The Egyptian Struggle

As you know, Egypt is undergoing serious tensions in the aftermath of the 2011 revolt. Drawing on what you have learned this semester, how would you explain the current situation? What would need to happen for the secular opposition to be successful in pushing back on President Mursi's attempts to consolidate power?

Non-Violent Social Movements

As you know by now, 'non-violent' struggle is not about sitting around in circles singing Kumbaya. Quite the contrary, it's a highly strategic enterprise that usually entails significant risks to personal safety for those who take part. Zunes gives several examples of non-violent struggle in the MENA region while Dajani discusses the effectiveness of non-violent resistance in the first Palestinian Intifada. As we know twenty-five years later, the Intifada didn't lead to a resolution of the conflict. What did it achieve, if anything? What impact did it have on both the Palestinian and Israeli societies?

The Non-Violent Movement in Syria

Remember how we have talked about the Syrian revolt starting out non-violent? This report on the non-violent movement in Syria gives you a good overview of what has happened in Syria and where we are now. Please read and share your thoughts on your blogs.

Egypt, Islamists, and Social Movements

Last week, you had two readings on Egypt. Carrie Rosefsky Wickham's book is concerned with the question of what has motivated thousands of students and professionals across the Muslim world to join Islamic movements, despite the personal risks that such participation often entails. The chapter you read was on Nasser's 'silencing of protest.' How did Nasser silence opposition? In our current 'post-Arab Revolts' environment, why do you think Islamists in particular have yielded such successes at the ballot box?

NY Times Op-Ed on Bangladesh

Padawans,

There is no discussion question this week (I suspect you're busy enough with your midterm), but I would like to continue to expose you to what is happening in Bangladesh, and I encourage you to read this Op-Ed in the NY Times.

Even though Bangladesh is outside of the MENA region, which is our primary concern in this course, what is happening now is illustrative of several things we discuss in class. First, there is of course the non-violent mobilization itself, met with a violent response not by authorities, but by political parties opposing their objectives.

Second, Bangladesh is the third largest Muslim country in the world (or fourth, depending on which population numbers you trust) and the fact that there is a massive mobilization against Islamic fundamentalists and political impunity there should be of interest to us and the rest of the world.

Third, relating to our conversation in class on personal faith and political Islam, understand that this is not a matter of faith - people of faith are protesting against Islamists in Bangladesh right now - it is a rejection of having particular people's interpretation of religion dictate your political life. Bangladesh, born out of a cultural language movement, challenges the widespread notion that a Muslim country can't embrace secularism - it is no more impossible to be Muslim and believe in political secularism than it is to be Christian and believe in political secularism.      

Here Be Dragons...

This article about Hollywood's depiction of the world outside isn't quite on topic for our course, but it does speak to the issues of othering and fearing the dangerous world outside the US borders that we've been talking about, especially when it comes to the Muslim world. It also demonstrates that being a liberal or 'leftist' doesn't immunize you from these tendencies of exotizing and fearing the world outside.

Enjoy Oscar night!

Social Movements and the MENA State

You have two readings for this week - one on the potential of social movements as an avenue of democratic representation and one on the state in the MENA region. I want you to try to make a link between the two - how might social movements work/not work in the different types of states you find across the region? In other words, what opportunities and/or challenges do you see to social movements  functioning as an avenue of democratic participation in the region? And, in light of our conversation with Dr. Gene Sharp, how do you think these opportunities/challenges differ between revolutionary and non-revolutionary movements?