ML18. UNDERSTANDING ISLAM

A faith, a culture, and a political movement – Islam has represented all of these throughout history. Many Americans find the subject of Islam mysterious, even worrisome, as they reflect on the rise of terrorist movements across the globe. This two-part course seeks to promote a broad, objective understanding of the world’s second-largest religion. Among the topics to be covered are the life of its charismatic founder, the Prophet Muhammad; its core rituals and beliefs; its sectarian diversity; the rise and fall of Muslim power and influence, from the 7th through the 19th centuries; and the issues posed by a reinvigorated Islam today.