Resources and approaches to learning about Islam

Dawnofhope · Mar 27, 2019

On March 15 a terrorist incident occurred in my home country with the killing of 50 Muslims while in their place of worship. As a community and nation we are coming to terms with what has happened. I meet with two Muslims today professionally. They were both experiencing symptoms of an acute stress reaction with poor sleep, anxiety, feeling fearful for themselves and their families. These are normal reactions to their community being targeted and being a visible minority. I'll probably go to the mosque again this Sunday as the Muslim community is having an open day.

I'm exploring learning more about Islam. This is from the perspective of being better able to educate others and assist overcoming religious prejudice and intolerance. What has become apparent is the widespread confusion and lack of knowledge about religion in my country and Islam in particular. The study is for those who want to learn more about Islam but are not interested in becoming Muslims. There are two community groups which I belong where this interest has arisen. First within my Baha'i Faith community, particularly the members of my community who are from a Western background and had little exposure to Islam prior to becoming Baha'is. Second my cities interfaith council. I see we may have a role in promoting more widespread religious education in schools as well as in our local communities.

Having being a Baha'i for nearly 30 years, there are many of our sacred writings that are in repsonse to questions about Islam. The Baha'i faith arose out of Persia (now Iran) 175 years ago. Over the years I've learned about Islam but having never been a Muslim, its not a religion I have as close an affinity for as Christianity or Buddhism.

The topic I would like to explore with this thread are the different approaches to learning about Islam. Has learning about Islam been important to you and why? Is it valuable to learn about a religion that is not your religion or necessarily part of where your culture has come from? If you have learnt about Islam, what were some of the approaches or resources that were helpful?

I place this in the religious debate section so participants are free to comment and discuss. I'm also prepared to be challenged about my motivations and thinking.

Thanks for taking the time to read another of my threads.

Vinayaka · Mar 27, 2019

adrian009 said:
On March 15 a terrorist incident occurred in my home country with the killing of 50 Muslims while in their place of worship. As a community and nation we are coming to terms with what has happened. I meet with two Muslims today professionally. They were both experiencing symptoms of an acute stress reaction with poor sleep, anxiety, feeling fearful for themselves and their families. These are normal reactions to their community being targeted and being a visible minority. I'll probably go to the mosque again this Sunday as the Muslim community is having an open day.

I'm exploring learning more about Islam. This is from the perspective of being better able to educate others and assist overcoming religious prejudice and intolerance. What has become apparent is the widespread confusion and lack of knowledge about religion in my country and Islam in particular. The study is for those who want to learn more about Islam but are not interested in becoming Muslims. There are two community groups which I belong where this interest has arisen. First within my Baha'i Faith community, particularly the members of my community who are from a Western background and had little exposure to Islam prior to becoming Baha'is. Second my cities interfaith council. I see we may have a role in promoting more widespread religious education in schools as well as in our local communities.

Having being a Baha'i for nearly 30 years, there are many of our sacred writings that are in repsonse to questions about Islam. The Baha'i faith arose out of Persia (now Iran) 175 years ago. Over the years I've learned about Islam but having never been a Muslim, its not a religion I have as close an affinity for as Christianity or Buddhism.

The topic I would like to explore with this thread are the different approaches to learning about Islam. Has learning about Islam been important to you and why? Is it valuable to learn about a religion that is not your religion or necessarily part of where your culture has come from? If you have learnt about Islam, what were some of the approaches or resources that were helpful?

I place this in the religious debate section so participants are free to comment and discuss. I'm also prepared to be challenged about my motivations and thinking.

Thanks for taking the time to read another of my threads.

Do you have any suggested resources on 'Introduction to Islam for beginners'?

sooda · Mar 27, 2019

adrian009 said:
On March 15 a terrorist incident occurred in my home country with the killing of 50 Muslims while in their place of worship. As a community and nation we are coming to terms with what has happened. I meet with two Muslims today professionally. They were both experiencing symptoms of an acute stress reaction with poor sleep, anxiety, feeling fearful for themselves and their families. These are normal reactions to their community being targeted and being a visible minority. I'll probably go to the mosque again this Sunday as the Muslim community is having an open day.

I'm exploring learning more about Islam. This is from the perspective of being better able to educate others and assist overcoming religious prejudice and intolerance. What has become apparent is the widespread confusion and lack of knowledge about religion in my country and Islam in particular. The study is for those who want to learn more about Islam but are not interested in becoming Muslims. There are two community groups which I belong where this interest has arisen. First within my Baha'i Faith community, particularly the members of my community who are from a Western background and had little exposure to Islam prior to becoming Baha'is. Second my cities interfaith council. I see we may have a role in promoting more widespread religious education in schools as well as in our local communities.

Having being a Baha'i for nearly 30 years, there are many of our sacred writings that are in repsonse to questions about Islam. The Baha'i faith arose out of Persia (now Iran) 175 years ago. Over the years I've learned about Islam but having never been a Muslim, its not a religion I have as close an affinity for as Christianity or Buddhism.

The topic I would like to explore with this thread are the different approaches to learning about Islam. Has learning about Islam been important to you and why? Is it valuable to learn about a religion that is not your religion or necessarily part of where your culture has come from? If you have learnt about Islam, what were some of the approaches or resources that were helpful?

I place this in the religious debate section so participants are free to comment and discuss. I'm also prepared to be challenged about my motivations and thinking.

Thanks for taking the time to read another of my threads.

I think the way to begin is to clear your mind.. set aside your prejudices and suspend belief for a short time.

They are different, but they are human with basically the same wants and needs as us. Islam has a certain logic to it.. You don't have to convert to begin to see that.

Vinayaka · Mar 27, 2019

I did some searching. The first two sites I hit were rather apologetic, whereas I would like a more balanced approach. This one seemed better ... Five books you should read to better understand Islam

But really, I think some sort of association is better. Personally, I had the benefit of being a teacher and taught Muslim students, as well as talked with their parents. But I don't think it gave me much sense of the diversity.

TagliatelliMonster · Mar 27, 2019

adrian009 said:
Has learning about Islam been important to you and why?

Yes because fellow citizens of mine believe this stuff and beliefs inform actions. I think it's wise to know what an entire community believes as those beliefs will inform their decisions at some point.

And regardless, I think "knowing" is always better then "not knowing", no matter the topic.

Is it valuable to learn about a religion that is not your religion or necessarily part of where your culture has come from?

Knowledge is always valuable.
I think a better question is if it is usefull or relevant to your life.
I'ld say "yes", if there is a sizeable community of believers in your immediate environment.

For example, while the religious beliefs of some remote tribe in the Amazone will certainly be interesting to know about, it won't exactly be very useful or relevant in my everyday life over here near Antwerp, Belgium.

If you have learnt about Islam, what were some of the approaches or resources that were helpful?

Reading the quran, talking to muslims, talking to imam's, reading internet articles indiscriminatly (meaning: from both sides, not just from the "fanbase" so to speak...)

I place this in the religious debate section so participants are free to comment and discuss. I'm also prepared to be challenged about my motivations and thinking.

I'll just give you my motivations, since they'll differ from yours.

Brutally put, the quirky superstitious beliefs of anyone are of no particular interest to me. I don't really care what kind of nonsense people like to believe. What does interest me, is how people act and why they do what they do. Especially if their actions have an impact on me or society at large.

As I said earlier, beliefs inform actions. And that is my motivation to learn about their beliefs. Not because I care. Not because I want to impose self-censorship to accomodate for their superstitious sensitivities. But rather because I want to know what kind of behaviour and decision making I can expect from them. For better or worse.

pearl · Mar 27, 2019

adrian009 said:
If you have learnt about Islam, what were some of the approaches or

By in large what has shaped my perception of Islam is the Catholic Church through its continued dialogue with Muslims.

Interreligious dialogue has certain characteristics: clarity, an outpouring of thought, meekness, humility, kindness, patience, generosity, prudence and trust. In interreligious dialogue we are compelled to make our language understandable, acceptable and well-chosen, so that we can be both truthful and charitable to one another.

Every interreligious dialogue has a spiritual character. The participants maintain their religious practice, they invite their partners to be present with them when they pray and they seek to understand how each of them understands what one must do to be holy. We seek to understand one another, to challenge one another to understand each of our beliefs most deeply and to grow in our understanding of the greatness, abundance and mercy of God.

We recognize our common commitment, as Muslims and Christians, to respond to the One God witdh the same sense of obedience, submission, worship and trust that characterized the faith of Abraham. It is therefore proper that we look to Abraham as "our common father in faith" and that we come together to celebrate living our faith together.

Notes national Muslim-Catholic dialogues

Augustus · Mar 27, 2019

Some options which offer discussions of Islam in a broader context (have included TOC for some formatting may not be great though but it does the job):

Heaven on earth: A journey through sharia law by Sadakat Kadri is a good intro and very readable.

PART ONE: The Past 1. Laying Down the Law 2. From Revelations to Revolution 3. The Formation of the Law Schools 4. Commanding the Faithful 5. The Sunni Challenge and the Shi‘a Response 6. The Caliphate Destroyed: A Shadowless God 7. The Reinvention of Tradition: Salafism 8. Jihad: A Law-torn World

PART TWO: The Present 9. Innovation and Its Discontents: Islamic Law and the Challenge of Change 10. Punishment and Pity: The Modern Revival of Islamic Criminal Law 11. ‘No Compulsion in Religion’? Apostasy, Blasphemy and Tolerance 12. Heaven on Earth

The House of Islam: A global history by Ed Hussain is another pretty accessible overview

“Introduction: Inside the House
PART ONE: A MILLENNIUM OF POWER

1What is Islam?
2Origins of the Quran
3Who is a Muslim Today?
4The Sunni–Shi‘a Schism
5What is the Sharia?
6Who is a Sufi?
PART TWO THE RISE OF ANGER

7A Hundred Years of Humiliation
8Who is an Islamist?
9Who is a Salafi? Or a Wahhabi?
10Who is a Jihadi?
11Who is a Kharijite, or Takfiri?

PART THREE THE RISE OF THE WEST AND THE LOSS OF MUSLIM CONFIDENCE

12Dignity
13The Jews
14Education
15Women
16Sex

PART FOUR ISLAM’S GLOBAL STAYING POWER

17God is Alive
18Rights of the Sacred
19The Family Table
20The Next Life
Conclusion: The Way Forward

The New Cambridge history of Islam vol.6: Muslims and Modernity: Culture and Society since 1800 contains essays on a range of topics, but isn't exactly a page-turner.

1 . Introduction: Muslims and modernity: culture and society in an age of contest and plurality 1
robert w. hefner

part i
SOCIAL TRANSFORMATIONS 37

2 . New networks and new knowledge: migrations, communications and the re!guration of the Muslim community in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries 39
r. michael feener

3 . Population, urbanisation and the dialectics of globalisation 69 clement m. henry

4 . The origins and early development of Islamic reform 107 ahmad s. dallal

5 . Reform and modernism in the middle twentieth century 148 john o. voll

6 . Islamic resurgence and its aftermath 173 sa ̈ıd amir arjomand

7 . The new transnationalism: globalising Islamic movements 198
peter mandaville

8 . Muslims in the West: Europe 218 john r. bowen

9 . Muslims in the West: North America 238 karen isaksen leonard

10 . New frontiers and conversion 254 robert launay

part ii RELIGION AND LAW 269

11 . Contemporary trends in Muslim legal thought and ideology 270
sami zubaida

12 . A case comparison: Islamic law and the Saudi and Iranian legal systems 296
frank e. vogel

13 . Beyond dhimmihood: citizenship and human rights 314 abdullahi ahmed an naqim

14 . The qulamap: scholarly tradition and new public commentary 335
muhammad qasim zaman

15 . Su!sm and neo Su!sm 355 bruce b. lawrence

part iii
POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC THOUGHT 385

16 . Islamic political thought 387 l. carl brown

17 . Women, family and the law: the Muslim personal status law debate in Arab states 411
lynn welchman

18 . Culture and politics in Iran since the 1979 revolution 438
nikki r. keddie

19 . Modern Islam and the economy 473 timur kuran

part iv
CULTURES, ARTS AND LEARNING 495

20 . Islamic knowledge and education in the modern age 497
robert w. hefner

21 . History, heritage and modernity: cities in the Muslim world between destruction and reconstruction 521
jens hanssen

22 . Islamic philosophy and science 549 s. nomanul haq

23 . The press and publishing 572 ami ayalon

24 . The modern art of the Middle East 597 venetia porter

25 . Cinema and television in the Arab world 625 walter armbrust

26 . Electronic media and new Muslim publics 648 jon w. anderson

Could also try Misquoting Muhammad by Jonathan AC Brown

A review: Review of Jonathan A.C. Brown "Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choice of Interpreting the Prophet’s Legacy"

Or The lives of Muhammad by Kecia Ali

Brickjectivity · Mar 27, 2019

adrian009 said:
The study is for those who want to learn more about Islam but are not interested in becoming Muslims.

My main interest is if and how the culture clash can end well between Muslims and everybody else. I might be interested in other ideas such as Zakat but only by themselves. Fasting is an interesting subject by itself. Humility is. I find the subject of submission intriguing. I find the laws in Islam curious. I don't have any interest in dissolving into them however. I take and use what seems good to me -- just like some people practice Yoga as an exercise only.

adrian009 said:
The topic I would like to explore with this thread are the different approaches to learning about Islam.

With most things the subject changes as you observe it. It is often changed by your interest and not merely the appearance of it. How then can you claim to know it if you don't give yourself over to it? I'm unwilling to do that, so how can I arrive at competency?

There could be secrets. There could be all kinds of bindings that don't appear on the surface. There could be positives that you can't obtain. How do I avoid making bad assumptions without some heavy burden of learning?

sooda said:
I think the way to begin is to clear your mind.. set aside your prejudices and suspend belief for a short time.

For me that would last about 1/10 of a second. One time I managed an entire second, but I was drained for the rest of the day.

sooda said:
They are different, but they are human with basically the same wants and needs as us. Islam has a certain logic to it.. You don't have to convert to begin to see that.

Logic in the Greek sense? Do you mean it has practical aspects, or do you mean it has a system of logic which leads different people to similar conclusions -- or what?

loverofhumanity · Mar 27, 2019

adrian009 said:
On March 15 a terrorist incident occurred in my home country with the killing of 50 Muslims while in their place of worship. As a community and nation we are coming to terms with what has happened. I meet with two Muslims today professionally. They were both experiencing symptoms of an acute stress reaction with poor sleep, anxiety, feeling fearful for themselves and their families. These are normal reactions to their community being targeted and being a visible minority. I'll probably go to the mosque again this Sunday as the Muslim community is having an open day.

I'm exploring learning more about Islam. This is from the perspective of being better able to educate others and assist overcoming religious prejudice and intolerance. What has become apparent is the widespread confusion and lack of knowledge about religion in my country and Islam in particular. The study is for those who want to learn more about Islam but are not interested in becoming Muslims. There are two community groups which I belong where this interest has arisen. First within my Baha'i Faith community, particularly the members of my community who are from a Western background and had little exposure to Islam prior to becoming Baha'is. Second my cities interfaith council. I see we may have a role in promoting more widespread religious education in schools as well as in our local communities.

Having being a Baha'i for nearly 30 years, there are many of our sacred writings that are in repsonse to questions about Islam. The Baha'i faith arose out of Persia (now Iran) 175 years ago. Over the years I've learned about Islam but having never been a Muslim, its not a religion I have as close an affinity for as Christianity or Buddhism.

The topic I would like to explore with this thread are the different approaches to learning about Islam. Has learning about Islam been important to you and why? Is it valuable to learn about a religion that is not your religion or necessarily part of where your culture has come from? If you have learnt about Islam, what were some of the approaches or resources that were helpful?

I place this in the religious debate section so participants are free to comment and discuss. I'm also prepared to be challenged about my motivations and thinking.

Thanks for taking the time to read another of my threads.

Hi Adrian. I’ve come across many positive resources on the internet.

Windwalker · Mar 27, 2019

adrian009 said:
The topic I would like to explore with this thread are the different approaches to learning about Islam. Has learning about Islam been important to you and why? Is it valuable to learn about a religion that is not your religion or necessarily part of where your culture has come from? If you have learnt about Islam, what were some of the approaches or resources that were helpful?

I first learned about Islam while I was in a fundamentalist Bible college, back in the day. While I was with them, I really wasn't that "fundamentalist", as became obvious when I met a neighbor in the apartment across the hallway from me where I was living at the time. He was from Saudi Arabia in the States going to school. He invited me over to his apartment and it was my first exposure to another culture and another, non-Christian religion.

I was really intrigued by everything. He pulled out his prayer rug, which had a compass on it, and he explained how when it was pointing to, I think 230 degrees, or something like that, that was facing Mecca. He then demonstrated the prayers, bowing the head and touching the ground, explained about shoes, explained a few other things about the beliefs, etc. We then had his home-fired coffee with cardamom, ate some common foods of his culture, etc. He and I became friends and started going places together.

As I said, I wasn't much of a true fundamentalist, as while I was trained to try to convert "non-believers", I didn't feel that he really needed my "saving". On the contrary, I found everything about it fascinating, contrasting and complementing what my religion was teaching. I learned about the basic beliefs and practices, and even started learning to speak some Arabic. I even did a teaching lesson about Islam to the student body at the time. Considering this was in the early 80's, most people were not familiar with Islam the way they are today with all the hype and hysteria spawned by the terrorist attacks that happened a couple decades later.

Dawnofhope · Mar 27, 2019

loverofhumanity said:
Hi Adrian. I’ve come across many positive resources on the internet.

Please do elaborate.

sun rise · Mar 27, 2019

adrian009 said:
I'm exploring learning more about Islam.

I think that's very important in this era.

adrian009 said:
Has learning about Islam been important to you and why? Is it valuable to learn about a religion that is not your religion or necessarily part of where your culture has come from? If you have learnt about Islam, what were some of the approaches or resources that were helpful?

Yes, it has been important. My desire to learn more was motivated by the 9/11 attacks. I needed to understand the history of Islam, how various groups of Muslims interpreted the religion and so forth.

Most of my learning was book-oriented but I found online dialog and meeting Muslims in person to be very valuable as well.

One of the points that Muslims point out is the problem of translation. Anyone who has read translated poetry and compared it to the original can find examples where the translated version is more about the translator than the original. So that made me cautious about accepting conclusions from English versions.

One perfect example is 17:104 Quran surah Al Isra 104 (QS 17: 104) in arabic and english translation - Alquran english which has vastly different versions depending on the translator even including past versus future verb tense.

Another and larger part of my study was to understand the difference between the formal rules of Islam, Shariat, and how the Islamic sufis interpret the Quran. That study included reading Idres Shah, Hafiz, Rumi, Hazrat Inayat Khan and others.

At the end of all of this, my response to anyone's opinion about Islam is "some Muslims would agree and some would disagree".

Dawnofhope · Mar 27, 2019

Vinayaka said:
I did some searching. The first two sites I hit were rather apologetic, whereas I would like a more balanced approach. This one seemed better ... Five books you should read to better understand Islam

But really, I think some sort of association is better. Personally, I had the benefit of being a teacher and taught Muslim students, as well as talked with their parents. But I don't think it gave me much sense of the diversity.

I believe the first step to learning about Islam is friendly association with Muslims as we are all one people. That association is often through our work as you describe or community involvement.

The most useful book I’ve found for learning about Islam is having available a good English translation of the Quran itself. Having a well written book on world history helps to appreciate the influence Islam has had on shaping civilisation. An example is J M Roberts “A History of the World”.

https://www.amazon.com/History-World-Updated-J-Roberts/dp/0786188227

There’s plenty of good introductory books around I’m certain, but I don’t possess any. I just go to the internet and it’s not hard to find information that’s well researched, balanced and reasonably sympathetic without being apologetic.

pearl · Mar 27, 2019

adrian009 said:
There’s plenty of good introductory books around I’m certain, but I don’t possess any. I just go to the internet and it’s not hard to find information that’s well researched, balanced and reasonably sympathetic without being apologetic.

In Islam you have a different configuration of how the Word of God is believed to ultimately express itself. The ultimate, most beautiful, most profound expression of God's Word is the Qur'an. So the best comparative theological observation that can be made is that the Qur'an is to Islam as Jesus is to Christianity, not as the Bible is to Christianity.
http://www.uscatholic.org/2008/11/dont-know-much-about-islam

Sakeenah · Mar 28, 2019

adrian009 said:
On March 15 a terrorist incident occurred in my home country with the killing of 50 Muslims while in their place of worship. As a community and nation we are coming to terms with what has happened. I meet with two Muslims today professionally. They were both experiencing symptoms of an acute stress reaction with poor sleep, anxiety, feeling fearful for themselves and their families. These are normal reactions to their community being targeted and being a visible minority. I'll probably go to the mosque again this Sunday as the Muslim community is having an open day.

I'm exploring learning more about Islam. This is from the perspective of being better able to educate others and assist overcoming religious prejudice and intolerance. What has become apparent is the widespread confusion and lack of knowledge about religion in my country and Islam in particular. The study is for those who want to learn more about Islam but are not interested in becoming Muslims. There are two community groups which I belong where this interest has arisen. First within my Baha'i Faith community, particularly the members of my community who are from a Western background and had little exposure to Islam prior to becoming Baha'is. Second my cities interfaith council. I see we may have a role in promoting more widespread religious education in schools as well as in our local communities.

Having being a Baha'i for nearly 30 years, there are many of our sacred writings that are in repsonse to questions about Islam. The Baha'i faith arose out of Persia (now Iran) 175 years ago. Over the years I've learned about Islam but having never been a Muslim, its not a religion I have as close an affinity for as Christianity or Buddhism.

The topic I would like to explore with this thread are the different approaches to learning about Islam. Has learning about Islam been important to you and why? Is it valuable to learn about a religion that is not your religion or necessarily part of where your culture has come from? If you have learnt about Islam, what were some of the approaches or resources that were helpful?

I place this in the religious debate section so participants are free to comment and discuss. I'm also prepared to be challenged about my motivations and thinking.

Thanks for taking the time to read another of my threads.

Hi Adrian,

As a Muslim I just want to thank you for taking the time to reach out to the Muslims in your community. Thank you for being open minded and compassionate. The terrorist attack in Christchurch was horrific and heartbreaking, but the response of the New Zealanders was beautiful and heart touching. You guys really showed the world what real compassion and unity looks like.

I can share some resources on here, for those interested to learn more about Islam.

danieldemol · Mar 28, 2019

Personally I found this documentary on the rise and fall of science in Islam to be informative;

Dawnofhope · Mar 29, 2019

Sakeenah said:
Hi Adrian,

As a Muslim I just want to thank you for taking the time to reach out to the Muslims in your community. Thank you for being open minded and compassionate. The terrorist attack in Christchurch was horrific and heartbreaking, but the response of the New Zealanders was beautiful and heart touching. You guys really showed the world what real compassion and unity looks like.

I can share some resources on here, for those interested to learn more about Islam.

Hi @Sakeenah ,

Nice to see you back. In New Zealand we are outraged and horrified at the attack on innocent men, women and children in their place of worship. However, we have rediscovered the power of love and unity. By reaching out across the barriers we affirm we are one people and strengthen the bonds that unite us. Which race of people on our land wasn't a migrant at some stage in the last 1,000 years, even ourindigenous peopls the Maori. Baha'is like Muslims believe in One God, Muhammad as His Messenger and the Holy Quran as the word of God. New Zealanders are quite secular but unreservedly acknowledge freedom of religion.

What I'm looking to do is to find a course of study that takes about 4 - 6 hours where people can learn together about Islam. The purpose isn't necessarily to convince others who Muhammad is but to educate those who are interested to learn more about Islam to dispel the myths and prejudices. For the interfaith community that may involve Muslims teaching Non-Muslims. Our next meeting is in just over a week. Its usually good to be thinking four or five steps ahead for any such plan to be successful.

Any thoughts or resources you recommend would be much appreciated.

Dawnofhope · Mar 29, 2019

sooda said:
I think the way to begin is to clear your mind.. set aside your prejudices and suspend belief for a short time.

They are different, but they are human with basically the same wants and needs as us. Islam has a certain logic to it.. You don't have to convert to begin to see that.

It is important in devising a programme to educate non-Muslims that the plan isn't to convert but to simply raise awareness and address prejudices and misunderstandings.

Have you studied Islam?

Dawnofhope · Mar 29, 2019

TagliatelliMonster said:
Yes because fellow citizens of mine believe this stuff and beliefs inform actions. I think it's wise to know what an entire community believes as those beliefs will inform their decisions at some point.

And regardless, I think "knowing" is always better then "not knowing", no matter the topic.

Knowledge is always valuable.
I think a better question is if it is usefull or relevant to your life.
I'ld say "yes", if there is a sizeable community of believers in your immediate environment.

For example, while the religious beliefs of some remote tribe in the Amazone will certainly be interesting to know about, it won't exactly be very useful or relevant in my everyday life over here near Antwerp, Belgium.

Reading the quran, talking to muslims, talking to imam's, reading internet articles indiscriminatly (meaning: from both sides, not just from the "fanbase" so to speak...)

I'll just give you my motivations, since they'll differ from yours.

Brutally put, the quirky superstitious beliefs of anyone are of no particular interest to me. I don't really care what kind of nonsense people like to believe. What does interest me, is how people act and why they do what they do. Especially if their actions have an impact on me or society at large.

As I said earlier, beliefs inform actions. And that is my motivation to learn about their beliefs. Not because I care. Not because I want to impose self-censorship to accomodate for their superstitious sensitivities. But rather because I want to know what kind of behaviour and decision making I can expect from them. For better or worse.

These are excellent points. I believe it is helpful to understand how any religion can lead to better character and community building on one hand, on the other fanaticism. The Muslims in my country have never caused any problems and are law abiding and peaceful. They also make up just over one percent of the population and set to rise with immigration. With Islam as a whole being the fastest growing religion on the planet and set to overtake Christianity as the largest religion in about 50 years, its certainly becoming essential to have a basic understanding that is neither overy idealistic, nor too critical.

sooda · Mar 29, 2019

adrian009 said:
It is important in devising a programme to educate non-Muslims that the plan isn't to convert but to simply raise awareness and address prejudices and misunderstandings.

Have you studied Islam?

Yes with NO intent to convert. I lived in a Muslim country for many years and needed to understand their beliefs. I find their beliefs logical.

Resources and approaches to learning about Islam

Non-Proselytizing Baha'i

devotee

Veteran Member

devotee

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Well-Known Member

…

wind and rain touch not this brain

We are all the leaves of one tree

Veteran Member

Non-Proselytizing Baha'i

The world is on fire

Non-Proselytizing Baha'i

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Non-Proselytizing Baha'i

Non-Proselytizing Baha'i

Non-Proselytizing Baha'i

Veteran Member