2nd November 2026
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Islamic Politics, Law, and Ethics

This course explores the multifaceted relationship between Islam and politics, specifically examining the intersections of Sharia, ethics, jurisprudence, law, theology, and philosophy. Central to our inquiry is a critical analysis of Sharia Governance. The curriculum draws a clear distinction between “Islamic political ethics,” the institutionalized structures of “Islamic constitutional law,” and political science. By tracing the genealogy of these concepts from the premodern to the modern era through the sources, students will critically evaluate the evolution of “Political Islam,” “the Islamic political system,” and the contemporary notion of “Islamic government.”

Understanding the Qur’an

This course explores the history of revelation, or the words of God in Islam; the formation of the Qur’an as a book; its interpretation from medieval to modern times; its major themes; and how the Qur’an introduces itself: the book of light, guidance, virtues, and values. Teaching the Qur'an as religious literature from a neutral viewpoint that could be understood from a secular or non-theological perspective; the lessons one might apply from literary criticism, biblical studies, and historical methodology; and its message for human beings in the contemporary world.

Is “Islamic State” Islamic?

Islam offers lasting political principles, but no fixed political ideology, and every attempt at an Islamic state has ended up secularizing itself. Politics is the knowledge of power and its limits, and it is secular in its essence, since a ruler in a nation-state must serve the public interest of everyone, not only believers. Fusing religion and politics turns faith into a tool of power. Secularism separates religious institutions from the state, not religion from politics. The conversation then turns to dār al-islām and dār al-ḥarb, armed resistance and terrorism.

Iran’s Exiled Scholar Who Impeached Khamenei

An exiled Iranian mujtahid — imprisoned twice, banned across Iranian platforms, and teaching at Duke University — gives his most candid assessment of the Islamic Republic, Velayat-e Faqih, and what the Trump-Netanyahu war has done to Iran's democratic reform movement. He breaks down the two dimensions of the Islamic Republic — where it succeeded and where it failed — and shares his final position: a secular democratic state. He reveals why he impeached Khamenei, why Iran's hardliners, US Republicans, and Israeli Zionists are aligned against peace, and why Trump bears responsibility for the war.

The ‘Ayatollah’ opposing US imperialism, and Iran’s Islamic ‘regime’

Kadivar offers a rare insider critique of Iran: opposing US imperialism and Israeli aggression, while also challenging the authoritarianism of the Islamic Republic from within Shia theology itself. He traces his own journey - arrested under both the Shah and the Islamic Republic - and explains how the revolutionary promise of freedom, democracy, and justice was only partially realized. We explore how guardianship of the jurist reshaped Iran. This conversation takes a deep look into how power, religion, personalities, and competing visions of destiny have interacted to make Iran, Iran.

The American side did not truly come to negotiate

L'Humanité. This war was directed against the Iranian people, the country's territorial integrity, its civilization, and its culture, far more than against the Islamic Republic itself. This military aggression is a war of modern barbarism against a people and a country that refuse to submit to brute force, lawlessness, and injustice. This war has had an extremely negative impact on the democratic and liberation movement in Iran, delaying it indefinitely. Iranians firmly defend their homeland, while remaining fervent critics of the system in place. Velayat-e Faqih is a symbolic matter.

Islam & The Meaning of Life

The course explores how Islamic thought engages questions such as: What is the ultimate purpose of human existence? What is true happiness? How can human beings overcome alienation and find inner peace? How are faith and reason related in the search for meaning? What grounds moral obligations, justice, and human dignity? And how does belief in God shape the understanding of human destiny? The course approaches the meaning of life from three complementary perspectives within Islamic intellectual tradition: The Qur’anic perspective, the mystical perspective, and the philosophical and rational-theological perspective.

Sharia and the Qur’an

The course examines Sharia—the Qur’an’s ethical and legal frameworks—through primary sources. It thematically and chronologically analyzes verses on morality, ritual, and human interaction. Students explore the Aḥkām al-Qurʾān genre across legal schools in original languages using a holistic, historical-critical approach. Alongside jurisprudence, the course delves deeply into Qur’anic morality and the ethical implications of key terms such as mercy, justice, fairness, and dignity, emphasizing the Qur’an’s enduring ethical and legal principles. Students will learn to apply holistic and historical-critical methods that examine all related verses collectively and contextually.

War will increase religious fundamentalism around the world

Iran’s movement for democracy and freedom has suffered a lot of damage. After the war, the country is ruled by the IRGC, not by the symbolic supreme leader. Most Iranians do not support the regime. But this invasion has strengthened Iranian hardliners and the IRGC. All these replacement commanders or political figures that are coming to power after Netanyahu’s foolish assassinations are harder-liners and more radical than those who were before. Netanyahu and Trump are spreading fundamentalism in the world. Their policies are against peace, international law, and American values.

The US-Israel War Against Iran and Iran’s Internal Conflicts

Keynote Address — 2026 South Carolina Political Science Association Annual Conference: This illegal, unconstitutional, and unjust war must end immediately — with a non-aggression agreement that includes adequate guarantees against any renewed aggression toward Iran. Iranians stand firmly opposed to religious despotism, yet simultaneously support their Army in defending their homeland against foreign aggression. Popular solidarity in defense of the nation — including a broad willingness to defer domestic opposition to the Islamic Republic — has increased markedly. Ultimately, this military aggression has weakened and set back Iran's freedom-seeking, democracy-demanding movement.

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