Brilliant professor, with an intellectually rigorous, subtle, in-depth and wide ranging approach to unfolding a complex and at times controversial subject. I appreciate the numerous references to history, philosophy and economics, which balance the discussions of the place of religion in state institutions and policy. The legal framework was a treasure trove. Many thanks to Professor Afsah. I look forward to future courses you offer.

This course is the best online course I have taken. I loved how it was structured, the Professor spoke well and clearly and was extremely knowledgeable, and the readings were well chosen. I highly recommend this course to anyone who is interested in learning more about the Middle East, whether you are new, or intermediate. There are a lot of insights you can learn from.

The course was good. But the real situation has been changing drastically. A supplement or extension of course is required to cover the up to date situation about IS activities, syria Iraq etc.

It is an attractive course about middle east. The instructor is born in Iran, he told a little bit story about him and his family in Iran. You will understand more than you read books.

Amazing course with comprehensive lectures and balanced approach on historical and contemporary aspects that define the socio-political developments taking place in the Muslim world.

An excellent introduction to the social realities and politics of the Muslim World for inquisitive learners, not only for law students.

Extremely useful and rewarding. The content is really worth the effort to listen and understand.

Excellent course. :)

The professor has a very biased view of the Islamic world, which is heavily based on his opinion and approach not on the real facts and dominant his

While working from home, our team has been encouraged to find learning opportunities that can expand our understanding of the areas in which we have professional interest. This course has been a wonderful opportunity to learn how Muslim countries have struggled with the idea of democracy and constitutionalism in the creation of their countries. Dr Ebrahim Afsah’s excellent course has been a definite building block of my understanding of the region of the world in which I struggle to comprehend political policy. The historical context of constitutional issues which this course covered will go a long way in how I will understand ideologic issues that I come across. Understanding historical context is always an issue when looking at how countries develop their foreign policies, and if you have a foundational understanding in how that country developed its own government, it definitely helps you understand how they not only look at themselves, but also how they deal with other counties, whether they follow traditional government building or not. This course was definitely one I would and have admonish others who desire a deeper understanding of the issues these governments have and I am looking forward to finding and completing other courses in this vein.

Respectfully submitted,

John Latham

I must say that this is one of the most inspiring, eye-opening and lucid courses I've ever taken at Coursera. While the emphasis is placed on the social and economic factors that shaped the Muslim societies, thus rendering the religious factor secondary, this course provides an alternative lense in understanding the region. I particularly like the way the instructor challenges the well-established narratives about the region and gives us the empirical/historical facts behind the real causes that shaped the Muslim world as we know it! I have already recommended it to all of my politically-minded friends and would do so the same for everyone else interested in the region or who wants to better understand the news at least :D

Excellent overview on the problem of mixed success in the development of Muslim world under the lens of the development of institutions.

Very rich background in terms of recent history, economy and local culture: colonial past is taken into due consideration.

Due to the fragmentation of the area taken into account, more than remarkable outcome: a must if you want to understand more of a culture and of regions of the worlds tragically on the forefront in many cases.

In addition, the "iranian" (non european) perspective of the instructor brings even more interest into the course.

An excellent companion of the Tel Aviv University Course The Emergence of the Modern Middle East, also available on the platform.

Para poder entender la complejidad del mundo musulmán, necesitamos recibir información sobre su historia, sus sistemas de organización, invasiones de poderes externos y los enfrentamientos internos que a lo largo de los años han sufrido estos países. Es imposible entender la actualidad si no nos damos un tiempo para entender el pasado, y creo que este curso es esencial para empezar a vislumbrar el porqué de tantas luchas y conflictos en la actualidad. Además el curso viene acompañado de una buena selección de libros que nos permiten ahondar en el tema. Todo esto nos ayuda a entender mejor la situación de nuestro mundo, eliminar prejuicios, que buena falta nos hace.

A very thought-engaging and enjoyable course. I learned a lot about the history and contexts of various Muslim countries, the challenges faced by them as well as the practical challenges that Islamic-based political thought have not demonstrably addressed so far. The instructor is very knowledgeable and well-meaning. I like the course's approach of not so much attempting to answer the questions as just a 'tour guide' and an entry point to the much more complex discussion about the topic. I might not agree with everything in the course, and some of his statements might have made me a bit uncomfortable, but overall this is an engaging and insightful course.

For me, for a student with Bachelor degree in ME studies, this course presented a different angle on the region. What I really liked is that the data was not 100% historic, in contrary it combined various concepts from social science. In addition, prof. Ebrahim Afsah heavily referred to qualitative and quantitative data, therefore his views were backed by various sources. Furthermore, I liked that all readings supplemented information presented in the course and strengthened gained knowledge. Overall, I really enjoyed taking this course and think that students who attend in present lectures of this professor are really lucky.

I enjoyed this (as my first) coursera course from Ebrahim Afsah. I feel now to have a comprehensive overview about Arabic history and colonial past. I've learned to understand the struggles of the Arab world to be dissatisfied by capitalism and communism. The course also allowed a critical point of view on the missing self-criticism of the Arab World. All in all, although this was a lot of information to take in, i can say that I would love to take other courses by this Professor and his team. It was professional but also entertaining, with good materials and personal insights. Thank you and I believe we will see us again.

It has been an excellent course, really very useful, I am very interesting the way to face the same on the part of the teacher, with a diagram that was very clear and didactic. The development of a theme as complex as this, especially for Westerners who really have little access to reliable sources in the face of the issue, given that we always find political and religious interests hidden behind. Really very good, I am currently attending the course on the failure of democracies after the Arab Spring. A pleasure greetings and I would like to continue investigating on this subject that I am passionate about.

For a survey course, this module does a fantastic job of presenting the various struggles and discourses in the Muslim world, as well as contextualizing its inherent problems both historically and within present-day. It does so objectively, without sacrificing important reflection in the name of political correctness. I recommend this course as a jump-off point for anyone who wants to better understand this topic on an introductory level, or would like to later pursue independent study into more complex or narrow topics. Thank you Professor Afsah!

This is one of the best courses I have ever studied. It gives extensive insight in the political, cultural, historical and institutional backgrond of contemporary muslim countries. It provides sociological and interpretative threads to understand the main challenges met by these peoples in their "clash" with modernity, in a heartful and deeply researched attempt to find a way out of backwardness and radicalization, an attempt that defies radicalized and istitutionalized Islamic views, but also profoundly respects Islam itself.

Really good course, I recommend it to anyone working in the MENA region as a journalist, or business person.

Great presentation of the subject. Professor Afsah's teaching style, insights and critical theory approach combined with pragmatic reflections is very enlightening and useful for me as a journalist working in Islamic nations.

I like the recap checks mid lesson, that's useful, as I'm working and get tired, so it's a good check on my own concentration levels.

I want to tel that I am diplomat from Costa Rica willing to learn about muslim societies. This course was really good, the teacher has the ability to get the attention of the students (obviously my attention). I was thinking all the things I´ve learned but also all the questions that come to my mind. I hope I can contact the teacher in a near future to analice the possibility to visit Costa Rica as a lecturer. I gladly would like to work on that.

Truly excellent course content that really serves as an excellent entry for people new to this field.

My one crib is with the testing methods employed in the course. The quizzes were far too easy and the peer review system does not really give comprehensive feedback. I understand that grading is a huge problem for online education, and I wont claim to have the answers to this, but this really needs to be fixed to help the students learn more.

An absolute masterpiece. Excellent and a very thorough analysis. Very high quality, informative course which might have changed my personal preference in terms of pursuing a doctorate in Law / Islamic Law. Simply, respect and more respect for the Instructor for his oustanding scholarship, especially, for such a controversial and a sensitive subject. But sometimes, what needs to said, just needs to be said without sugar coating!

Taking CSMW is like watching an addictive Netflix series: you cannot let go. The teacher, the content, the delivery, the readings, comments of other students are all exceptional. A better future of the region can and will be built, I am sure. It will mean a better future for Humanity. Whether you are from the region or not, you will benefit from a better understanding of how the past has played its role to shape the present.

I felt this course was fantastic - and it is my opinion that the course should be a requirement for all members of the US Senate and House of Representatives - as they might make less dumb decisions when pedalling democracy in Muslim countries. And I took the course because I felt I could learn a lot. And I did. Thanks to the University, Dr Afsah and Dr Afsah's team for a very pertinent and well done course.