Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2012

Abstract

Islam, Muslims, and Islamic law have become an intense American pre-occupation since September 11, 2001. Since then, much literature has been written in academia and public culture alike, deciphering the Muslim and the Islamic, bestsellers sold, careers made, and expertise claimed, solicited, and generously offered.

Unsurprisingly, another type of literature coincided with the rise of the literature on Islam and the Islamic, namely, the one on national security. Sometimes, this literature paralleled and intersected with that on the Islamic, with both fields claiming the same experts, though for the most part, the latter commanded its own independent list of bestsellers, experts, and careered stars. Indeed, if the establishment of centers and degrees in U.S. law schools and *181 universities with the title national security are any indication, the latter field can certainly claim to have commanded the higher interest, if not the resources. For all practical purposes, the centers and departments historically specializing in all things Islamic have, since September 11, witnessed a loss of status, if not money and resources, ironically in the name of national security. The proliferation of the former has coincided with the dwindling of the latter. The experts of the old have been replaced by the media starred experts of the new.

Publication Citation

10 Santa Clara J. Int'l L. 179-186 (2012)

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