Problem
A theme repeated throughout the course is the question of an "authentic Islam." Throughout the course, we have seen that there are many branches of Islam, differing practices and beliefs within these branches, as well as a variety of cultural backgrounds related to geography and time that give Islamic belief and practice new, distinctive shapes. Write down an essay that explores the relationship between the claim to a unified, authoritative tradition and the existence of myriad Islams across history and geography by answering the following questions: Are all claims to Islam truly Islamic? If we draw a line between authentic Islam and inauthentic expressions, where is that line? How do we determine it? If there is no line, how ought we to address ideologically violent Islamic movements such as global jihadist movements or the Nation of Islam?