Political Islam

Religion and politics have intertwined in Islam since the founding of the faith in the early Seventh Century. In this course, we will examine the modern phenomenon of political Islam within the historical context of the concept of political rule in Islam. We will begin by charting the course of the emergence of Islamic civilisation and the development of the caliphate and continue with discussions of mediæval political philosophy, separate Sunnī and Shīʿī elaborations of temporal rule, and religion and state in the pre-modern Islamic world. Thereafter, we will trace the Islamist response to modernity through its many forms—including the radical and the pluralistic ones—across the Islamic world, including South and Central Asia, West and East Africa, Palestine, Iran, and Turkey. We will conclude with a thorough look at technology and other tools used by contemporary Islamists, as well as an analysis of the future of political Islam. Throughout the course, we will observe and consider the dissonance between contemporary Islamist activity and classical political philosophy.

This course represents a combination of a lecture and seminar approaches and individual participation in class dialogues is critical. Most classes include a discussion period for conversation about required reading. Each student will have the opportunity to present a brief review of a text, after which he/she will lead a discussion. At the end of this course, it is hoped that students will have not only a better understanding of political/radical Islam, but have developed better research skills, practiced critical thinking and reading, and gained experience collecting and presenting information clearly.

Course grades will be assigned on the basis of several elements:

1. in-class quizzes (15% total)—a map quiz and five 5-minute quizzes (lowest grade dropped) on critical terms (e.g., caliph, Ḥasan al-Bannāʾ, ḤaMĀS);
2. pop reading quizzes (10%)—short, random multiple-choice quizzes on major themes of assigned readings;
3. mid-term paper (20%)—take-home essay on an assigned topic, using only the class readings as sources (5 pages);
4. final research paper (30%)—each student will write a research paper (about 15 pages) on a topic of their choice relating to the course and making use of literature (at least 6 sources) not assigned as part of the class reading;
5. class participation (25%)—contribution to in-class and online discussions and attendance, critical to a successful experience (students with over three absences lose their entire participation grade; each additional two absences result in a letter-grade penalty off of the overall course grade), including also a discussion article presentation, where each student presents at least one required reading, emphasising its core argument and leading a class discussion about it.

This division of factors aims to give all students a fair chance at a good grade by avoiding too much emphasis on one examination method. Nevertheless, since a large share of the grade (25%) derives from participation and the discussion presentation, this means that you must attend and participate in class to get a good grade. The key to good participation is reading the assigned texts, so come prepared!

Each student has the opportunity to submit up to two extra credit response papers to contemporary news articles on political/radical Islam. In order to receive credit, you must read and submit an article from a newspaper (not a web log!), along with your thoughts on the article (one page). Other extra credit opportunities will be announced periodically throughout the semester; students will be allowed a maximum of five total extra credit opportunities during the term. You are also strongly encouraged to follow Middle East news during (and after!) the semester. Some mainstream newspaper sources:

• Yediʿot Aḥaronot (Israel; centre)
• Haaretz (Israel; left)
• Jerusalem Post (Israel; centre-right)
• Israel Hayom (Israel; right)
• Globes (Israel; financial)
• ash-Sharq al-Awsaṭ (London)
• Jordan Times (Jordan)
• al-Ahram Weekly (Egypt)
• Arab Times (Kuwait)
• Khaleej Times (UAE)
• New York Times (US; left)
• Wall Street Journal (US; financial; right)
• Christian Science Monitor (US; centre)

Recommended texts for further readings

The following texts are recommended for those interested in doing further reading on the subject. These books are not required for purchase.

Readings from course textbooks appear in small caps. All other readings include full bibliographical citations and are available electronically on the class Desire2Learn website. It is highly recommended that you prepare in advance by downloading and/or printing all online readings at the beginning of the course, so that you can concentrate on reading them over the semester. While ‘recommended reading’ are not obligatory, they may be useful when preparing research papers (those with an asterisk (*) are highly encouraged). Primary source readings are noted below.

I. Introduction and background

1. Introduction to the Middle East and Islam—I

Required reading:

• Arthur Goldschmidt, Jr and Lawrence Davidson, A Concise history of the Middle East, 10^th ed. (Boulder: Westview Press, 2013), 1–12.
• Bernard Lewis, The Multiple identities of the Middle East (New York: Schocken Books, 2001), 9–24.
• Examine the class primer (always review relevant materials and bring the primer to each class).

Recommended reading:

• Armajani, Modern Islamist movements, 1–29.

2. Introduction to the Middle East and Islam—II

Required reading:

• Black, Islamic political thought, 1–5.
• L Carl Brown, Religion and state: The Muslim approach to politics (New York City: Columbia University Press, 2000), 9–30.
• Bernard Lewis, The Multiple identities of the Middle East (New York: Schocken Books, 2001), 25–39.

Recommended reading:

• Ayoob, Many faces of political Islam, 1–22.
• * Shahram Akbarzadeh, ‘The Paradox of political Islam’, in Routledge handbook of political Islam, ed. Shahram Akbarzadeh (New York City: Routledge, 2011), 1–8.

3. The Birth of Islam

Map quiz

Required reading:

• Black, Islamic political thought, 9–17.
• Jonathan Berkey, The Formation of Islam: Religion and society in the Near East, 600–1800 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 39–69.
• aṭ-Ṭabarī, The History of al-Ṭabarī, transl. William Montgomery Watt and Michael V McDonald, vol. 6, Muḥammad at Mecca (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1989), 67–76. [Primary source]
• Qurʾān 96.1–19 (Sūrat al-ʿAlaq). [Primary source]

Recommended reading:

• Jonathan Berkey, The Formation of Islam: Religion and society in the Near East, 600–1800 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 3–9.
• Frederick Mathewson Denny, An Introduction to Islam, 4^th ed. (Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2011), 32–46.

II. Classical and mediæval Islamic political rule

4. The Early Islamic community

Required reading:

• Jonathan Berkey, The Formation of Islam: Religion and society in the Near East, 600–1800 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 70–85, 102–123.
• Moojan Momen, An Introduction to Shiʿi Islam: The History and doctrines of Twelver Shiʿism (Oxford: George Ronald, 1985), 11–22.
• Fred McGraw Donner, ‘The Formation of the Islamic state’, Journal of the American Oriental Society 106.2 (April–June 1986), 283–296.

Recommended reading:

• Fred McGraw Donner, Introduction to The Expansion of the early Islamic state, ed. Fred McGraw Donner (Aldershot, UK/Burlington: Ashgate/Variorum, 2008), xiii-xxxi.
• Khalid Yahya Blankinship, ‘Imārah, khilāfah, and imāmah: The Origin of the succession to the Prophet Muḥammad’, in Shiʿite heritage: Essays on classical and modern traditions, ed. Lynda Clarke (Binghamton: Global Publications, 2001), 19–43.

5. The Classical Islamic caliphate

Quiz #1

Required reading:

• Black, Islamic political thought, 9–17.
• Jonathan Berkey, The Formation of Islam: Religion and society in the Near East, 600–1800 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 70–85, 102–123.
• Roy Parviz Mottahedeh and Ridwan al-Sayyid, ‘The Idea of the jihād in Islam before the Crusades’, in The Crusades from the perspective of Byzantium and the Muslim world, ed. Angeliki E Laiou and Roy Parviz Mottahedeh (Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 2001), 23–29.
• Majid Khadduri, ‘The Juridical theory of the Islamic state’, The Muslim World 41.3 (July 1951), 181–185 (DOI 10.1111/j.1478-1913.1951.tb02522.x).
• Ira Marvin Lapidus, ‘The Separation of state and religion in the development of early Islamic society’, International Journal of Middle East Studies 6.4 (October 1975), 363–385 (DOI 10.1017/S0020743800025344).

Recommended reading:

• Crone and Hinds, God’s caliph, 24–42.
• Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb, ‘The Evolution of government in early Islam’, Studia Islamica 4 (1955), 5–17.
• Dominique Sourdel, ‘The ʿAbbasid caliphate’, in The Cambridge history of Islam, ed. Peter Malcolm Holt, Ann Katharine Swynford Lambton, and Bernard Lewis, vol. 1A, The Central Islamic lands from pre-Islamic times to the First World War (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1970), 104–139 (DOI 10.1017/CHOL9780521219464.006).

6. The Emergence of Islamic law and Sunnī traditionalism

Required reading:

• Black, Islamic political thought, 32–39.
• Jonathan Berkey, The Formation of Islam: Religion and society in the Near East, 600–1800 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 141–151.
• Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb, ‘Some considerations on the Sunni theory of the caliphate’, Archives d’histoire du droit oriental 3 (1939), 401–410.
• Patricia Crone, God’s rule: Government and Islam (New York City: Columbia University Press, 2004), 125–141.

Recommended reading:

• Alexander Knysh, ‘“Orthodoxy” and “heresy” in medieval Islam: An Essay in reassessment’, The Muslim World 83.1 (January 1993), 48–67 (DOI 10.1111/j.1478-1913.1993.tb03565.x).

7. The Development of Shīʿī Islam

Required reading:

• Black, Islamic political thought, 40–49.
• Jonathan Berkey, The Formation of Islam: Religion and society in the Near East, 600–1800 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 130–140.
• Moojan Momen, An Introduction to Shiʿi Islam: The History and doctrines of Twelver Shiʿism (Oxford: George Ronald, 1985), 147–171.
• William Montgomery Watt, ‘The Significance of the early stages of Imami Shiʿism’, in Religion and politics in Iran: Shiʿism from quietism to revolution, ed. Nikki Ragozin Keddie (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983), 21–32.

Recommended reading:

• Marshall Goodwin Simms Hodgson, ‘How did the early Shîʿa become sectarian?’, Journal of the American Oriental Society 75.1 (January–March 1955), 1–13.
• Etan Kohlberg, ‘From Imāmiyya to Ithnā-ʿashariyya’, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 39.3 (1976), 521–534 (DOI 10.1017/S0041977X00050989).

8. Turco-Persian rule and political philosophy—I

Quiz #2

Required reading:

• Black, Islamic political thought, 50–78.
• Richard Nelson Frye, The Golden age of Persia: The Arabs in the East (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1975), 213–230.

Recommended reading:

• Clifford Edmund Bosworth, ‘The Heritage of rulership in early Islamic Iran and search for dynastic connection’, Iran 11 (1973), 51–62.
• Heribert Busse, ‘The Revival of Persian kingship under the Būyids’, in Islamic civilisation, 950–1150: A Colloquium published under the auspices of the Near Eastern History Group, Oxford, the Near East Center, University of Pennsylvania, ed. Donald Sidney Richards (Oxford: Cassirer, 1973), 47–69.
• Roy Parviz Mottahedeh, Loyalty and leadership in an early Islamic society, Revised ed. (London/New York City: I B Tauris, 2001), 175–190.

9. Turco-Persian rule and political philosophy—II

Required reading:

• Black, Islamic political thought, 81–96, 111–117.
• Jonathan Berkey, The Formation of Islam: Religion and society in the Near East, 600–1800 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 203–215.
• Roy Parviz Mottahedeh, ‘Some attitudes towards monarchy and absolutism in the eastern Islamic world in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries A.D.’, Israel Oriental Studies 10 (1980), 86–91.
• Neẓām ol-Molk, The Book of government or rules for kings: The Siyāsat-nāma or Siyar al-mulūk of Niẓām al-Mulk, transl. Hubert Seymour Garland Darke (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1960), 9–13. [Primary source]

Recommended reading:

• Ann Katharine Swynford Lambton, ‘Quis custodiet custodes? Some reflections on the Persian theory of government’, Studia Islamica 5 (1956), 125–148 & 6 (1956), 125–146.
• Erwin I J Rosenthal, ‘The Role of the state in Islam: Theory and the medieval practice’, Der Islam 50.1 (January 1973), 1–28 (DOI 10.1515/islm.1973.50.1.1).
• Deborah Gerber Tor, ‘A Tale of two murders: Power relations between caliph and sultan in the Saljūq era’, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft 159 (2009), 279–297.

10. Mediæval Islamic political thinkers

Required reading:

• Black, Islamic political thought, 97–110, 158–163, 169–192.
• Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb, ‘al-Mâwardî’s theory of the khilâfah’, Islamic Culture 11.3 (July 1937), 291–302.

Recommended reading:

• Leonard Binder, ‘al-Ghazālī’s theory of Islamic government’, The Muslim World 45.3 (July 1955), 229–241 (DOI 10.1111/j.1478-1913.1955.tb02227.x).
• Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb, ‘The Islamic background of Ibn Khaldūn’s political theory’, Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies 7.1 (February 1933), 23–31 (DOI 10.1017/S0041977X00105361).
• Donald P Little, ‘Did Ibn Taymiyya have a screw loose?’, Studia Islamica 41 (1975), 93–111.
• Malik Mufti, ‘Jihad as statecraft: Ibn Khaldun on the conduct of war and empire’, History of Political Thought 30.3 (Autumn 2009), 385–410.
• Sherman A Jackson, ‘Ibn Taymiyyah on trial in Damascus’, Journal of Semitic Studies 39.1 (Spring 1994), 41–85 (DOI 10.1093/jss/XXXIX.1.41).

11. Religion and state in the Ottoman and Ṣafavid Empires

Required reading:

• Black, Islamic political thought, 195–239.
• Roger Savory, ‘The Safavid state and polity’, Iranian Studies 7.1–2 (Winter–Spring 1974), 179–212 (DOI 10.1080/00210867408701463).

Recommended reading:

• Saïd Amir Arjomand, The Shadow of God and the Hidden Imam: Religion, political order, and societal change in Shiʿite Iran from the beginning to 1890 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984), 109–121.
• Halil İnalcık, The Ottoman Empire: The Classical age, 1300–1600, transl. Norman Itzkowitz and Colin Imber (London: Phoenix Press, 1973), 55–75.
• Kathryn Babayan, ‘The Safavid synthesis: From Qizilbash Islam to Imamite Shiʿism’, Iranian Studies 27.1–4 (1994), 135–161 (DOI 10.1080/00210869408701824).

III. The Emergence of modern Islamism

12. Islamic response and revival in the Nineteenth Century

Required reading:

• Black, Islamic political thought, 281–295, 300–303.
• Ira Marvin Lapidus, A History of Islamic societies, 3^rd ed. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014), 511–523.
• Ira Marvin Lapidus, ‘State and religion in Islamic societies’, Past and Present 151 (May 1996), 3–27.

Recommended reading:

• Black, Islamic political thought, 256–277.
• * John Obert Voll, ‘Foundations for renewal and reform: Islamic movements in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries’, in The Oxford history of Islam, ed. John L Esposito (New York City: Oxford University Press, 1999), 509–547.
• Fazlur Rahman, ‘Revival and reform in Islam’, in The Cambridge history of Islam, ed. Peter Malcolm Holt, Ann Katharine Swynford Lambton, and Bernard Lewis, vol. 2B, Islamic society and civilization (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1970), 632–656 (DOI 10.1017/CHOL9780521219495.009).
• Kemal H Karpat, ‘The Transformation of the Ottoman state, 1789–1908’, International Journal of Middle East Studies 3.3 (July 1972), 243–281 (DOI 10.1017/S0020743800025010).
• Nikki Ragozin Keddie, ‘The Pan-Islamic appeal: Afghani and Abdülhamid II’, Middle Eastern Studies 3.1 (October 1966), 46–67 (DOI 10.1080/00263206608700061).
• Nikki Ragozin Keddie, ‘The Roots of the ulama’s power in modern Iran’, Studia Islamica 29 (1969), 31–53.
• Ahmad S Dallal, ‘The Origins and objectives of Islamic revivalist thought, 1750–1850’, Journal of the American Oriental Society 113.3 (July–September 1993), 341–359 (DOI 10.2307/605385).

13. Founders of Islamism

Quiz #3

Required reading:

• Armajani, Modern Islamist movements, 37–48.
• * Nikki Ragozin Keddie, ‘Sayyid Jamal al-Din “al-Afghani”’, in Pioneers of Islamic revival, ed. Ali Rahnema (London/New York City: Zed Books, 2005), 11–29.
• Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad, ‘Muhammad Abduh: Pioneer of Islamic reform’, in Pioneers of Islamic revival, ed. Ali Rahnema (London/New York City: Zed Books, 2005), 30–63.

Recommended reading:

• Ayoob, Many faces of political Islam, 22–41.
• Nikki Ragozin Keddie, ‘Religion and irreligion in early Iranian nationalism’, Comparative Studies in Society and History 4.3 (April 1962), 265–295 (DOI 10.1017/S0010417500012330).
• * Ana Belén Soage, ‘Rashīd Ridā’s legacy’, The Muslim World 98.1 (January 2008), 1–23 (DOI ‘10.1111/j.1478-1913.2008.00208.x).
• Nikki Ragozin Keddie, Sayyid Jamāl ad-Dīn ‘al-Afghānī’: A Political biography (Berkeley/Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1972), 335–372.
• Mangol Bayat-Philipp, ‘The Concepts of religion and government in the thought of Mîrzâ Âqâ Khân Kirmânî, a Nineteenth-Century Persian revolutionary’, International Journal of Middle East Studies 5.4 (September 1974), 381–400 (DOI 10.1017/S0020743800025502).

14. Salafism and Wahhābism

Mid-term paper due

Required reading:

• Armajani, Modern Islamist movements, 122–138.
• Quintan Wiktorowicz, ‘Anatomy of the Salafi movement’, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 29.3 (2006), 207–239 (DOI 10.1080/10576100500497004).

Recommended reading:

• Joseph A Kéchichian, ‘The Role of the ulama in the politics of an Islamic state: The Case of Saudi Arabia’, International Journal of Middle East Studies 18.1 (February 1986), 53–71 (DOI 10.1017/S002074380003021X).
• Anouar Boukhars, ‘At the crossroads: Saudi Arabia’s dilemmas’, Journal of Conflict Studies 26.1 (Summer 2006), 16–34.
• Henri Lauzière, ‘The Construction of Salafiyya: Reconsidering Salafism from the perspective of conceptual history’, International Journal of Middle East Studies 42.3 (August 2010), 369–389 (DOI 10.1017/S0020743810000401).

15. The Radicalisation of Islamist discourse

Required reading:

• Black, Islamic political thought, 304–310.
• Armajani, Modern Islamist movements, 48–62.
• L Carl Brown, Religion and state: The Muslim approach to politics (New York City: Columbia University Press, 2000), 134–160.
• Olivier Roy, The Failure of political Islam, transl. Carol Volk (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1994), 35–47.
• Selections by Ḥasan al-Bannāʾ and Sayyid Quṭb, in Barry M Rubin and Judith Rubin, eds., Anti-American terrorism and the Middle East: A Documentary reader (New York City/Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002), 27–28, 29–32. [Primary source]

Recommended reading:

• * Selections by Ḥasan al-Bannāʾ, Abū al-Aʿlā al-Mawdūdī, and Sayyid Quṭb, in Euben and Zaman, 56–78, 86–106, 136–154. [Primary source]
• Ayoob, Many faces of political Islam, 64–89.
• Emmanuel Sivan, Radical Islam: Medieval theology and modern politics (New Haven/London: Yale University Press, 1990), 16–49, 83–129.
• Ahmad S Moussalli, ‘Sayyid Qutb: Founder of radical Islamic political ideology’, in Routledge handbook of political Islam, ed. Shahram Akbarzadeh (New York City: Routledge, 2011), 9–26.
• Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad, ‘The Qurʾanic justification for an Islamic revolution: The View of Sayyid Quṭb’, Middle East Journal 37.1 (Winter 1983), 14–29.
• Gilles Kepel, Muslim extremism in Egypt: The Prophet and pharaoh, transl. Jon Rothschild (Berkeley/Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2003), 36–69, 191–222.
• Roxanne Leslie Euben, Enemy in the mirror: Islamic fundamentalism and the limits of modern rationalism (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1999), 49–92.

16. Militant and global jihādism—I

Research paper proposal due

Required reading:

• Armajani, Modern Islamist movements, 62–78. 138–155.
• Bernard Lewis, ‘License to kill: Usama bin Ladin’s declaration of jihad’, Foreign Affairs 77.6 (November–December 1998), 14–19.
• Selection by Muḥammad ʿAbd as-Salām Faraj, in Euben and Zaman, 327–343. [Primary source]

Recommended reading:

• Ayoob, Many faces of political Islam, 131–151.
• Kepel. Jihad, 299–322.
• Selections by ʿUmar ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān and Usāmah Bin Lādin in Euben and Zaman, 350–355, 436–459. [Primary source]
• * Rohan Gunaratna and Aviv Oreg, ‘al Qaeda’s organizational structure and its evolution’, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 33.12 (December 2010), 1043–1078 (DOI 10.1080/1057610X.2010.523860).
• Peter Mandaville, ‘The New transnationalism: Globalising Islamic movements’, in The New Cambridge history of Islam, ed. Robert W Hefner, vol. 6, Muslims and modernity: Culture and society since 1800 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 198–217 (DOI 10.1017/CHOL9780521844437.008).
• Nimrod Raphaeli, ‘Ayman Muhammad Rabiʾ al-Zawahiri: The Making of an arch-terrorist’, Terrorism and Political Violence 14.4 (Winter 2002), 1–22 (DOI 10.1080/714005636).
• Mohamed Nawab Bin Mohamed Osman, ‘Hizb ut-Tahrir’, in Routledge handbook of political Islam, ed. Shahram Akbarzadeh (New York City: Routledge, 2011), 89–104.
• Emmanuel Sivan, ‘The Holy war tradition in Islam’, Orbis 42.2 (Spring 1998), 171–194.

17. Militant and global jihādism—II

Required reading:

• Michael Scott Doran, ‘Somebody else’s civil war’, Foreign Affairs 81.1 (January–February 2002), 22–42.
• Barak Mendelsohn, ‘10.1080/00396338.2011.586187).
• Selection by Ayman aẓ-Zawāhirī, in Barry M Rubin and Judith Rubin, eds., Anti-American terrorism and the Middle East: A Documentary reader (New York City/Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002), 131–133. [Primary source]
• Abū Bakr al-Baghdādī, ‘Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appears in video, delivers sermon in Mosul’, SITE Intelligence Group, INSITE Blog on Terrorism & Extremism, 05 July 2014.. [Primary source]

Recommended reading:

• * Mohammed M Hafez, ‘Takfir and violence against Muslims’, in Fault lines in global jihad: Organizational, strategic, and ideological fissures, ed. Assaf Moghadam and Brian Fishman (New York City: Routledge, 2011), 25–46.
• Malise Ruthven, ‘The Eleventh of September and the Sudanese Mahdiya in the context of Ibn Khaldun’s theory of Islamic history’, International Affairs 78.2 (April 2002), 339–351 (DOI 10.1111/1468-2346.00254).

IV. Regional Islamist movements

18. Islamist movements in South and Central Asia

Required reading:

• Armajani, Modern Islamist movements, 164–183, 188–213.
• Shahram Akbarzadeh, ‘Islamism reaches Central Asia’, in Routledge handbook of political Islam, ed. Shahram Akbarzadeh (New York City: Routledge, 2011), 119–128.
• Sysan Sypko, ‘Tajiks wrestle with identity and Islam’, Far Eastern Economic Review 170.8 (October 2007), 41–45.
• Selection by Ṭālibān‎, in Euben and Zaman, 415–424. [Primary source]

Recommended reading:

• Kepel. Jihad, 136–150.
• Vitalii Viacheslavovich Naumkin, Radical Islam in Central Asia: Between pen and rifle (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2005), 201–260.
• Shirin Akiner, ‘The Politicisation of Islam in Postsoviet Central Asia’, Religion, State and Society 31.2 (2003), 97–122 (DOI 10.1080/09637490308282).
• Svante E Cornell, ‘Narcotics, radicalism, and armed conflict in Central Asia: The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan’, Terrorism and Political Violence 17.4 (Winter 2005), 619–639 (DOI 10.1080/095465591009395).

19. Islamist movements in West and East Africa

Quiz #4

Required reading:

• Mikhaʾel Tanchum, ‘’, Middle Eastern Studies 50.6 (November 2014), 992–1005 (DOI 10.1080/00263206.2014.933420).
• Jeffrey Haynes, ‘Islamic militancy in East Africa’, Third World Quarterly 26.8 (2005), 1321–1339 (DOI 10.1080/01436590500336807).
• Princeton N Lyman and J Stephen Morrison, ‘The Terrorist threat in Africa’, Foreign Affairs 83.1 (January–February 2004), 75–86.
• Oscar Gakuo Mwangi, ‘State collapse, al-Shabaab, Islamism, and legitimacy in Somalia’, Politics, Religion & Ideology 13.4 (2012), 513–527 (DOI 10.1080/21567689.2012.725659).

20. Islamist movements in the Maghrib, Southeastern Asia, and Europe

Required reading:

• Bruce Maddy-Weitzman and Meir Litvak, ‘Islamism and the state in North Africa’, in Revolutionaries and reformers: Contemporary Islamist movements in the Middle East, ed. Barry M Rubin (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2003), 69–90.
• Peter Chalk, ‘Separatism and Southeast Asia: The Islamic factor in southern Thailand, Mindanao, and Aceh’, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 24.4 (2001), 241–269 (DOI 10.1080/10576100116748).
• Leslie S Lebl, ‘10.1016/j.orbis.2009.10.005).

Recommended reading:

• Kepel. Jihad, 88–98, 159–202.
• * Andrew T H Tan, ‘Armed Muslim separatist rebellion in Southeast Asia: Persistence, prospects, and implications’, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 23.4 (2000), 267–288 (DOI 10.1080/10576100050174986).
• Ira Marvin Lapidus, A History of Islamic societies, 3^rd ed. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014), 802–825.
• Zachary Abuza, ‘Tentacles of terror: al Qaeda’s Southeast Asian network’, Contemporary Southeast Asia 24.3 (December 2002), 427–465.
• Vincent J H Houben, ‘Southeast Asia and Islam’, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 588.1 (July 2003), 149–170 (DOI 10.1177/0002716203588001010).
• Robert S Leiken, ‘Past events ► click to expand
• 03 November 2024—‘“The Arab-Israelite conquest”: Biblical models and the historiography of the Arab-Islamic expansion’ (17^th annual conference of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa): Washington Georgetown Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC. [Withdrawn due to war.]
• 01 November 2024, 09.00 (EST)—‘Persianate studies’, Association for the Study of Persianate Societies roundtable discussion (Zoom).
• 13 August 2024, 9.30—‘The Return of Iran: Iranian nationalist rhetoric during the Iran-Iraq War’ (14^th biennial conference of the Association for Iranian Studies): Mexico City, Mexico. [Withdrawn due to war.]
• 06 June 2024, 18.30—‘Crisis of authority and authority during crisis: Shoghi Effendi’s succession and the State of Israel’ (Hebrew University Chair in Bahaʾi Studies Public Lecture): Hebrew University, Jerusalem (Zoom).
• 15 May 2024, 16.30—‘Shoghi Effendi and the development of Bahāʾī-Israeli relations’’ (Il Condominio Italian Bahāʾī forum): Rome, Italy (Zoom).
• 08 May 2024, 14.15—‘Category imperative: The Establishment of the Bahāʾī Department in the Israeli Ministry for Religious Affairs’’ (47^th annual conference of the Middle East & Islamic Studies Association of Israel): Open University, Raʿanannah, Israel.
• 15 February 2024, 19.00—‘Historical scholarship on ʿAbd al-Bahāʾ: On Joshua Lincoln’s ʿAbduʾl-Bahā ʿAbbās: Head of the Bahāʾī faith: A Life in social and regional context (2024)’ (Hebrew University Chair in Bahaʾi Studies Book Launch): Hebrew University, Jerusalem (Zoom).
• 09 February 2024, 08.10—‘The Middle East: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam’ (Parents’ campus lectures, ha-Ḥiṭṭah State School): Derekh Aharon 4, Zikhron Yaʿaqov, Israel.
• 01 February 2024, 18.00—‘Israel-Hamas war’ (Oklahoma International Law Society panel, University of Oklahoma College of Law): 300 W Timberdell Rd, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 05 January 2024, 13.00—‘The Israel-Hamas war: Q&A’ (Rashi Israel Kehillah Community talk, Rashi School): 8000 Great Meadow Rd, Dedham, Massachusetts (Zoom).
• 14 December 2023, 12.00—‘Welcome and introduction: A Festschrift for Prof. Avigdor Levy’ (Department of Near Eastern & Judaic Studies, Brandeis University): Atrium, Abraham Shapira Academic Center, 415 South St, Waltham, Massachusetts.
• 08 December 2023, 13.00—‘The Israel-Hamas war and where do we go from here?’ (Rashi Israel Kehillah Community talk, Rashi School): 8000 Great Meadow Rd, Dedham, Massachusetts (Zoom).
• 05 November 2023—‘“The Arab-Israelite conquest”: Biblical models and the historiography of the Arab-Islamic expansion’ (16^th annual conference of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa): Washington Georgetown Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC. [Withdrawn due to war.]
• 24 October 2023, 12.00—‘“Black Sabbath” and the Israel-Gaza War’ (OLLI special lecture, University of Oklahoma): Norman, Oklahoma (Zoom).
• 11 June 2023, 17.00—‘The State of Israel and the succession to Shoghi Effendi’ (Shaykhi, Babi, and Bahaʾi Studies Oxford Seminar): Oxford, England (online).
• 16 June 2023, 08.10—‘The Religion and world of Islam’ (Parents’ campus lectures, ha-Ḥiṭṭah State School): Derekh Aharon 4, Zikhron Yaʿaqov, Israel.
• 01 June 2023, 11.00—‘Sāsānian war elephants and Islamic historical memory’ (9^th biennial congress of the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies): Yerevan, Armenia.
• 27 April 2023, 11.15—‘A Bahāʾī leadership proclamation from 28 November 1957: The Israel State Archives as an insurance policy’ (46^th annual conference of the Middle East & Islamic Studies Association of Israel): Rabin Complex 5002, Haifa University, Haifa, Israel.
• 06 November 2022, 08.30—‘Sāsānian war elephants and Islamic historical memory’ (15^th annual conference of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa): Washington Georgetown Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC.
• 09 June 2022, 11.15—‘Yaḥaséy ha-gōmelīn she-béyn ḥéqer ha-dāt ha-Bahāʾīt we-héqer Erets Yiśrāʾél: Meḥqār we-sīmbyōzāh [The Relations between Bahāʾī studies and Israel studies: Scholarship and symbiosis]’ (45^th annual conference of the Middle East & Islamic Studies Association of Israel): Multi-Purpose Room 1, Shalem College, Jerusalem, Israel.
• 15 November 2021, 08.30—‘“The People have multiplied”, the narrative has multiplied: A Matn-cum-isnād analysis of the Bajīlah’s “fourth”’ (14^th annual conference of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa): Washington Georgetown Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC.
• 28–31 October 2021—‘Hand of God or turn of fate? Christian and Zoroastrian responses to the Arab-Islamic conquests’ (55^th annual meeting of the Middle East Studies Association): Palais des congrès, Montréal, Québec. [Withdrawn due to COVID-19.]
• 03 December 2020, 19.00—‘The Use and abuse of history in the Iran-Iraq War’ (Forty years after the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War: Cultural history, remembrance, commemoration, an online symposium of the Alliance Center for Iranian Studies, Tel-Aviv University): Zoom.
• October 2020—‘Hand of God or turn of fate? Christian and Zoroastrian responses to the Arab-Islamic conquests’ (54^th annual meeting of the Middle East Studies Association): Washington, DC. [Withdrawn due to COVID-19.]
• 27 August 2020—‘The Return of Iran: Iranian nationalist rhetoric during the Iran-Iraq War’ (13^th biennial conference of the Association for Iranian Studies): Salamanca, Spain. [Cancelled due to COVID-19.]
• 13 March 2020—‘Sāsānian war elephants and Islamic historical memory’ (9^th biennial congress of the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies): New Delhi, India. [Cancelled due to COVID-19.]
• 22 January 2020, 18.00—‘The Jewish experience under Islam’ (Via Sabra tour: ‘Following the footsteps of Jews from Arab lands’): Biblical Lands Museum, Jerusalem, Israel.
• 02 November 2019—‘From Muʾtah and the Bridge to al-Yarmūk and al-Qādisiyyah: Echoes of defeats and victories in the literature of Islamic historical writing’ (12^th annual conference of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa): Key Bridge Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC.
• 03 June 2019, 14.40—‘Religion or state? Symbols, rhetoric, and identity in wartime Iran’ (The Iranian Revolution at 40: A Reappraisal, a conference of the Alliance Center for Iranian Studies, Tel-Aviv University): 2nd floor, Wiener-Gross Building, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
• 08 February 2019, 09.20—‘Myths and facts of the modern Middle East’ (Wiesbaden High School): Floridastraße 26, Hainerberg Army Base, Wiesbaden, Germany.
• 03 November 2018, 12.30—‘Between Byzantium and Iran: Caucasian peoples and the Arab-Islamic conquests’ (11^th annual conference of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa): Key Bridge Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC.
• 09 October 2018, 17.30—‘Radical Islam: What makes it “radical”?’ (Oriental Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences): Národní 3, Room 108, Prague, Czech Republic.
• 06 September 2018, 12.00—‘Arab-Israeli conflict: Where to now?’ (Center for Middle East Studies brown-bag lecture series, University of Oklahoma): Farzaneh Hall 145, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 16 August 2018, 15.45—‘The “Fighting Persians” and the “Fighting Romans”: “Seventh-Century Madness” in later Muslim annals’ (12^th biennial conference of the Association for Iranian Studies): Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture, University of California, Irvine, California.
• 20 July 2018, 11.30—‘Remembering the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah: History and memory in early Islamic civilisation’ (5^th World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies): Seville, Spain.
• 11 April 2018, 11.30—‘What is radical Islam and why is it so “radical”?’ (University of Oklahoma in the United Kingdom): Lakenheath Air Force Base, Lakenheath Education Centre, Building 948, Room 205, Lakenheath, England.
• 17 March 2018, 16.00—‘Armenians, Georgians, and Albanians and the initial Sāsānian response to the Arab-Islamic expansion’ (8^th biennial congress of the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies): Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia.
• 21 November 2017, 10.30—‘Call-and-response battles in Syria and Iraq: The Literary construction of Islamic collective memory’ (51^st annual meeting of the Middle East Studies Association): Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DC.
• 15 November 2017, 15.00—‘Tajikistan between Iran and Islam: Nationalism and identity in post-Soviet Central Asia’ (Farzaneh Family Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies, University of Oklahoma): Farzaneh Hall 145, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 07 November 2017, 17.30—‘Minorities and the Jewish state: The Druze, Circassian, and Bahāʾī communities of Israel’ (International Studies Lecture, Texas A&M University): Harrington Education Center 108, 540 Ross St, College Station, Texas.
• 07 November 2017, 12.00—‘What is radical Islam and why is it so “radical”?’ (Institute for International and Immigration Law, Texas Southern University): 3100 Clerbourne St, Room 105/106, Houston, Texas.
• 06 November 2017, 10.00—‘“Micro-minorities” in Israel: Druze, Circassian, and Baháʾí communities and the Jewish State’ (International Studies Institute, University of New Mexico): Lobo A & B, Room 3037/3039, Student Union Building, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
• 03 November 2017, 18.15—‘Jewish and Christian minorities in the mediæval Islamic world’ (Medieval Fair Lecture Series, Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies, University of Oklahoma): Norman Public Library West, 300 Norman Center Court, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 20 October 2017—‘Iranian exiles in Istanbul and Ottoman–Qājār relations’ (10^th annual conference of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa): Key Bridge Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC.
• 01 April 2017, 18.00—‘What is the Middle East?’ (Moore Baháʾí Cultural Event): 1516 SW 38th Street, Moore, Oklahoma.
• 28 October 2016, 10.30—‘Iranians, Ottomans, and Europeans in the Nineteenth-Century entrepôt of Istanbul’ (9^th annual conference of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa): Key Bridge Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC.
• 04 August 2016, 08.45—‘Under the banner of Iran: The Derafsh-e kāveyān as a changing emblem of Iranian identity from the Sāsānian era to the present’ (11^th biennial conference of the International Society of Iranian Studies): Vienna, Austria.
• 21 June 2016, 09.00—‘Beyond “Israel studies”: The Case of Bahāʾīs and Jews in the Holy Land, 1917–1957’ (32^nd annual meeting of the Association for Israel Studies): Jerusalem, Israel.
• 04 May 2016, 11.00—‘The Holocaust and our world today’ (panel participant) (Holocaust Remembrance and Restitution Society’s Holocaust Remembrance Week): Beaird Lounge, Oklahoma Memorial Union, 900 Asp Ave, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 03 May 2016, 20.00—‘Jews, Christians, and Ottoman society: Minorities under Islam’ (Second Wind Ministries and Episcopal Student Association): Second Wind Coffee House, 564 Buchanan Ave, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 14 April 2016, 18.30—‘Israel: Ask me anything’ (Hillel at the University of Oklahoma): 494 Elm Avenue, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 01 April 2016, 12.00—‘What makes radical Islam so radical? Understanding radical Islam and Salafism in the Middle East’ (Cleveland County Democrats Corn Bread and Beans lecture series): West Wind Unitarian Universalist Church, 1309 West Boyd St, Norman, Oklahoma. [Norman Transcript article] [Red Dirt Report article]
• 17 March 2016, 16.00—‘Epic encounters? Narrative, archetypes, and myth in Islamic historiography’ (Interdisciplinary Islamic Studies Seminar and Islamic Studies Program lecture series, University of Michigan): International Institute, Room 1644, 1080 S University Ave, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
• 18 March 2016, 11.00—‘Vernacular Islam’ (Interdisciplinary Islamic Studies Seminar workshop, University of Michigan): International Institute, Room 1644, 1080 S University Ave, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
• 06 March 2016, 19.00—‘Reflections on the future: How societies use religion, memory, and conflict to define and maintain their identities’ (Tulsa Jewish United Fund Campaign kickoff lecture and reception, Jewish Federation of Tulsa): Charles Schusterman Jewish Community Center, Sylvan Auditorium, 2021 E 71st Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
• 29 February 2016, 18.30—‘Israel: Ask me anything’ (Hillel at the University of Oklahoma): 494 Elm Avenue, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 08 February 2016, 12.00—‘Israel and the Palestinian territories in 2015—A Retrospective’ (Center for Middle East Studies brown-bag lecture series, University of Oklahoma): Hester Hall 145, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 22 November 2015, 08.30—‘From Israelites to Muslims: Biblical paradigms in the Futūḥ literature’ (49^th annual meeting of the Middle East Studies Association): Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel, Denver, Colorado.
• 09 November 2015, 19.00—‘Recent trends and tensions in Israeli politics and society’ (Jewish University adult education series, Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City): Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City, 710 W Wilshire Blvd, Suite 103, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
• 30 October 2015, 08.30—‘The Derafsh-e kāveyān: The Pre-Islamic Iranian national standard in myth, history, and memory’ (8^th annual conference of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa): Key Bridge Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC.
• 20 October 2015, 19.15—‘Israel 101’ (Hillel at the University of Oklahoma): 494 Elm Ave, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 07 October 2015, 20.00—‘The Rise of Islam and the Arab-Islamic conquests in their historical perspective’ (Episcopal Student Association, St Anselm of Canterbury Episcopal Student Center): 800 Elm Avenue, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 09 September 2015, 15.15 (Panel 16)—‘Symbols of (Iranian) empire: Banners, thrones, carpets, and pearls in Arab-Islamic conquest narratives’ (7^th biennial congress of the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies): Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, İstanbul, Turkey.
• 04 May 2015—‘Finding truth in the Futūḥ: Challenges in studying the Arab-Islamic conquests’ (Department of Near Eastern Studies colloquium series, Cornell University): White Hall, Ithaca, New York.
• 23 March 2015, 19.00—‘From Protective Edge to pre-emptive elections: Israeli news and analysis’ (Jewish University adult education series, Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City): Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City, 710 W Wilshire Blvd, Suite 103, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
• 16 March 2015, 18.00—‘Radical Islam and the Arab-Israeli conflict’ (‘Arab-Israeli conflict’ guest lecture, Tulane University): Dinwiddie Hall 103G, New Orleans, Louisiana.
• 14 March 2015, 09.00—‘The (Gem) star-spangled banner yet waves’: Iranian priceless treasures in early Islamic history and memory’, (225^th meeting of the American Oriental Society): Crowne Plaza French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana.
• 10 March 2015, 12.00—‘Israeli elections primer: Understanding and interpreting the 17 March 2015 elections’ (Department of International & Area Studies, University of Oklahoma): Hester Hall 145, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 08 March 2015, 18.30—‘Israeli culture and cuisine’ (Faculty-in-Residence country culture night, University of Oklahoma): Kraettli Faculty-in-Residence House, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 11 February 2015, 12.00—‘Narratives of Islamic historiography: Reading historical texts as literature’ (Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies brown-bag lecture series, University of Oklahoma): Ellison Hall 132, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 14 December 2014, 09.30—‘Bahāʾīs and Jews in the Holy Land, 1917–1957: Symbiosis and scholarship’ (46^th annual conference of the Association for Jewish Studies): Hilton Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland.
• 23 November 2014, 14.00—‘Hero and Trickster in early Islamic historiography: The Case of the Qādisiyyah narratives’ (48^th annual meeting of the Middle East Studies Association): Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DC.
• 01 November 2014—‘From Settlement to Symbol: al-Qadisiyyah and the dehistoricisation of memory in mediæval narratives, sermons, and poetry’ (7^th annual conference of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa): Key Bridge Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC.
• 31 October 2014—‘Myth and memory in Islamic narratives: Saʿd and Abū Miḥjan at the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah’ (7^th annual conference of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa): Key Bridge Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC.
• 08 August 2014—‘Rostam’s death at al-Qādisiyyah: Early representations of Iranian identity in Islamic narratives’ (10^th biennial conference of the International Society of Iranian Studies): Montréal, Québec.
• 18 April 2014, 12.00—‘The Iran-Iraq war of words: Enlisting nationalism and religion in combat’ (Center for the Study of Nationalism lecture series, University of Oklahoma): Ellison Hall 132, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 03 April 2014, 18.30—‘Israel and the US’ (Foreign Policy Association’s Great Decisions series): Norman Public Library, 225 North Webster Street, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 15 March 2014—‘Rustam’s death at al-Qādisiyya and the development of an Islamic Iranian identity’ (224^th meeting of the American Oriental Society): Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort, Phoenix, Arizona.
• 08 March 2014, 14.30—‘Iranian and Islamic heritage and the formation of Tajiki national identity’ (After the Persianate: Cultural heritage and national transformation in modern Iran and India, a conference of the Iranian Studies Program, College of International Studies, University of Oklahoma): Wagner Hall 135, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 28 February 2014, 18.30—‘The Tumultuous Seventh-Century: The Arab-Islamic conquests and the reshaping of the world’ (Medieval Fair Lecture Series, Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies, University of Oklahoma): Norman Public Library, A/B Room, 225 North Webster Street, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 05 January 2014, 17.00—‘Creating and constructing heroes and anti-heroes in early Islamic historiography’ (1^st meeting of the Iranian Studies Research Group, Institute for the Study of Asia and Africa and the Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, Hebrew University): Faculty of the Humanities Building 5318, Hebrew University of Jerusalem—Mount Scopus campus, Jerusalem, Israel.
• 26 December 2013, 18.15—‘The Iran-Iraq war of words, memory, and religious history’ (Iran Forum, Alliance Center for Iranian Studies, Tel-Aviv University): Gilman Hall 133, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
• 22 November 2013—‘“First”, “second”, and “third” battles of al-Qādisiyyah in Iraq, Palestine, and Syria: Early Islamic history and memory in radical Islamist discourse’ (6^th annual conference of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa): Key Bridge Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC.
• 17 November 2013—‘The Baháʾí faith and the State of Israel’ (Edmond Baháʾí Center): 321 E Campbell Dr, Edmond, Oklahoma.
• 18 October 2013, 18.30—‘Jews, Judaism, Israel, and the Middle East’ (Norman Baháʾí Center): 526 Iowa St, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 06 October 2013, 12.00—‘Between Egypt, Syria, and the Palestinian Territories: Israel in today’s Middle East’ (Norman Jewish Community Organization): Hillel Building, 494 Elm Ave, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 03 September 2013, 08.00 (Panel 4)—‘The Death of Rostam: Literary representations of Iranian identity in early Islam’ (6^th biennial congress of the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies): Oriental Institute of Sarajevo and Bosniac Institute, Sarajevo, Bosnia.
• 01 February 2013, 20.30—‘History of the Baháʾí community in the Holy Land, 1917 to the present’ (Moore Baháʾí Cultural Event): 1516 SW 38th Street, Moore, Oklahoma.
• 18 January 2013, 12.00—‘An Israeli elections primer: Understanding and interpreting the 22 January 2013 elections’ (Department of International & Area Studies, University of Oklahoma): Hester Hall, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 07 January 2013, 18.30—‘The Rise of Jewish national identity in the modern world’ (Israel Cornell Club): Khan Museum of Ḥaderah, ha-Gibborim 74, Ḥaderah, Israel.
• 08 December 2012, 18.30—‘The Baháʾí faith in the Holy Land and Baháʾí-Israeli relations’ (Norman Baháʾí Center): 526 Iowa St, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 12 November 2012, 19.00—‘The Art of Zionism: Jewish national identity in the modern world’ (Jewish University adult education series, Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City): 710 W Wilshire St, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
• 12 October 2012, 14.15 (Panel 2)—‘History for a purpose: An Analysis of “Ṣaddām’s Qādisiyyah”’ (5^th annual conference of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa): Key Bridge Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC.
• 03 October 2012, 12.00—‘The Bahāʾī faith in Israel and its community’s relations with the Jewish state’ (JuSt Lunch Brown-Bag Lecture Series, Schusterman/Josey Program in Judaic & Israel Studies, University of Oklahoma): Gittinger Hall 109, 760 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, Oklahoma.
• 04 June 2008, 12.00—‘History and development of the Bahāʾī faith’ (Senior Adult Department Lecture Series, Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center): 333 Nahanton St, Newton Centre, Massachusetts.