Politics of Islamism

ASSESSED ESSAY QUESTIONS

March 2017

Assessment for the module is:

1 x 3,000 word mid-term essay due Thursday 9th March 2017 (50%)
1 x 3,000 word end of term essay due Monday 15th May 2017 (50%)
Note: Failure to conform to the word limit will incur a penalty. All questions are subject to confirmation by the external examiner.

1) Do you agree with the view that the reformist project of 19th century Muslim thinkers like Jamal al-Din al-Afghani or Muhammad Abduh has been a failure? Explain.

2) Critically assess the influence which Sayyid Qutb’s notion of ‘Jihad’ has had on later generations of radical Islamists.

3) Discuss the role which Anti-Imperialism played in the success of the Iranian revolution.

4) Why did radical Islamist groups such as al-Gama’a al-Islamiya or Islamic Jihad fail to bring about the establishment of an ‘Islamic state’ in Egypt?

5) Critically evaluate Wahhabism’s contribution to the long-term stability of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.