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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Constitutional Struggles in the Muslim World by University of Copenhagen

4.8
stars
694 ratings

About the Course

Learn what motivates the restive Muslim youth from Tunis to Tehran, what political positions Islamists from Mali to Chechnya are fighting for, where the seeming obsession with Islamic law comes from, where the secularists have vanished to, and whether it makes sense to speak of an Islamic state. Since 2009 there has been a renewed wave of popular unrest sweeping throughout much of the Muslim world. Secular, but generally repressive and inefficient autocracies have come under pressure or been swept aside entirely. At the same, the various Islamic Republics have not fared much better, but been convulsed by internal unrest, economic and social decline. Throughout the Muslim lands, existing constitutional arrangements are being challenged, often very violently. This course is a survey of the constitutional ideas and institutions that have developed since the mid 19th century throughout predominantly Muslim countries, but its focus will lie on the actors that have dominated this discourse and shaped its outcomes. We will look at the large body of classical writings on the Islamic state only in so far as it is necessary to understand the contemporary debate, but concentrate on the legal and political developments of the 20th and 21st centuries. Three common themes will characterise the course:  We privilege the study of the legal and social reality and seek to highlight where it is at odds with dogmatic stipulations, be they religious or constitutional.  We seek to illustrate the practical tensions posed by limited administrative capabilities and political legitimacy that resulted from the incomplete reception of modern bureaucratic statehood.  We seek to examine how popular dissatisfaction with the practical performance of Muslim governments has fuelled demands for greater accountability under the guise of cultural authenticity.  Ultimately, the course aims to equip participants to better understand Muslim contemporary discourse about the res publica, better contextualise the demands for religious law in public life, and to better ascertain the theoretical and practical feasibility of postulated religious alternatives to the still-dominant secular model of governance....

Top reviews

TQ

Jan 25, 2016

Well organized and invested course. The course includes many knowledges, theories, ideologies and references to help the learners exploring and forming their own point of views. Highly recommend.

LP

Nov 22, 2015

This course is really interesting and informative. It gave me a much better understanding for the history and politics behind some of the issues we are all facing today, and really broadened my mind.

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176 - 200 of 220 Reviews for Constitutional Struggles in the Muslim World

By RODRIGUES, M P

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Feb 17, 2017

This is a great course, congratulations.

By Manuel L L

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Oct 27, 2016

Never have I taken such a better course.

By Juan D M N

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Nov 27, 2015

Great. Too useful. Excellent professor.

By JAVIER G R

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Apr 4, 2025

Excelente curso, bastante interesante.

By Emma B

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Feb 20, 2016

Excellent course. Highly recommend it.

By MJ B

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Aug 30, 2017

Excellent and far reaching course

By SUMAN S B L

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Apr 17, 2025

It's a great experience for me.

By UMAR T

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Feb 21, 2020

Very Knowledgeable instructor

By kaiser m i

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Oct 25, 2015

This is a wonderful course.

By Dr. R P

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Aug 12, 2020

REALLY FIVE STAR COURSE

By Tamar V

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Sep 19, 2017

Excellent course!

By Gipsi T

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Apr 25, 2016

Excellent course.

By small9

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Jan 5, 2016

Excellent course!

By Ruben B P

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Dec 28, 2015

Excellent course!

By Alexis I Y

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Jan 10, 2016

Excellent class!

By OLGA L G L

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Apr 19, 2025

EXCELENTE CURSO

By Andrés J C H

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Dec 7, 2017

Amazing course.

By Gonza M G

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Jul 4, 2017

me gusto mucho!

By Mustantik

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Dec 20, 2015

Great course

By Ricardo P

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Dec 21, 2016

Excellent!!

By Clemente G O C

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Nov 6, 2016

Excellent!

By ADOLFO C T

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Apr 22, 2024

increible

By Mahmoud E

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Jan 5, 2019

very good

By Ramon M M

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Sep 12, 2016

Great!

By George R H

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Nov 16, 2015

I