RL 243B - Islam In Morocco And North Africa (French-taught)

This course aims to give a general overview of Islam from its beginnings till today. For a thorough understanding of its spirit, Islam is analyzed as a spiritual mission, as it started out with the commencement of the revelation of the Koran, through the first efforts of the pioneering Muslim scholars to devise a viable legal system during the dawn of the Islamic state era, to the pre-colonial time and the present day. An analysis is given about the causes and effects of the Ijtihad endeavor, its causes, principles, subject matter and concerns. Alongside with mysticism and Islamism, the Islamic culture is expounded through its main components, especially the family code (with such issues as marriage, divorce, inheritance, etc.), (sartorial, social, culinary, etc.) traditions, art (architecture, calligraphy, etc.) make important parts of the course. Much of the work will be done with special reference to Morocco.