Islamic and Western politics compared in first of its kind course

What are the differences between Islamic and Western political thought? Why are they so different and what brought these differences about? And how does political theory in the West stand in relation to political theory in Islam today?

These are the questions that Emeritus Professor of Politics Antony Black will tackle in a two week graduate course - believed to be the first of its kind given anywhere in the world - he is giving at the University of California, Riverside in April.

Called 'Islamic and European Political Thought Compared', the course will look at the similarities and differences between the way people and thinkers approached political theory in Europe and in the Muslim world from the beginnings of Islam in the seventh century up to the present day.

During the course Emeritus Professor Black will explore how European political ideas influenced the Muslim world in the 19th and 20th centuries and the rejection of Western ideas by fundamentalists.

Emeritus Professor Black says that while some American universities provide courses on comparative political thought he believes this is the first to look specifically at Islam and the West.