F0313 Instititutions of the Muslim World: An Introduction

Islam, one of the three monotheistic faiths, is followed today – fourteen centuries after its revelation to mankind – by more than one billion human beings all over the world. Yet Islam is not only the spiritual faith in a Unique God called Allah in Arabic, but it has also become the base of societies formed and shaped by the believers in that faith. The course will introduce the undergraduate students of VIU to the principal issues and problems related to Islam as a religion and as a social ideology from its beginning up to today. To attain this twofold objective, the first part of the course will be dedicated to the theoretical bases of Islam. Then we will briefly examine the historical evolution of the Muslim world. The final, more detailed section will discuss the Islamic societies and their institutions, particularly as they are organized today.Aim of the course:
The course will discuss first of all the origins if Islam, the prophet Muhammad and the Qu\'ran. Subsequently it will analyze a number of manifestations of that religion, such as the so-called \'five Pillars of Islam\', but also local customs such as saint-worship. Then special attention will be given to the law, both in its Islamic elements (shari\'a and figh) and in its actual achievements through the qanun of the sovereigns, the traditional customs and the positive law of contemporary States. One lesson will be dedicated to the historical evolution of the Islamic lands. A special set of lessons will also deal with the position of women, both in the normative text and in the actual practices. Attention will be dedicated to contemporary issues, principally to the relations between Muslims and the West.