OLLI101066 - Islam 101: Understanding Islam and Muslims Through History and Scripture (Online via Zoom)
Course Description
Islam 101: Understanding Islam and Muslims Through History and Scripture
Instructors: Iftekhar Hussain & Ahmet Tekelioglu
Dates: Thursdays, June 8-July 27
Time: 1:00 PM-2:30 PM
Location: Online via Zoom
This course will approach Islam from a historical and scriptural perspective, covering the foundations of the religion and then building on the cultural, political and economic institutions that arose in Muslim societies. It will cover the Golden Age of Muslim civilization and then discuss its decline. Contemporary issues faced by Islam and Muslims will be covered. A final unit will be allocated to hot-button issues around Islam and America’s relationship with the Muslim world. Students will engage with Islam’s source-texts in an intellectual setting. The course appeals to people of all faith and no-faith backgrounds who are curious to learn more about one of the largest faith-traditions in the world. There are no required readings for this course. The co-instructors will prepare slides and share with students after each lecture.
Maximum online registrants: 300
Instructor’s Bios:
Iftekhar Hussain, born in Bangladesh, earned a BA and an MA at Texas A&M and worked toward a PhD at Penn State. Currently he oversees a Montessori education system in the Main Line area. He is engaged in local interfaith educational initiatives with a focus on basics of Islam and Islamic jurisprudence. In addition to serving as the Board Chair of CAIR-PA, Iftekhar has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the ACLUPA and advised AFSC’s Middle East Peace Building Unit.
Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu, PhD, political science, Boston University. His research focuses on the American religious landscape and Muslim minorities in America. He has conducted fieldwork with Muslim congregations in Boston, San Francisco, and LA. He has been cooperating with the Historical Society of PA to feature Philadelphia’s Muslim landscape and has taught classes on race, ethnicity, international relations, and Islamic studies at Boston University and George Mason University.