| Teacher's Guide on Islam: Introduction |
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Many Americans first became acquainted with
Islam in the context of the September 11 tragedy.
Teachers face the challenge of helping students
understand current events and the diversity of
Muslim attitudes on religious and political issues. This curriculum was developed in the months after the September 11 attacks.
 Teaching students about Islam requires two lessons,
not one. The first introduces the Islamic faith
as a major world religion, similar to Christianity
and Judaism in many ways. The second presents
Islamic civilization as a rich history of peoples
and cultures, now engulfed in a series of internal
and external conflicts. Teaching the second lesson
without the first would not instill a proper respect
for the Muslim faith. Teaching the first lesson
without the second would not provide a context
for understanding current events.
We have fused the two lessons into one guide for
teachers on Islam in the wake of September 11, mostly in
the form of questions and answers. We begin with
a discussion of the Muslim faith and its basic
doctrine. We then provide a historical overview
of the religion's birth and the spread of Muslim
civilization. Discussion of the global Muslim
community profiles the vastness and diversity
of the Muslim world today and puts American Muslims
into a broader context.
This context helps students understand the Al-Qaeda
organization, its historical roots, and the reasons
for its limited popularity. Finally, we bring
the lesson home to our multicultural society in
America, and tackle the sensitive issues of American
Muslims' views on Al-Qaeda and the current war,
and the evolving attitude of non-Muslim Americans
toward the Muslim world.
Part One: Questions & Answers
Part Two: Suggested Academic Projects
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