Erik Ringmar is professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Ibn Haldun University, Istanbul, Turkey. He has a PhD in political science from Yale University and taught for 12 years in the Government Department at the London School of Economics, and for seven years as a professor of international politics at Shanghai Jiaotong University, in Shanghai, China.  Erik has written five books and some 50 academic articles exploring the history of international relations both from European and non-European perspectives. His CV is here. His next book will deal with dance and international politics.

Who was Muhammed?

Leader, Mecca 571 — writing — Quran — discussing Muhammed =–

tribes, isahba, hajj, Kabal

Huge traibes — sedentary peoples — trading routes — Quarash — traders in the area —  a lot of Arabs were merchants — trading through Somalia and OMan — Meccas, a lot of gods — no one could imagine that this society would be changed — system of slavery

all rejected everything — new ideas in this movement — isolated from the big families — doing this mvoement secretly for ten years —

consolidation rather thnn exclusivity — exclusiionary vs. inclusionary —  — fulfillment of a prophecy — the coming of the profet — as a promise of the religion — God sends profet — people start to forget — Abrahamic religions — in Islam they believed in the boois — the teachings are the same — they refuse to believe and accept

messangers — why are they always fighting? Bible and Jewish version as destorted versions. Many different books of the Bible —

politics and power — what power brings — the historical narrative that was told- — relioion as the opium of the soul — politics matters and not religion — they looik at the wrong thing —

if there are such a lot

all mankidn — religious project as well — every aspect of your life — Moses — trading with eah other — Christianity– political and social sactivities — plitics was there —

jihad — before Muhammed — the idea of expansion — they did not interfere in the political regime at all — we are loiving these ideas —

dhimmoi — Iran — bring this to whoever wants — come and worship — only if they reufes — ono freedom for paopel — not to let people control twhat they should believe.

look at ti from the point how strong Islam — religious established centers — sedentary centers — easy for Muslims to baese their protectino of the basis of the as well as religious —  religion established wihtin the walls — you could not go around it — Islam as outside the walls of the city — they were eventually very good at — Ibn Haldun — would Muhammed have moved —

capture many areas — Muhammed fighting 10 times — exploited by the Christians — EUrope was not CHristian at this time — they were being welcomes to be Muslims —

the quality of the message — the unity of the religion — universal community — bedoinines — how to civlize them selves —

SUnni and SHia — from religion to political — not a process of succession — somenoe should take the place and the role — individauls survival of the fittest — provided the leadership — there is a political vacuum —

rotate between different groups — Christian — Shia —

the idea of a claiphate — different asgggremment within the comunity — supplement the the leadership — Huyain — there were no procedures —

there was no way to organize — the succession — Abu Bakr —

is this an important — who are these people — the subpower — the power at the top — this more skweded toward a partricular group —

ruling party and the oppositoin in a democracy — ummah told Abu Bakr what to do —

a caliphal international systme — they were qualified — prominent leaders at the time — een at the pfopherts time — the differences appear in the Karbala — first fitna — Omar assinated for that reason — Persian influence — the bigger picture abuot this — angry at the

Karbala — failed, Sunni as important — sahabah, liek a Sunni — for people who lost faith in –Ghana appealing to the northern people — religion for the peopole — the fundamentalist —

the translation movement — created so manyn different cultures in order to get to know one another -=-

from Muhammed’s time — sturing their writings and readings — like scientists — education and the importance the — take informatoin

wilolingly convertedinto Islam — it turns out to the be best way to benefit yourslef — they convert —

translation movement — also benefits — get the kind of message that they were expecting — world of Islam — when the push

caliphate —

 

how successful it was — civlizing the people — not slowing down — sedendary life-style — the Arabs break down — use politics for religion, not the other way around — 9

johad — India, very different — under pressure all the time — salvation for te

the aninomisty of the smallest difference

not all taht provincial — benefits for Bedouine society — provide benefits for them — the position of Islam they can

Queresh tribes — much more sophisciated — sedentary vs. nomadic tribes — human sacrifices —

complete version of — Abrahamic religion —

Why did they expand?

How were the able to do it?

What is a “caliphate”?

What is “jihad”?

What is the origin of the split between Sunni and Shia?

What is the Islamic “Golden Age

Why did power move to Cairo?

What can you tell me about Muslim Spain?

Who are the Turks?

How was the Ottoman empire established?

External links:

The Germans came late to the scramble for Africa, but

External links:

Chinoiserie and the craze for all things Chinese.

External links: