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Strategies and Resources for Teaching about Islam and Muslims

Strategies and Resources for Teaching about Islam and Muslims. Barbara Petzen. What’s the Takeaway Message?. Get away from stereotypes: deprogram, dismediation Diversity of the religion and of its peoples

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Strategies and Resources for Teaching about Islam and Muslims

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  1. Strategies and Resources for Teaching about Islam and Muslims Barbara Petzen

  2. What’s the Takeaway Message? • Get away from stereotypes: deprogram, dismediation • Diversity of the religion and of its peoples • Prescriptive ≠ Descriptive (use real Muslims, not just text; arts and culture not just doctrine) • Ethical vs. Doctrinal (not just the 5 pillars of belief/practice) • Specificity and complexity of issues/perspectives • Interfaith: Why do we ask different questions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam

  3. Best Practices: • Compare! Analogize to what kids already know • Media-rich approach • Humanize: Land Called Paradise • Find real people/anecdotes: “authentic” doesn’t mean “representative”: Inside Islam • Literature, film, internet, blogs • Popular culture and music: O-Hum • Humor: Allah Made Me Funny • Active: Arabic, crafting/art, Google Earth (hajj tour)

  4. Stereotypes of Islam

  5. Islam is…

  6. “Muslim World”

  7. Muslim Population by Country

  8. Cultural diversity of Islam

  9. Gender and Islam • Gender and religion—do we do this with all religions? • The “veil”—changes the public female body by covering it • [How does American society influence women to change the public female body? Jerry Hall] • Early reform vs. later stiffening/patriarchy • Islamic feminism vs. control of women (why?)

  10. Who Wears a Veil?

  11. Counter-stereotypesIslam Today: Hafez Rocks! • O-Hum Darvish • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeN4kfBPx1k

  12. Counter-stereotypes • Girls in Iran and Turkey

  13. Counter-stereotypes • Pushing the boundaries

  14. Counter-stereotypes • New Aspirations

  15. Counter-Stereotypes • Virtual Ambitions

  16. Counter-Stereotypes • New couture

  17. Counter-Stereotypes • Nancy Ajram Coke ad • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35O3udLS83Y • Parody Coke ad • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGvXpJjqLWc&feature=related “Pop Culture”

  18. Islam Today • 4 elements: Doctrine, Rules, Practice and Politics • Each element is contested, diverse within community (even when folks say it’s not) • Hot-button issues: • Sunni/Shia split • Jihad and violence • Compatibility with democracy • Gender • Think about ethnicity, class, history in addition to religion

  19. Sunnis, Shi’a and Sufis • What’s the difference, and what difference does it make? • Historical background of split: not the whole story • Doctrine/practice: not the whole story • Historical experience tells us more (cf Northern Ireland)

  20. Where Shi’a live

  21. Imam Hussein

  22. Iranian men commemorating the death of Imam Hussein

  23. Imam Ali mosque in Najaf, Iraq, where most Shia believe Imam Ali is buried

  24. Mazar-e Sharif in Afghanistan, where some Shia believe Imam Ali is buried

  25. Askariya Shrine in Samarra, Iraq(tombs of 10th and 11th imams)

  26. Muslim Attitudes towards Democracy and Terrorism • Gallup poll representing over a billion Muslims worldwide (also Inside Islam film) • Most respondents want democracy, but also want societies to reflect Islamic values • Most respondents support equal political rights for women • Of 1.5 billion Muslims, only thousands are actively engaged in terrorism activities; however, about 7% support their activities • Their motivation is primarily political, not religious

  27. Curricular Angles • Cross curricular reinforcement is key • Humanities: history, ELA, music, art • Science (spices, history of science, hydraulics/mechanics/Rube Goldberg) • Math (Islamic geometric design, algebra) • Economics (where oil prices come from) • PE (debke and other folk dance) • Service projects • Technology (google earth, blogs, movie production) • Projects in any curricular area in conjunction with classes in the Middle East

  28. First Contact

  29. First Contact: Classroom to Classroom • Many organizations provide links between classrooms • iEARN.org: Projects and topics across the curriculum • ePals • Global Nomads • Blogs from Middle East at Global Voices • Listing of other organizations and resources at TeachMideast

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