*911

=Note For 6th & 7th Periods: For January through March, class will be taught by Mr. Greenstone's student teacher (and big fan), Mr. Hannigan. For possibly accurate information about this person, see the "About Mr. Hannigan" page.=

=Important Note: Both the dates for all assignments and the assignments themselves may change. Some assignments may be canceled, and others may be added. Stay tuned for updates. Updates will be given BOTH in class and on this website.=

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=Unit 6: The United States in The Middle East=

====Welcome to Second Semester. Freshmen, you have now completed 12.5% of high school. Congratulations. During this semester we are going to begin to look at some more contemporary issues in World History, although we will be building on many of the concepts you have already studied, including perennial/axial religion, the nature of man and slavery.====

Our first unit will focus on the United States and the modern Middle East.

__Islamism and Middle East Unit Questions__
==1. "Why do Islamist terrorists (and their supporters and admirers) hate us?" In particular, compare the positions of President Bush ("Americans are asking, why do they hate us? They hate what we see right here in this chamber -- a democratically elected government. Their leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms -- our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other.") vs. critics of the Bush administration who say that many Muslims hate us because of our policies. What are those policies? Which answer is more persuasive? Why? Are there other alternative or blended answers which are more compelling?==

2. Fundamentalist Islam offers a scathing critique of Modernity and of the way of life in the United States in particular. What is this critique, and what part of it, if any, has merit?
==3. Islamists direct much of their wrath toward other Muslims who they believe to be apostate. What are some of the competing interpretations of Islam? How do they relate to the concepts of perennial, axial and syncretic religion that we have discussed earlier this year?==

8. What chance, if any, was there for the United States to stop the attacks of September, 11 2001 before they occurred?
==9. Is it conceivable that there could have been some accommodation made with Al Qaeda by the United States. Or, put another way, was there anything at all that the United States realistically could have done to placate and mollify Al Qaeda without contradicting the most fundamental important and sacred values that the United States and its allies hold dear?==

January 26, Tuesday
1. Review test generally, distribute examples, give some test-taking feedback. sample essay 2. Introduce unit.



Homework: read Packet, The Martyr up through page 20 and be prepared to discuss the following reading questions:
1. Describe the background of Sayyid Qutb. 2. The text describes Qutb as "decent, proud, tormented, self-righteous." (p 12) Find an example in the text of each characteristic. 3. Which facets of life in America made an especially strong impression on him? Be specific. 4. Though he eventually decided Western culture was soulless and appalling, when Qutb came to the US he was actually somewhat westernized compared to other Egyptians. Explain in what ways this was so. 5. Qutb seems to have been especially threatened by the looser American standards of sexuality that he encountered. What personal experiences in America made a big impression on him in this regard? Be specific and give detail. 6. Describe the New York City of 1948 that Qutb visited. Why might it have been jarring to him? Be specific and give detail.

Homework: read Packet, The Matyr, pages 20-37 and be prepared to discuss the following reading questions:
1. What did Qutb think about race relations in the US? Give some examples of his experiences regarding race relations. 2. What was Greeley, Colorado like? Why might it have had some appeal to Qutb? Why did he ultimately not like Greeley? 3. On page 27-28 the author summarizes Qutb’s critique of American life. What is that critique? (use your own words). 4. What parts of that critique, if any, do you think are fair and accurate? If you disagree with him say why. 5. Describe the political and social goals of the Muslim brothers 6.The author says that Qutb and Gamel Abdel Nasser (the military dictator of Egypt) had vastly different and incompatible goals for Egypt. What were their respective goals? How were they incompatible? 7. Why did Qutb get thrown into prison? How was he treated in prison? 8. How did Qutb's experience in prison radicalize him? 9. Why was Qutb considered by some to be more dangerous dead than alive? Do you believe this was ultimately proven to be true?

January 28, Thursday
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Homework: read Packet, The Founder, pages 72-96 and be prepared to discuss the following reading questions:
1. How did the discovery of oil and the money that came with it change Saudi Arabia? 2. What were with the teachings of Mohammed Abdul Wahab? 3. What sort of a man was Mohammed bin Laden (MBL)? Why did Osama view him with such awe? 4. What role did MBL play in Saudi Arabia? How did he help transform Saudi Arabia from a desolate, desert dune to a flush, financial fiefdom? 5. What personal flaws, if any, did MBL have? 6. What sort of a childhood did Osama bin Laden (OBL) have? 7. What about OBL’s personality as a young man and boy suggested that he would later be a leader of men? 8. What indications were there in his early life that OBL was going to be an especially observant and strict Muslim? 9. On page 89, the author describes Osama and his friends recording some songs “about jihad.” What did Osama and his friends mean by Jihad? 10. Describe how and when Osama became interested in the ideas of Sayyid Qutb?

Homework: read Packet, Return of the Hero, pages 165-182 and be prepared to discuss the following reading questions:
1. When bin Laden returned to Saudi Arabia after his stint in Afghanistan, how was he seen by the public? 2. What grievances did Al Qaeda and the other Islamist terrorist groups have against the United States? Be specific. 3. Describe the conduct and behavior of the Saudi royal family. In what ways were they hypocritical? 4. Describe life in Saudi Arabia under Wahabiism and the muttawa. 5. As best you can, determine what were the sources of bin Laden’s grievances against the US. 6. Describe how the US and Saudi Arabia, though vastly different societies, were fundamentally connected to and dependent upon each other, beginning in the 1950’s. 7. Describe bin Laden’s meddling in Yemen. In what ways was this adventure a preview of his future actions? 8. Why did the Saudi government confiscate Bin Laden’s passport? 9. What were Saddam Hussein’s grievances against Kuwait? 10. What did bin Laden think the Saudi king should do to protect the Kingdom after Iraq conquered Kuwait? 11. What did the Saudi King actually do instead? 12. What effect did the presence of so many foreigners have on the kingdom of Saudi Arabia? 13. Describe life in Saudi Arabia before oil money came in transformed the peninsula. 14. What did the “Letter of Demands” (described at the bottom of 181-182) from religious scholars ask for?

February 1, Monday
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February 2, Tuesday
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Homework: read Packet, Hijira, pages 254-268 and Cartoon History handout (6 pages). Be prepared to discuss the following reading questions:
1. Describe Mullah Omar and explain how he gained power. 2. Who are the Taliban? Where did they come from, who were their members, what are their beliefs? Be sure to discuss their “3 streams.” How did they rise so quickly? 3. Why were Mullah Omar and the Taliban initially skeptical about OBL? 4. Describe the harsh rule of the Taliban. What were some of the most radical (insane?) features of their rule over Afghanistan? 5. What was the original Hijira of Mohammed (the prophet)? 6. How did OBL recast his failures as a kind of Hijira? 7. Explain the symbolism of the cave in the Islamic world. How was OBL’s use of this symbol a brilliant public relations strategy? 8. In 1998, (page 265) bin Laden declared war on the US. What were his reasons for doing this? 9. Assess the validity of the following statement: bin Laden, by the time of his second Afghanistan period, had become self-aggrandizing to the point of delusion.

Homework: read Packet, Boom, pages 340-350
1. Who was Khalid Sheik Mohammed? Who was Ramzi Yousef? Describe their history of terrorism, successful and unsuccessful. 2. Describe the profile of the typical men who came to train with Al Qaeda in Afghanistan in the mid 1990’s. Who were they, what did they have in common? What drove them to radical Islamism? 3. Beyond the negative goals of destruction and terror, what were the positive goals of Al Qaeda? In other words, what kind of society did they want to rule over? 4. According to the notes recovered from these training camps, who were the enemies of Islam? 5. What kind of terror training and instruction did the men at the Al Qaeda camps undergo? 6. Who was Mohammed Atta? What was his attitude toward women? 7. OBL seemed to believe that the 9/11 attacks might well cause the US to disintegrate as a country. In your opinion, was this belief merely a fantasy, or did it have some truth to it? 8. When Mohammed Atta and his friends showed up in Afghanistan, the leaders of Al Qaeda instantly saw how useful they would be. Why were they considered valuable resources by the leaders of Al Qaeda?

February 5, Friday




Homework: catch up on your reading, begin studying for the test using the study guide and post a message on the discussion board about this question:
Why do Islamist terrorists (and their supporters and admirers) hate us? In other words, President Bush has phrased it as follows: "Americans are asking, why do they hate us? They hate what we see right here in this chamber -- a democratically elected government. Their leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms -- our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other." On the other hand, critics of the Bush administration say that many Muslims hate us because of our policies. What are those policies? Which answer is more persuasive? Why?

February 8, Monday
9/11, the day.

Homework: Continue studying for a test on 9/11 and Al Qaeda.
Step 1 is to make sure you have read everything thoroughly. Step 2 is to review the study questions and the study guide.

February 9, Tuesday
In-class discussion and test review.

February 10, Wednesday
Objective test on 9/11 and Al Qaeda.

February 11, Thursday
Begin watching "The Siege."

February 16, Tuesday
Review Test. Continue watching "The Siege."

A potentially significant development in the on-going war in Afghanistan. The US and Pakistan cooperated to capture Mullah Baradar, a leader of the Taliban who is second only to one-eyed Mullah Omar in the Taliban hierarchy. [|NYT Report Of The Capture Of Mullah Baradar] In keeping with your reading this week, what should we do with our new captive? He probably knows a great deal that would be helpful in fighting the Taliban but he won't want to tell us.

February 17, Wednesday
Continue watching "The Siege."

February 18, Thursday
Discuss readings and movie.

February 19, Friday
9/11 Unit Wrap-up

We began this Unit with a series of questions:

===1. "Why do Islamist terrorists (and their supporters and admirers) hate us?" In particular, compare the positions of President Bush ("Americans are asking, why do they hate us? They hate what we see right here in this chamber -- a democratically elected government. Their leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms -- our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other.") vs. critics of the Bush administration who say that many Muslims hate us because of our policies. What are those policies? Which answer is more persuasive? Why? Are there other alternative or blended answers which are more compelling?=== ===2. Fundamentalist Islam offers a scathing critique of Modernity and of the way of life in the United States in particular. What is this critique, and what part of it, if any, has merit?=== ===3. Islamists direct much of their wrath toward other Muslims who they believe to be apostate. What are some of the competing interpretations of Islam? How do they relate to the concepts of perennial, axial and syncretic religion that we have discussed earlier this year?=== ===4. How and why did the United States become the prime target of rage for Islamists such as Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda?===

7. Who is Osama bin Laden and how did he rise to prominence?
===8. What chance, if any, was there for the United States to stop the attacks of September, 11 2001 before they occurred?=== ===9. Is it conceivable that there could have been some accommodation made with Al Qaeda by the United States. Or, put another way, was there anything at all that the United States realistically could have done to placate and mollify Al Qaeda without contradicting the most fundamental important and sacred values that the United States and its allies hold dear?===

Let's add a few more from out discussions and papers:

15. If you contend that the US "way of life" or "our freedoms" were a major contributing factor to 9/11, what evidence do you have that OBL really cares about those things?
Links of articles related to recent class discussions.

[|President Clinton's Odd Apology for Slavery] [|The French Consider Banning Veiled Muslim Women from Govt. Offices] [|Should We Negotiate With the Taliban?] [|The Siege Comes True: Double Agent Strikes CIA, Killing 7] [|Taliban destroy girls school] [|Sarah Palin's Reaction to Looming Tower] [|Jon Stewart on Underwear Bomber.] [|Why Do People Become Terrorists?] [|Obama Administration Believes in Indefinite Detention, too] [|Al Qaeda's New Strategy] [|Nicholas Kristof on Haiti] J[|ared Diamond Explains Why Haiti is So Troubled.] [||A Critique of Diamond's Argument about Haiti]]] [|David Brooks Thinks Voodoo] is the problem. [|Mark Danner Gives an excellent short history of Haiti]