Fall 2006

ANS 340 • Muslim Perspectives on Religious Diversity

Course Description

This course will treat major aspects of Muslim peoples' historical understandings of Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, "Paganism", Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism. It is a broad examination of Muslim discourses of religious pluralism and exclusivism from the period of classical Islam to the present. Readings will emphasize connection among various extra-religious identities (linguistic, ethnic, class, among others) and how these identities shade interpretations of religious diversity. Issues related to violence, secularism, nationalism, and globalization will also inform class readings and discussions.

Grading Policy

3 Critical Book Reviews 45% 1 Research paper 30% Class attendance, participation, and pop-quizzes 25%

Texts

Course packet Talal Asad, Formation of the Secular: Christianity, Islam, and Modernity Dara Shikoh, Confluence of the Two Oceans William Chittick, Imaginal Worlds: Ibn al Arabi and the Problem of the Religious Diversity Farid Esack, Quran, Liberation, and Pluralism: An Islmaic Perspective on Interreligious Solidarity Against Oppression Dan Cohn-Sherbok, Islam in a World of Diverse Faiths Bernard Lewis, The Jews of Islam Richard Bulliet, The Case for Islamo-Christian Civilation

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