Islam Experience Assignment Options and Reflection

Assignment

Islam Experience Assignment options:

Choose one of the following experiences to complete.

1. Visit a local mosque and participate in a worship service.

Az-Zahra Islamic Center (Links to an external site.) (Shia Islam), 8350 Leavenworth Rd, Kansas City KS 66109. 913-440-4786.

Islamic Society of Greater Kansas City (Links to an external site.), 8501 E. 99th, Kansas City, MO 64134. 816-763-2267.

Islamic Center of Johnson County (Links to an external site.). 9001 W. 151st St., Overland Park, KS 66221. 913-239-0770.

Islamic Center of Kansas (Links to an external site.). 14750 W 143st St., Olathe, KS 66062.

Islamic Center of Lawrence (Links to an external site.), 1917 Naismith Dr., Lawrence, KS 66046. (785) 749-1638. Daily & Friday Prayers, Ramadan & Community programs.

Masjid Al Hudah (Links to an external site.), 4608 St. John Ave., Kansas City, MO 64123. 816-231-6678.

Masjid Omar, 2700 E. 49th St., Kansas City, MO 64130-2703. 816-924-5683.

2. Virtually visit the Islamic art collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art at http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search?deptids=14&ft=*(Links to an external site.)   Write your reflections on Islamic art and its role in Islamic culture anciently and in modern times.
3. Islamic art and architecture has influenced everything from Cathedrals to the KC Plaza. Do a virtual visit to a mosque, research the history of the mosque, and explain how the art and architecture help contribute to the worship of the Islamic community.  Here are some ideas, but you are welcome to pick any other mosque that interests you.

• • Mecca: the Kabbah
  • Jerusalem: the Dome of the Rock, al-Aqsa Mosque
  • Syria: Great Mosque of Damascus
  • Iraq: The Great Mosque of Samarra
  • Iran: Friday Mosque at Isfahan
  • Egypt: al-Azhar Mosque and University; Mosque of  Ibn Tulun; (1000s of other mosques in Egypt)
  • Turkey: Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, Suleymaniye Mosque
  • Morocco: Hassan II Mosque
  • Spain: Great Mosque of Cordoba (Mezquita);La Giralda
  • Islamic Center of Washington D.C., Mosque Maryam (Chicago), or any other you’d like to visit virtually

4. Film: Watch one of the following films and explain what you learn about Islam from it.

• • “Muslims” an Independent Production Fund film for Frontline ; produced and written by Graham Judd & Elena Mannes ; directed by Graham Judd.  JCCC Library, DVD Shelves, 1st Floor, 297.09 M9877, Looks at what it means to be a Muslim in the 21st century. Filmed in Egypt, Malaysia, Iran, Turkey, Nigeria and the United States, this program explores the influence of culture and politics on religion, looks at the political forces at work among Muslims around the world, emphasizes Islam’s kinship with Christianity and Judaism, and examines the diverse interpretations of Islam among the Muslim people.
  • “Seven wonders of the Muslim world” (PBS : c2009) JCCC Library 726.2 S4978 Follow six young pilgrims as they make their way from their homes and families on a journey of a lifetime to Mecca, birthplace of the prophet Muhammad. Features the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the Alhambra in Spain's Granada, the Great Mosque, the Badshahi Mosque, and more.
  • “Inside Islam” (2002) Available, 297.09 I594, DVD Shelves, 1st Floor. Widely practiced and equally widely misunderstood, Islam is a religion that has been at the heart of human experience for well over a thousand years.
  • “The Story of Islam” (2001) JCCC Library 297.09 S8874.  Presents a journey through Islam from its beginnings 1300 years ago to its place in the world today...
  • “Islam, empire of faith” (PBS: Warner Home Video: 2001) 297.09 I823. Documents the rise and growth of Islam throughout the world, from the birth of Prophet Muhammad in the 6th century through the peak of the Ottoman Empire 1000 years later. Discusses the impact of Islamic civilization on world history and culture.
  • “The hidden art of Islam “(by Omar, Rageh; PBS) Muslim belief and tradition specifies that there should be no depictions of God or the Prophet Muhammad. In religious contexts, this constraint on what artists can depict extends to human figures and other living creatures as well. These prohibitions have inspired a rich visual culture based on calligraphy, Arabesque floral designs, and geometry, all of which feature strongly in the art and design found throughout Islam.

5. Sacred Texts: Read one of the following

• • The Koran
  • The Biography of Muhammadby Ibn Ishaq. http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sira/index.htm (Links to an external site.)
  • “Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet” by Karen Armstrong. San Francisco:  Harper San Francisco, 1993.
  • “Approaching the Qur’an: The Early Revelations” by Michael Sells. Ashland, OR:  White Cloud Press, 2002.
  • “Mystical Dimension of Islam” by Annemarie Schimmel. Chapel Hill:  University of North Carolina Press, 1975.
  • “Jihad Revisited” by Paul L. Heck http://www.jstor.org/stable/40018156(Links to an external site.)
  • “Islam and Toleration: Studying the Ottoman Imperial Model” by Karen Barkey International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society, Vol. 19, No. 1/2, The New Sociological Imagination II (Dec., 2005), pp. 5-19 URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20059691(Links to an external site.)

6. Study any topic of your choice in Islam. Some good resources are:

Oxford Islamic Studies online (can be accessed through the Billington Library)  Under Subjects/ Religion.   http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/ (Links to an external site.)

Islam and Islamic Studies Resources  http://theislamwebsite.com/ (Links to an external site.)

Balancing the insider vs. outsider perspective is key to an academic study of religion.  For most religions you will be the outsider, until we study your religion.  But as F. Max Mueller said "to know one is to know none", so comparing one religion to others is an important analytical tool.  As is learning to have empathy (the ability to see things from another's perspective.  But how do we do that?  I like to break it down like this:

1. What am I observing?  symbols, rituals.
2. What is the meaning or motivation behind what I am observing?  
3. How does this compare to other religions including my own?
4. Is there a concept or principle that applies to myself or the world at large?

As  religious scholars it is important not only to learn the facts and details of a religion but to have experience, learn from insiders, and analyze what we learn so we can develop empathy (the ability to see things from another's  perspective)  Beyond experiencing and learning about another religion, learning to take what you have learned and write a clear essay is part of the scholar's trade.   The ability to clearly express your ideas, arguments and opinions in an essay is a skill that goes far beyond the classroom.  

For this weeks experience & reflections assignment.  Pick and experience to have with Islam.  Write a paper that summarizes, analyzes and applies what you have learned/experienced. Your response papers must be 1-2 pages in length and use academic language.  If  you are referencing the book, films, or any other sources make sure you cite your sources.

1. How did this experience help me to better understand Islam?
2. How does this compare to other religions?
3. What lessons can be applied from this religion?

Note:  Make sure you cite all of your sources.  https://www.jccc.edu/student-resources/academic-resource-center/writing-center/files/mla-documentation-handout.pdfLinks to an external site. 

Experience & reflection paper