Centre for Comparative and European Constitutional Studies
Engaging Islamic Radicalisation through Education
Challenge and Promise of Teaching Muslim Public Law
Dr. Ebrahim Afsah
Associate Professor of Public International Law
Centre for Comparative and European Constitutional Studies
Faculty of Law
University of Copenhagen
[email protected]
coursera.org/course/muslimworld
Centre for Comparative and European Constitutional Studies
Profound Crisis of Governance
1. “Barbarians within our Gates”
2. “Well-intentioned but dishonest denial of problem’s religious
nature.”
3. “We have not defeated the idea. We do not even understand
the idea.”
Values
Symbol of Identity
Centre for Comparative and European Constitutional Studies
Constitutional Struggles in the Muslim World
Function of any constitutional order:
• Rules of the Game
• Values
• Symbol of Identity
Centre for Comparative and European Constitutional Studies
Constitutional Struggles in the Muslim World
Focus of this Course:
• Legal and social reality, rather than dogmatic ideal
• Practical tensions from insufficient capacity
• Popular dissatisfaction with bad governance
Centre for Comparative and European Constitutional Studies
Don’t mention the War …
Centre for Comparative and European Constitutional Studies
Don’t mention the Reports …
Centre for Comparative and European Constitutional Studies
Constitutional Struggles in the Muslim World
Inherent audience dynamics:
•
•
•
•
Extremely
Extremely
Extremely
Extremely
divisive issues
invested participants
complex and contested histories
tied up with identity, faith, perception
Centre for Comparative and European Constitutional Studies
How to Teach a Controversial Topic?
Max Weber, Science as a Vocation, 1918:
• ”… the true teacher will beware of imposing from the
platform any political position upon the student,
whether it is expressed or suggested …
• Why should we abstain from doing this? … the answer
is: because the prophet and the demagogue do not
belong on the academic platform. …
• To the prophet and the demagogue, it is said: ‘Go your
ways out into the streets and speak openly to the
world,’ that is, speak were criticism is possible. In
the lecture-room we stand opposite our audience, and
it has to remain silent. …
• The primary task of a useful teacher is to teach
his students to recognise 'inconvenient' facts - I
mean facts that are inconvenient for their party
opinions.”
Centre for Comparative and European Constitutional Studies
Addressing the ’Inconvenient’ Facts
The list is long: child marriage, slavery, role of women, role of
religion and religious law, military capability, revenue
collection, autocracy, inequality, underdevelopment, hypocrisy,
moral deviancy, etc. etc. etc.
• Objectivity
• Honesty
• Evidence
Centre for Comparative and European Constitutional Studies
Global Audience, Global Challenge
Language
• English ability of audience extremely diverse
• Reaching beyond the echo-chamber
• Sub-titles, local study groups, translated material
Culture
• Teacher’s background makes a difference
• Be respectful, but firm and clear
• Dialogue of Civilisations or of the Deaf?
Geography
• Technical issues: broadband access
• Local issues: animosities and narrow knowledge
• Political issues: sanctions
Centre for Comparative and European Constitutional Studies
Centre for Comparative and European Constitutional Studies
Searching for MOOC Best Practice
Rigour
• What is an adequate academic level?
• How important are enrolment and completion rates?
• How much work/commitment can we expect?
Integrity
• How important is reputation, institutional and personal?
• How closely should instructors interact with the class?
• How important is transparency for establishing trust?
Safety
• Students: how to deal with trolls and aggressors?
• Avoid conspiracy theories by acting openly
• Show actual or potential victims that you care
• Pour encourager les autres: credible sanctions
• Teacher: how to avoid getting fired, or incarcerated?
• Institution: how to deal with/use publicity?
Centre for Comparative and European Constitutional Studies
Centre for Comparative and European Constitutional Studies
Centre for Comparative and European Constitutional Studies