230. DiscussionQu uestions- What does the Quran have to say about the place of
women? How forward- or backward-thinking was Muham-
mad's treatment of women for his time? What accounts for
the persistence of a practice such as female veiling in the
modern-day Muslim world? - What are the differences between Sunni and Shii Mus-
lims? What were the origins of this split within Islam? Did
it have theological underpinnings or was it merely po-
litically motivated? - What is the primary meaning of the word jihad? Explain
its significance in Islam. How did Muhammad understand
it? How do some modern-day fundamentalists understand it? - What are the roots of Islamic fundamentalism? How does
Islamic fundamentalism compare to fundamentalist move-
ments in other faiths? Are there certain of its precepts that
make Islam more prone to religious fanaticism? What his-
torical factors have contributed to anti-Western fundamen-
talism in Islam? - What have been some of the successes and failures of
modern-day Islamic nation-building? What particular chal-
lenges do postcolonial Islamic states face? What has been
a common problem with the way secularism has been im-
posed in the Muslim world? - What are some of the greatest challenges facing the
Islamic faith today? - What are the most common misperceptions about Islam
and the Muslim world in the West?