High School
In this picture book, Mrs. Syed captures moments in the day-to-day lives of these Muslim women, moments that the average American can relate to once they “embrace” the fact that she covers her hair. With each page, a stereotypes is shattered and the misunderstandings that surround the female followers of a faith of 1.3 billion diminish. iCOVER has garnered significant publicity both domestically and internationally. Also Available in BHS School Library
A description of Islamic Networks Group resources and offerings for various educational and interfaith settings.
A list of videos with streaming platform for 20 BBC documentary films on Islam, Muslims, Islamic history and cultures, including the excellent 3-Part documentary, “Islam and Science,” by the BBC, with Jim al-Khalili. http://islamicmultimedia.blogspot.com/ Islam and Science and Technology. Many other topics.
Islam: Empire of Faith documentary film companion website The site includes an outstanding timeline of Islamic history in four realms of history, as well as lesson plans and access to images from the arts and sciences. The full documentary can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxnT1Trn5kc
Islam: Empire of Faith is a documentary series, made in 2000, that details the history of Islam, from the birth of the Islamic Prophet, Muhammad to the Ottoman Empire. The first episode deals with the life of Muhammad, the second with the early Caliphates, Crusades, and Mongol invasion, and the third with the Ottoman Empire and Safavid dynasty. Directed by Robert H. Gardner.
Comparative Doc Study-Human Rights in Islam & Enlightenment Tradition Comparative Document Study–Human Rights and Religious Tolerance in Islam and in the French and American Enlightenment Traditions. Students read excerpts from three primary sources–quotes from Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, and the Qur’an and Hadith. Students then determine similarities and dissimilarities between American, French and Islamic provisions for human rights and religious tolerance. For use with: Video documentary FRONTLINE: MUSLIMS or as standalone lesson on the topic.
A collection of stories from authentic Islamic literary and religious sources such as Hadith and Qur’an, which illuminates Islamic morals, ethics and values in an accessible way.
Winner of the 2004 Aesop Prize, Ayat Jamilah/Beautiful Signs: a Treasury of Islamic Wisdom for Children and Parents is the second book in Eastern Washington University Press’ This Little Light of Mine series. A young adult/adult crossover anthology, it draws from not only the core of Islamic spirituality and ethics, the Qur’an, and the traditions (hadiths), but also from the mystical verse, folk tales, and exemplary figures of the Islamic narrative. Unlike any other collection of Islamic stories, Beautiful Signs gathers traditional stories from the farthest reaches of the Muslim world, which stretches from Morocco in the west to Indonesia in the east, and from China in the north to Tanzania in the south. This unique anthology, with its rich and thorough explanatory notes, will be invaluable to anyone wishing to understand, or to teach, geography, world history, or world religions. It will also be treasured by Muslim families and by all parents committed to broadening the lives and values of their children and themselves.
Critical Thinking on Terminology about Islam and Muslims Critical Thinking about Terminology Related to Islam and Muslims: This lesson helps students critically evaluate some of the phrases and concepts used to describe Islam and Muslims. Students learn about the distinctions between using terms such as “Islamic” and “Muslim” to describe different behaviors or cultural products, and gain awareness of journalistic categories such as “Muslim world.” For use with: Video documentary FRONTLINE: MUSLIMS or as standalone lesson.
Islam: An American Faith, Set of 6 documentary films on aspects of Islam, descriptive of the faith, its beliefs and practices. $9.95 ea or $49.95 for the set.
For many these two ideas: Islam and America are not compatible, many on both sides feel that there is a great divide and that America can never reconcile with Islam and Muslims cannot live in peace with America. This film aims to dispel that myth. Starting from a historical perspective highlighting the fact that Muslims were already present in the New World prior to the arrival of the first European settlers and coming to the present post 9-11 America where some are questioning their identity, whereas others are defining their American Muslim identity.
Discover Islamic Art Museum With No Frontiers/DiscoverIslamicArt, a collection of art by period, dynasty, region and themes, bringing together works in many museums with their full information. The site also features interactive games exploring artworks and objects. A great way to see how Islamic art is organized and how it changed over time and across Muslim cultures. A project of the EuroMed with European Union funding.
A virtual walking tour of the Dome of the Rock and the third most important mosque in Islam, in Jerusalem. It features 360 degree views and detailed explanations of the architectural and decorative features, and their significance. (Since Adobe Flash is no longer supported, an alterative is to download Ruffles Flash emulator at http://ruffles.rs and install it as a browser extension)
Dover Publications is a heritage publisher specializing in facsimile editions of early lithographic books, inexpensive literature, art and craft books, antique mail-order catalogs, and historical design and art books in very inexpensive editions. They are an invaluable resource for the teacher who wants to integrate art into the social studies classroom. The Dover Design Library is only one part of a wonderful art-historical resource for teachers that includes a world-wide collection of cultural designs from architecture, textiles, ceramics, and jewelry. Another way to find their design books is to search http://doverpublications.com using terms like Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Islamic, geometric, and a cross-cultural classic design book from the 19th century, Owen Jones, Grammar of Ornament and Arabic Art in Color by Prisse d’Avennes
A courageous and honest look at the conflict in Israel/Palestine in the words of Israeli and Palestinian children
Noor Inayat Khan was the daughter of a spiritual teacher from India, Hazrat Inayat Khan, and his American wife, Ora Ray Baker. After Noor’s birth in Moscow in 1914, the family moved first to England and then to Paris, where she was raised. In 1940, the Nazis invaded France and twenty-five year old Noor fled with her family to England. She joined Britain’s Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and trained as a wireless operator. In early 1943, she began her assignment as a covert agent, joining Winston Churchill’s Special Operations Executive (SOE). The SOE worked with the French resistance fighters to sabotage industry and railroads in preparation for the D-Day invasions, after which they would co-ordinate attacks on the German army behind enemy lines, tying down troops and diverting the Germans from the invading Allied troops. From Paris, Noor Inayat Khan secretly transmitted critical information back to Britain. In the next four months she was often the only link between the U.K. and the French Resistance. She was pursued by the Gestapo and finally betrayed by French collaborators. The Nazis arrested her and imprisoned her in Paris, where she fought back against her captors and escaped twice. Finally, she was sent to the infamous Dachau concentration camp in Germany where she was executed shortly before the end of WWII. Lesson plans are available at https://www.upf.tv/noorteachers/
This publication seeks to answer common questions about Islam and Muslims, in order to inform Americans about the vast majority of their fellow citizens who are Muslim. In doing so, it seeks to uphold our shared commitment to religious freedom and contribute to a climate of understanding and respect among Americans of all faiths and none.