing, Amanat links his extensive travels in the region to his ability to explain the material. “I wouldn’t be able to give a very realistic picture of the Middle East,” he says, “if I didn’t witness it for myself.”  |
