Potential Exam Questions Submitted by Students

1. What are the goals of this course?
2. In what country did Prof. Crawford complete his Fulbright scholarship?
3. Name four countries with the highest number of Muslims.
4. How is Jesus seen in Islam?
5. What two authors serve as the main conceptual bases of analysis in this course?
6. What school and where did Prof. Crawford earn his Ph. D.? [There is no way I am making you memorize facts about me!]
7. What is the rule if you missed this exam?
8. What is Geertz's definition of religion?
9. What do the system of symbols in Geertz's definition represent?
10. Describe what Geertz means by moods and motivations. What is the difference between the two?
11. Explain Geertz's concepts of “general order.”
12. What does Geertz mean by an "aura of factuality"?
13. Describe how people are involved in Geertz's definition of religion.
14. Is Geertz an idealist or a materialist and why?
15. Does Asad believe there can be one universal definition of religion?  Why?
16. Would you describe Asad as a materialist or an idealist? Why?
17. What are the five pillars of Islam?
18. In English, what does the word Qur’an literally mean?
19. In Asad’s essay how is St. Augustine used as an example to support Asad’s views on power?
20. What does Asad believe truly creates religious faith and disposition?
21. After gaining a through understanding of Geertz’s definition of religion, what question is raised about Geertz’s “set of symbols?”
22. What is the term for Islamic law?
23. If a person says she or he is “Arab”, what are they referring to?
24. What aspects would Asad and Eickelman agree are important and integral to the “religions of the book”?
25. Explain Eickelman’s distinction between orthodoxy and orthopraxy.
26. According to Eickelman, does Islam emphasize orthodoxy or orthopraxy? What about Christianity?
27. List and define the five pillars of Islam.
28. Discuss the concept of umma.
29. According to Tariq Ali, how did Islam, like the other monotheistic religions, originate?
30. Considering the author’s background, explain why Tariq Ali chooses to include a discussion on the Satanic Verses.
31. What are the “satanic verses” and why are they controversial?
32. Discuss Ali’s point of view on the relationship between religion and nationalism.
33. Explain Ali’s view of woman in Islam.
34. Discuss the heretics that Ali mentions, and explain why you think he chose to include this discussion in his book.
35. What happened to the Christians and Jews in North Africa when Muslims first arrived in their countries? What happened to the pagans?
36. Why were the three goddess of Mecca taken out of the Qur'an?  What are the original verses about them called?
37. Tariq Ali says that religion is often times a political movement.  Give an example that Ali uses to enforce this idea.
38. Name the four “Rightly Guided Caliphs” that took over the leadership of the Muslim community after the Prophet Muhammed, and one major event or characteristic of each.
39. What does Sardar and Davis describe as “Orientalism,” and how has the meaning of the term changed?
40. What is the difference between Sardar & Davies view of women in the Qur’an versus the way Tariq Ali sees the role of women in the Qu'ran?
41. What was the “re-conquista” and how has it been differently understood in Europe and North Africa?
42. Describe the view of women in Islam as seen by Tariq Ali.  How do you feel about their status?  Do you agree or disagree?
43. Define the terms “caliph and caliphate” as described by Sardar and Davies.
44. Describe the different academic achievements made by early Muslim scholars (i.e. science, astronomy, algebra, agronomy, etc.) and describe why/how this knowledge came about.
45. What were the two aspects of the first Caliph, Abu Bakr’s, caliphate?
46. What differentiates the Sunnis and Shiites?