History Professors Address and Respond to the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL)

From the desk of Dr. Newton Key:

On April 14, a group of faculty and students gathered in Booth Library to discuss one aspect of the Middle East, in a presentation entitled “Making Sense of ISIS/ISIL,” organized by Prof. Jinhee Lee, History, as part of Asian Heritage Month. Panelists Prof. Brian Mann (History), Prof. Hasan F. Mavi (Kinesiology), and Prof. Newton Key (History), moderated by Prof. Gordon Tucker (Biology), made brief opening presentations. Prof. Mann noted ISIS has different strategies and goals than al-Qaeda, though historically they have similar origins. Mann also noted that active ISIS or even ISIS supporters were a small group compared with the large Muslim population world-wide. Both Mann and Prof. Mavi stressed the very un-Islamic nature of the self-titled Islamic State. Mavi distinguished between the faith and culture of Muslims and that of the ISIS “modern pirates.” He also noted Muslim suffering in the 2^nd half of the 20^th century and beginning of the 21^st. Prof. Key noted the importance of the Syrian Civil War in providing a space for ISIS, as well as the vast spaces across which fighting continues to take place (noting ISIS current holds what is the equivalent of a huge chunk of Illinois-sized Syria combined with a huge chunk of California-sized Iraq).

After a break for pizza and soda (many thanks, Asian Studies), attendees asked about the relative success of ISIS social media campaigns and the sociological even psychological make-up of those joining from abroad. The panelists suggested distinguishing media wars from actual fighting, that ISIS could seize the jihadi mantle on social media because al-Qaeda followed a more “traditional” route for modern, guerilla or terrorist war of hiding and being slow to lay claim for actions. The panelists also suggested distinguishing means and ends, the some joining ISIS from outside Syria-Iraq might be attracted by horrific acts of violence or rape, but that in theory the violent terror of ISIS could be viewed as the means, while their ends could be viewed as a new, in their view “ideal” state. Mann pointed out the intriguing development that, much against all previous Islamic teachings, ISIS now believed that they could identify and punish heretics. Key noted a key question for academics is how we can understand or comprehend ISIS (or other) horrific events or actions before condemning without condoning (accepting) them.

Ninety minutes was not enough time to explain the vast issues involved in the spread of ISIS (let alone the Syrian Civil War), but the panelists hope they brought a bit more historical, not hysterical context to bear.

Discussing ISIS

An Asian Studies Colloquium, “The roots, context, and impact of the ISIS/ISIL in and beyond the Middle East region,” with panelists Prof. Brian Mann (History), Prof. Hasan F Mavi (Kinesiology), and Prof. Newton Key (History), moderated by Prof. Gordon Tucker (Biology) will take place 5:00-6:30 PM Tuesday, April 14, 2015, 4440 Booth Library Conference Room. Following the panel presentation discussion will take place over pizza and refreshment. All are invited. (Making Sense of the ISIS panel flyer)

Students Conclude Reenactment of the Transfer of Power in India (and it wasn’t pretty)

As discussed in an earlier post, Professor Mann’s British Empire and the Islamic World class spent the last few weeks of the semester doing a simulation of the British transfer of power in the Indian subcontinent. Initially, the conference attendees were optimistic that a united India was attainable. For a few class sessions, the delegates were able to work together on a number of issues. However, once the conference turned to more divisive topics,  the conference quickly devolved into chaos and even resulted in political violence.

In our simulation, like in real life, British India was partitioned into separate nation states. However, we had many noticeable differences occur. Below is a table that highlights the differences between what happened in 1947 and what happened in the class simulation:

	History	Simulation
Partition	Two states: India and Pakistan	Four states: Hindustan, Pakistan, Sikhistan, and Hyderabad
Hyderabad	Incorporated into India	Emerged as an independent state under the Nizam of Hyderabad
Jawaharlal Nehru	First prime minister of India	Assassinated by a supporter of the Hindu Mahasaba
Mohandas Gandhi	Assassinated in early 1948	Died from a hunger strike
I.N.C.	Remained united	Disintegrated. Brahmans joined Hindu Mahahsaba, Azad joined Pakistan, Nehru killed.
Sikhs	Did not obtain an independent state	Obtained their own state
Untouchables	Stayed in India and remained Hindu	Most converted to Sikhism and gained political power in Sikhistan
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar	Minister of Law and Justice in India. Converted to Buddhism.	Converted to Sikhism. Became major political player in Sikhistan.
Hindu Mahasaba	Party marginalized after Gandhi’s assassination in 1948	Emerged as the largest and most popular political party in India. Led first Indian government.
Maulana Azad	Remained in India and served as Minister of Education	Left India for Pakistan and became its first prime minister

The students in the class all expressed how partaking in the simulation allowed them to gain a deeper understanding of India’s partition, the British presence in India, and the difficulties all parties faced in coming to an amicable solution. Here is what some students had to say (along with photos of the victorious groups and individuals):

“What I took away most about our conference was how difficult it was to create a united India in which everyone would be represented and be happy. Our real life historical counterparts, like us, were given an impossible task. Partition seems to have been the only option in the end.”

“I went into this assignment believing Gandhi was a wonderful and brilliant man that everyone loved. I now know I was wrong! Gandhi did have great ideas, but his ideas were not always practical and were often contradictory.”

From left-right: Dr. Ambedkar (Taylor Yangas), the British Governor General (Alex Gillespie), and Tara Singh (Jessica Schluter) celebrating the establishment of an independent Sikhistan by showing off the Constitution of Sikhistan.

“The overwhelming lesson I learned from this simulation was the absolute impossibility of the task at hand, if one considered that task the creation of a singular unified state.  Simply put, if a room full of well-fed college students from peaceful lives couldn’t come to an agreement, how could such a conference ever succeed in the real world, filled as it was with the daemonic specter of real consequences? Such widely disparate goals, such antagonistic attitudes, such radicalization…how could any group ever accomplish anything?  I now believe, honestly, if the Simla Conference was tasked with the simple division of seating for a football match the end result would be a pile of dead spectators, a burning stadium, and a motley collection of radicals all claiming victory.”

“One of the difficulties we faced that the real life attendees faced was dealing with the wishes of so many different representatives of such a diverse group of people. Another difficulty was that there were people at the conference who could not get along or even speak to each other, such as the Brahman leader and the leader of the Untouchables. The results of our conference were different than in real life, but both conferences were full of similar conflicts and arguments, and both eventually ended up in partition.”

From l-r: Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Isaac Mier), Gov-Gen, and “a not here by choice” Maulana Azad (Mike Ludwinski) showing off Pakistan’s adopted constitution.

“Our simulation showed how frustrating it was to be a part of the historical conference and how many cultural, religious, political, and social difference the attendees had to overcome.  Gandhi could and did hunger strike, just like he did in real life, when he disagreed with something we decided. Until this simulation I never understood how anyone could not like Gandhi as a political figure.  He wanted non-violence and for everyone to treat others fairly! But now I totally get it, he’s hard to work with!”

From l-r: The Leader of the Hindu Mahasaba (Caleb Gurujal), the GG, and the Brahman faction leader (Emily McInerney) celebrating the Mahasaba’s victory in the first elections in independent Hindustan.

“Everything was going surprisingly smoothly until we voted on whether to have a strong central military or not in India. After that, things began to get heated. It was possible to all work together on some issues, even though some of us had to give up some things, but once we began discussing touchy subjects it all went south fast. Everyone was arguing with someone else. People were even arguing with their allies! The views and opinions of our roles dictated how we acted. Even though we did things the real life people did not do, we did them based on their ideas and beliefs. Things might have been different in class, but it was based on reality and the differences made it more fun, interesting, and informative.”

The Nizam of Hyderabad (Ben Jordan) celebrates his (temporary?) independence after a shocking victory against the armed forces of Hindustan.

“I learned that the partition of India was in all likelihood an inevitability. With the people who were involved there was no way of making everyone happy and I am sure, even if Indian remained united somehow, the country would not have lasted long due to all the internal differences. We all wanted different things, and when we didn’t, they were usually issues we could not budge on or even negotiate. Even allies were strongly divided on many issues.”

“I feel that the simulation was informative and gave us insight into the difficulties with the formation of an independent India and Pakistan during the transfer of power. There were so many groups with conflicting ideologies which led to conflicting demands. We, like those in the 1940’s, just could not come together when we needed to do so.”

Students Begin Reenactment of the Transfer of Power in India

On Wednesday, November 12 students in Professor Brian Mann’s The British Empire and the Islamic World class began a historical reenactment of the transfer of power in India by convening a historically based conference between the British and various political leaders in British India.  The role-play simulation begins in India in June 1945 at the British summer capital of Simla and continues through to the actual transfer of power in August 1947. With some modifications, the game is based on Barnard College’s Defining a Nation: India on the Eve of Independence, 1945, one of the historical simulations offered through Barnard’s Reacting to the Past (RTTP) series.

Each student in the class is portraying a prominent figure in the story of India’s independence from British rule, and, like their real-life historical counterparts, each student has his or her own objectives to fulfill.  By the end of the conference, the students must decide what India will become post-British rule. Will they agree to partition India into two states, as did their historical counterparts? Will they decide on partitioning India into three or more states? Or will the students (while staying true to their roles) be able to depart from history and find a way to keep India whole and united?

Standing from left to right: Muhammad Ali Jinnah – Muslim League (Isaac Mier), Sayyid Maududi – Muslim League (Adam Mohebbi), The Governor-General of India (Alex Gillespie), Maulana Azad – INC (Mike Ludwinski), Brahman faction leader – INC (Emily McInerney), Jawaharlal Nehru – INC (Logan Braddock).
Seated clockwise from left: The Nizam of Hyderabad (Ben Jordan), Tara Singh (Jessica Schluter), Dr. B.R. Ambedkar (Taylor Yangas), Leader of the Communist Party of India (Stephen Szigethy), Leader of the Hindu Mahasaba (Caleb Gurujal), Adherent of “Traditional India” Gandhi (Courtney Sage), Adherent of “Satyagraha” Gandhi (Jake Meyerhoff).

During the first few sessions of the simulation, students will address the British Governor-General and their fellow conference attendees, seeking to persuade their countrymen and the British to sign off on their vision of a future India. Following these introductory speeches the Governor-General will issue an initial proposal for the transfer of power. Over the ensuing weeks, the delegates will debate and vote upon various issues:

Delegates listen as the Governor-General convenes the conference.

Will India be partitioned, and if so, how? Will the post-British government(s) be centralized or decentralized? Will there be guaranteed representation and/or separate electorates for minorities, or will there be majority rule? What will the military situation be like? Will there be a national language or languages? Will the government(s) be secular or religious? Will the economy (or economies) be modern and industrial or premodern and traditional?

Leader of the Sikhs, Tara Singh (Jessica Schluter), calls for the creation of an independent Sikhistan.

Unfortunately for the students, just like in real life, speeches and civil debate may not solve the many disputes that will arise. Each delegate at the conference possesses an extreme special ability which they can invoke during the conference. Depending on the situation, a delegate may invoke this power solely as a coercive threat or may actually use it. For example, the adherents of Mohandas Gandhi might inspire him to go on a hunger strike (and even die) for a specific cause, while the Muslim League could call on India’s Muslims to engage in a “Day of Rage” that could lead to communal violence from which India may never recover.

Osman Ali Khan, the Nizam of Hyderabad (Ben Jordan), makes it clear that he should remain in power whether India is partitioned or not.

By utilizing what they have learned throughout the semester, and by employing the analytical, written, rhetorical, and oral communication skills they have honed as history majors, the students will spend the next few weeks attempting to persuade the British to leave India on their terms.

Delegates prepare for the question and answer session that will begin upon the conclusion of the Nizam’s opening remarks.

We are all excited to see how our conference will play out: Can the students stay true to their historical characters and avoid partition (and the hundreds of thousands of deaths that resulted from it)? Or is (was) partition and widespread communal violence inevitable? Stay tuned…

The leader of the Hindu Mahasaba (Caleb Gurujal) calls for a united India based on Hindu religious and cultural norms. Note the empty chair – Sayyid Maududi of the Muslim League has left the room in protest!

The students and their roles (in order of opening remarks at the conference) are:

• Alex Gillespie as the Governor-General of India
• Jessica Schluter as Tara Singh, leader of the Sikhs
• Ben Jordan as Osman Ali Khan, the Nizam of Hyderabad
• Caleb Gurujal as the leader of the Hindu Mahasaba
• Jake Meyerhoff as an adherent of Gandhi and his views on non-violence
• Courtney Sage as an adherent of Gandhi and his views on traditional India
• Taylor Yangas as Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, leader of the Untouchables
• Stephen Szigethy as the leader of the Communist Party of India
• Isaac Mier as Muhammad Ali Jinnah, President of the All-India Muslim League
• Adam Mohebbi as Sayyid Maududi, Islamist leader of the All-India Muslim League
• Mike Ludwinski as Maulana Azad, President of the Indian National Congress
• Emily McInerney as the Brahman leader of the Indian National Congress
• Logan Braddock as Jawaharlal Nehru, leader of the Indian National Congress
  • with Prof. Brian Mann as Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee

Ethnic Nationalism in 20th Century Iran

Brian Mann’s “The Khuzistani Arab Movement, 1941-46: A Case of Nationalism?” was recently published in the edited volume Rethinking Iranian Nationalism and Modernity.  In the chapter, Professor Mann examines contested notions of Iranian national identity by analyzing the ethnicity and regionalism in a Iranian Arab secessionist movement.

Muslim Journeys Events at Booth Library

This semester Booth Library has hosted many events as part of its ongoing program Muslim Journeys, a project of the National Endowment for the Humanities, conducted in cooperation with the American Library Association and the Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University. As the project scholar for Muslim Journeys series here at EIU, Professor Brian Mann participated in many of these events.  He delivered the keynote address at the series’ opening reception, gave public lectures on and led discussions of books about Islam and Islamic history,  and organized a research panel at which four EIU history majors presented their scholarship on the history of the Islamic World (blog post on this event coming soon!).

Prof. Mann delivers the keynote talk “Islam and the Monotheistic Tradition” at the opening reception in January (photo courtesy of Booth Library)

 

EIU faculty, staff, students and members of the Charleston community discuss Muhammad: A Very Short Introduction by Jonathan Brown (photo courtesy of Booth Library)

In February, Professor Mann delivers a lecture on pre-Islamic Arabia and the origins of Islam (photo courtesy of Booth Library)

In March, members of the EIU and Charleston community discuss The Art of Hajj by Vanessa Porter (photo courtesy of Booth Library)

Prof. Mann talks with members of the audience about the historical and religious significance of various Hajj rituals (photo courtesy of Booth Library)

While many of the Muslim Journeys events have already taken place, there is still time to take part in this innovative and informative series! There are three more Muslim Journeys events taking place in the coming weeks:

Tuesday, April 1, 7 p.m., Newman Center
Interfaith panel, moderated by Daniel Otto, Instructor of Philosophy
Panelists: Ms. Carly Froomkin Burak, Mr. Roy Lanham, Professor Jyoti Panjwani, Professor Jaysinha Shinde and Professor Duangrudi Suksang

Wednesday, April 9, 5:30 p.m., Witters Conference Room 4440, Booth Library
Book discussion, A Rumi Anthology, led by Dr. Jaysinha Shinde, Assistant Professor of Business

Tuesday, April 15, 7 p.m., Witters Conference Room 4440, Booth Library
Panel discussion, Women in Veil, moderated by Dr. Bonnie Irwin, Dean, College of Arts and Humanities. Panelists: Reham Hamdy Abou-Zaid, Huma Malik, Shannon Mavi

 

 

 

Let’s Talk About It: Muslim Journeys at Booth Library this Spring Semester

Booth Library will present Let’s Talk About It: Muslim Journeys, a reading and discussion series, during the spring semester. Booth Library is one of 125 libraries and state humanities councils across the country selected to participate in the project, which seeks to familiarize public audiences in the United States with the people, places, history, faith and cultures of Muslims in the United States and around the world.

Professor Brian Mann of the History Department will be involved with many of the events which include but are not limited to a five part scholar-led book discussion series, film screenings and discussions, a research panel with History undergraduate and graduate students, an interfaith panel, and a panel discussion on veiling.

Those who are interested in participating in the book discussion series are encouraged to register by emailing Kirstin Duffin, project director, at kduffin@eiu.edu or click here to visit the library webpage. Patrons may participate in one or more of the book discussions. A limited number of complimentary books will be available to participants. Those who register will be given priority to receive a free copy of the book(s) to be discussed, along with other program materials. A full schedule of events can be found here.

Let’s Talk About It: Muslim Journeys, a reading and discussion series, has been made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in cooperation with the American Library Association.

History Careers Day Schedule & Registration

The History Department at Eastern Illinois University invites all interested students to their first History Careers Day to be held on 22 February 2013 from 10—3 in Room 4440 of Booth Library. Each session will begin with a fast round of brief presentations (5-6 minutes each) and then open it up to questions about innovations in history research, opportunities for grants, awards, and future study, etc. The morning sessions feature current graduate and undergraduate students and a few of the department faculty. The afternoon sessions are devoted to reports from the front from alumni employed in a variety of fields. (Organizers; Sace Elder, Newton Key, Brian Mann, Nora Small )

Register today! (All sessions and the lunch are free; but space/food is limited. So click here to register now – it takes seconds.)

• 10:00-10:50 Student session

1. Emily Scarbrough, “Suffrage and Antisuffrage in Illinois”
2. Clare Smith, “Stuart Images of Henry VIII”
3. Pat Vonesh, “Transcultural Identities Among Blacks and Whites in Britain, 1950-1980”
4. Philip Mohr, “Housing E.I.U.’s G.I.s and Married Students”

• 11:00-11:50: Faculty session (Professors of History at EIU)

1. Newton Key, “News Networks in the 17^th and 21^st Centuries”
2. Brian Mann, “Researching Modern Iranian History”  
3. Ed Wehrle, “The View from Camp David”
4. Anita Shelton, “Translating History” 

• 12:00-12:50: Lunch (provided)

1. Study Abroad

• 1:00-1:50 and 2:00-2:50: Alumni session (2x)

1. Ryan Blankenship, Managing Director, Mathematics and Statistics, McGraw-Hill Higher Education 
2. Marc Anderson, Product Manager, Congressional and Historical Collections, ProQuest
3. Amanda Bryden, State Sites Collection Manager, Indiana State Museum and State Historic Sites, New Harmony State Historic Site 
4. Bobbi Kingery, Career Counselor, College of Arts & Humanities
5. Amanda Standerfer, Adult Division Head Librarian, Decatur Public Library

• 3:00 Career Day Ends.  Note: all participants are invited the keynote talk by Dr. Christopher Olsen, 7 pm in Doudna Lecture Hall.