{"id":146835,"date":"2022-11-21T17:13:22","date_gmt":"2022-11-21T16:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=146835"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:26:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:26:31","slug":"at-euc-students-learn-about-the-complexities-of-islam-by-studying-historical-buildings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2022\/11\/21\/at-euc-students-learn-about-the-complexities-of-islam-by-studying-historical-buildings\/","title":{"rendered":"At EUC, students learn about the complexities of Islam by studying historical buildings"},"content":{"rendered":"

The lecture, entitled Islam, a Political History<\/em>, offers Erasmus University College students an introduction to the political history of Islam based on key historical buildings. \u201cThe lecture explores some of the ideas underlying important historical events. That makes it ten times more interesting and helps you retain the knowledge more easily.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cWas the Round City of Baghdad an Islamic city?\u201d reads a slide from the PowerPoint presentation in one of the lecture halls in Erasmus University College\u2019s building on Nieuwemarkt. Students Astrid, Rowa and Julia just finished their presentation on the original city centre of Iraq\u2019s capital Baghdad. Built in the eighth century by caliph al-Mansur, the Round City symbolised the transition from the Umayyaden caliphate to the Abbasid caliphate, as lecturer Ward Vloeberghs explains.<\/p>\n

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Before the start of the presentation, Vloeberghs provides a quick overview of the \u2018Rightly Guided Caliphs\u2019, the prophet Mohammed\u2019s initial successors. After Muhammad\u2019s death, three new dynasties emerged in the form of the Umayyads, Abbasids and Fatimids. These three dynasties would later become rivals. \u201cArabs were granted a lot of privileges during the Umayyad period. They didn\u2019t care much about converts from other cultures,\u201d the lecturer explains. \u201cAl-Mansur of the Abbasid caliphate recognised this and decided to build the Round City as a statement: people from every culture are welcome here, this new capital is the symbol of the new Islam.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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Lecture:<\/strong>\u00a0Islam, a Political History (Friday 9.00 a.m. in lecture hall B, EUC building)<\/p>\n

Lecturer:<\/strong>\u00a0Ward Vloeberghs<\/p>\n

Subject:<\/strong>\u00a0Characteristics and genesis of Islamic cities.<\/p>\n

Audience:<\/strong>\u00a0Fourteen enthusiastic, active third-year students, ranging from philosophy to economics and business students.<\/p>\n

Reasons to attend:<\/strong>\u00a0You get to explore the history of Islam while \u2018travelling\u2019 through different Islamic heritage sites. The presentations are colourful, the debates are engaging, the new perspectives are refreshing – or, as student Anna puts it: \u201cLet’s get rid of that Orientalist attitude!\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n

Interactive debates<\/h2>

Fourteen students are seated on folding chairs, attentively listening to their fellow students\u2019 presentations. The presentation on the Round City is followed by others on Al-Azhar mosque in Cairo, Egypt, and Al-Jama mosque in Cordoba, Spain.<\/p>\n

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The Al-Azhar was built by the Fatimids and originally functioned as the Shia\u2019s learning centre. The Fatimids refused to recognise the Abbasids in Baghdad and established a counter-caliphate. \u201cThat\u2019s why they built their own capital in Cairo,\u201d as student Jessie explains during the presentation.<\/p>\n

A student wearing a purple jumper raises her hand. \u201cI\u2019m really fascinated by the role of the ulama, the Islamic scholars. Could you tell us a bit more about them?\u201d Lecturer Vloeberghs nods approvingly. \u201cGood question! They served as spiritual leaders for the people, but they also advised political leaders. That dual role could lead to tensions between ulama and the government.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A better understanding of Islam<\/h2>

Rowa Kordi is an exchange student taking International Relations and Business Administration. While she normally doesn\u2019t attend lectures at EUC, she is making an exception for this course. \u201cI\u2019m a Muslim myself and I\u2019d like to explore Islamic history in more depth. You can\u2019t understand a religion if you don\u2019t know its history.\u201d The lecture has helped her gain a much better understanding of Islam, she says. \u201cFor example, I didn\u2019t know the difference between Sunnis and Shiites. Now I understand their origins and the difference between the two religious branches.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Philosophy student Floris van Wijngaarden is attending the lecture because he enjoys learning about other cultures. \u201cI realised my ideas were mainly based on a western Christian perspective. I get to learn about other belief systems here.\u201d Political Science and International Relations student Anna Kiladze agrees. \u201cThe Western world tends to have this really Orientalist view of Islam and the Middle East. Learning about history from an Islamic perspective gives you a different perspective, though. For example, you learn that Muslims were more advanced than the Western world in the eighth century.\u201d<\/p>\n

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But why is it so important to learn about Islam? Law student Willem Warmenhoven: \u201cThere are over one billion Muslims. It\u2019s important to understand how the world\u2019s second largest religion functions so that we can move away from all the stereotypes. You might have some preconceptions about Islam, but they\u2019re probably wrong: the faith has so many different branches with their own specific guidelines.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interactive and practical<\/h2>
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Willem also appreciates the lecture\u2019s format. \u201cIt\u2019s interactive and practical\u201d, he explains. \u201cEven though it\u2019s about history, I\u2019m not here to memorise dates. The lecture explores some of the ideas underlying important historical events. That makes it ten times more interesting and helps you retain the knowledge more easily.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anna likes the fact that students have to hold weekly presentations. \u201cYou really learn a lot because you have to explain everything to your classmates. You can\u2019t just sit back and listen passively.\u201d Floris adds: \u201cThe lecture is always really well-structured. The lecturer is great too, he\u2019s really passionate about the subject. He knows a lot about Islam and always explains everything clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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Lees de vorige aflevering<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t