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Islam and
Islamic
Studies Resources |
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For Studying Islam and the Diverse
Perspectives of Muslims
Information for the study of Islam,
Qur'an, hadith, the Sunnah, Shi'ism and
Heterodox Movements Sufism and Sufi Poetry
Islam in the modern
world,
militant
Islam, jihad, Islamist or extremist Muslims,
and terrorism,
Islam in Iraq,
Muslim
women,
Islamic art, architecture, music, as well as Islamic
history, theology,
philosophy,
and
Arabic and other Islamic languages such as Persian, and religion in general.
UGA-Morocco
Maymester Program Abroad, 2011 APPLY NOW! Places still
available! New Deadline of February 28.
With Intensive Arabic Option!
Anti-Muslim
Crusaders Make Millions Spreading Fear by Bob Smietana, published in
the Tennessean.Com, Oct. 24, 2010. This is part one of a Pulitzer
quality expose of the merchants of bigotry who are making millions
generating
anti-Muslim hatred in the US.
"Islamophobia:
A Threat to American Values" by John L. Esposito, Prof. at
Georgetown University, August 10, 2010.
Anti-Semitism and
Islamophobia an on-line book that is a collection of articles by a
variety of Jewish and Muslim authors, this was first
published in The Palestine-Israel
Journal. It is about time that people started pointing out the
similarities of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
Fatwa Outlaws
Suicide Bombing and Terrorism Shaykh Tahir al-Qadri, a leading
Muslim cleric, unequivocally declares that suicide bombing and terrorism
are crimes and violations of Islam and that those who commit such acts
are no longer Muslims. See the presentation
of the fatwa.
On
a New Beginning President Obama's historic speach on American-Muslim
relations, delivered in Cairo, June 4, 2009 (transcript). See and listen
to the Video of
President Obama's speech on America and
Islamic world
Obama
names White House lawyer Rashad Hussain as US envoy to the Organization
of the Islamic Conference a global organization of Muslim nations.
(Feb. 13, 2010)
The 500 Most
Influential Muslims (2009 first edition), an
online and in print publication by professors John Esposito and Ibrahim Kalin.
Where are the voices of the Moderate Muslim Majority? Where are Moderate Muslim Voices? Here they are:
Resources
for Countering Islamophobia, Anti-Islamic Hysteria, and Polemics
against Muslims Now that
anti-Muslim hatred is becoming increasingly acceptable and demonizing
lies about Islam are routinely taken as truth, anyone who does not want
to see the condition of Muslims in America turn into that of the
Japanese in the US during WWII or even that of Jews in Nazi Germany
should carefully read the numerous articles at this link compiled by
Sheila Musaji
at The American Muslim. See also Islamophobia A-Z (actually separated into two
parts) Islamophobia A-L; and Islamophobia L-Z.
US Army
Reservist in Florida attacks Greek Priest whom he
thought was an Arab Terrorist Anti-Islamic hate propaganda bearing
more fruit! (from youtube)
Attorney
General Holder's Speech to the Anti-Defamation
League Likening Anti-Semitism to Anti-Islamic Bigotry October 17,
2009.
A 21st Century
Blood-Libel Against Muslims Numerous Anti-Islamic Anti-Semites are
now accusing today's Muslims of advocating that apostates should be put
to death. This article, by Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq, with support from
over 100 notable Islamic scholars throughout history, shows
such a claim to be false.
Nobel
Peace Prize Winner, Ahtisaari, Calls for Obama to Focus
on Bringing About a Just Peace between Palestinians and Israelis by
Doug Mellgren and Karl Ritter, 10
December 2008
Should Americans be afraid of Islam?
Does the Qur'an Urge
Muslims to Fight Americans? Among the tactics used by those who
opposed president-elect Obama in a smear campaign during the 2008
presidential election was a one-two punch of (a) attempting to convince
Americans that Obama was a Muslim sympathizer or secretly a Muslim and
(b) a vicious anti-Islamic (anti-Semitic-like) media blitz reminiscent
of the pre-Holocaust propaganda against the Jews orchestrated by Hitler.
One aspect of this media blitz involved taking a number of Qur'anic
verses out of historical context (which ironically is also what the
criminals of al-Qaeda do) as proof for the supposedly inherently violent
and anti-Christian nature of Islam. The article linked here shows
Jewish and Christian readers that
just as the world can assume that Judaism and Christianity do not demand
that their adherents take the Bible as a manifesto for
turning the world into an eye-for-eye,
kill-everyone-but-believers slugfest, so too Islam does not demand
inhumane and murderous treatment of Christians and Jews.
Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream a 2007
Pew Research Center study that, among other things, showed that one-third of all Muslim Americans in the previous year alone were
"verbally harassed, physically threatened, or treated with suspicion because of their faith."
Israel's
President Praises Saudi King in The Washington Post, November
12 2008.
The
Overwhelming
Majority of Muslims Oppose Terrorism and are Moderates as
demonstrated by a huge worldwide Gallup poll. (February 27, 2008; fixed
November 19, 2008)
Five
Myths About Terrorism and the Middle East
by Richard Clarke, former presidential advisor on counter-terrorism;
October, 2007. (Scroll down slightly to read his keynote speech to the
Middle East Institute's 61st annual conference.)
Muslim
Clerics Declare 'Terrorism
is Un-Islamic', a statement issued by a massive conference of Muslim scholars of Darul Uloom. Terrorism
is against the principles of Islam is a video of their declaration. (February 27, 2008)
U.S.
was Hell-Bent on Iraq War-states British Envoy an MSNBC article by
the Associated Press, Nov. 27, 2009.
Report of the Iraq Study
Group An historic non-partisan report of a commission headed by senior American statesmen James Baker and Lee Hamilton that
was released on December 6, 2006 after eight months of work.
It was based on extensive study of Iraqi opinion, the regional political
reality, the reality of America's
allies, and the American political reality. It should be taken as a roadmap to
peace by all rational people both in the U.S. and throughout the world.
The War for
Islam by Reza Aslan (a prominent Muslim author) discusses how Usama Bin Laden, like Martin Luther
for Christianity, is trying to wrest authority from traditional Muslim scholars. (Boston Globe,
Sept. 10, 2006)
A
Call for a Moratorium
on the Major Penalties in Islamic Law issued by Tariq Ramadan, a leading Muslim scholar, in 2005. (Fixed
November 19, 2008.)
American
Muslim scholars condemn terrorist acts, by Brittany Sterrett,
Washington File, July 21, 2005 (fixed Nov. 22, 2008).
Muslim
Scholars Ban Killings in the Name
of Islam Report on the First International Islamic Conference, Amman, Jordan (AlJazeera, July 7,
2005); for a more complete account see a
more complete account in the Middle East Times by Sana Abdallah,
July 7, 2005.
[Sunni]
Clerics Urge Iraqis to Join Security Force by Sinan
Salaheddin, Associated Press, April 1, 2005. (Fixed Nov. 22, 2008.)
Spanish
Clerics Issue Fatwa Against Bin Laden
by Geoff Pingree and Lisa Abend, March 11, 2005 (link fixed 26 December 2005).
Kofi
Annan and Seyyed Hussein Nasr on Islamophobia
(Webcast:
Video/Audio) The first 37
minutes consist of a webcast of their talks during the UN
seminar "Confronting Islamophobia: Education for Tolerance and
Understanding" held at the United Nations on December 7, 2004.
Kofi Annan is the Secretary General of the United Nations and
Seyyed Hussein Nasr is one of the most significant professors of
Islamic Studies. There is a written
summary of the these two
talks and others on the UN website.
Muslim
scholar in Yemen successful in Using the Qur'an to convince
Jihadists
of
their folly by James Brandon, originally titled
"Koranic Duels Ease Terror" (Christian Science Monitor, February
4, 2005.)
'The
US is behaving as if every Sunni [in Iraq] is a terrorist' by Ghaith
Abdul-Ahad in the Guardian, January 26, 2005.
PLO Demands End to Armed Attacks [against Israel] BBC,
January 16, 2005 (link fixed 22 Nov. 2008).
Sudan, Southern Rebels End 21-Year War Reuters, January 9, 2005 (link fixed 26 December 2005).
Arab
and Muslim Journalists Widely Condemn Extremist Muslim Acts of
Terror from MEMRI, Special Dispatch Series #780 (Sept. 8,
2004)
Truth
against Truth by Uri Avnery, one of Israel's leading peace
activists. This pdf document consists of 101 points that can both
undermine
the walls of extremist Israeli and Palestinian propaganda
as well as provide a
just foundation for a peaceful future. (Alive as of Nov. 22, 2008; if
it doesn't work, it may appear on the 2nd try.)
Iraq
and Al Qaeda, America and the KKK by Michael Wolfe
(Beliefnet.com; June 28, 2004)
In order to see through the fog covering the mainstream media's
reporting on Iraq, go to Professor Juan
Cole's Blog at the
University of Michigan.
discusses this Islamic
Studies website October 31, 2001 (offline Jan.
2010); but it is available for subscribers to the Chronicle of Higher Education at Georgia
Professor's Web Site on Islam Attracts New Attention After
Attacks by Brock Read. An unofficial copy can be found at
A
Georgia Professor's Web Site on Islam
The Qur'an and
Qur'anic Interpretation (tafsir)
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Hadith, the
Prophet
Muhammad: His Life and Sayings
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Sunni Islam: Faith
and Theology (Iman and Kalam)
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The Sunnah:
Practice and
Law (Shari'ah and Madh'habs)
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Shi'ite Islam,
Shi'ism
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Sufism,
Sufis, Sufi Orders, and Sufi Poetry: Islamic Psychology, Sprituality,
and Mysticism
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Islam, the
Modern World, and the West: contemporary topics
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Muslim Women
and Women's Rights
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Jihad: War,
Terrorism, and Peace in Islam
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Islam in each
county of the Muslim World
Today, including Maps and Populations
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Islamic
History
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Islamic
Philosophy and Scientific
Thought
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Islamic Art,
Music and Musicians, Architecture, and Images
from the World of Islam
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Arabic, Arabic
Study Abroad, Arabic Books, Other
Islamic Languages
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Basic
Questions, Terms, Bibliographies,
Comprehensive Sites for Islam, and Islamic Bookstores |
Academic
Islamic Studies, Middle East,
Other Area Studies, Academic Journals |
"Islam and Islamic Studies Resources" is the website of Professor
Alan
Godlas
of the Department of Religion at
the
University of Georgia
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Webby
nominated
(2002) website of Dr. Alan Godlas, Professor, University of Georgia.
|
This website is administered through the
UGA
Virtual Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of the Islamic World (VCISIW)
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The Arabic word islam literally means surrender,
implying surrender to God. And a muslim, literally, is one who is
surrendering; more specifically, one who is surrendering to God. Muslims
believe both that islam is the quintessence of the spiritual impulse
present in the earliest humans and that, as "Islam," it is the name of
the religious form revealed by God to Muhammad beginning in the year 610
CE. Those who follow this particular religion are called Muslims. |
At the core of this website are short introductory essays
on various aspects of Islam containing numerous annotated links. Regarded
by scholars as the most comprehensive academic website on Islam, this website
was nominated as one of top five websites worldwide in the category of
"spirituality" for the year 2002 Webby
Awards, (link fixed, Nov. 2004) which are the equivalent of
the Oscars for websites.
Among the other nominees in "spirituality" were the Vatican's website and
Beliefnet (a commercial interfaith website that won the award). The Webby
nominees and winners are selected by members of the International Academy
of Digital Arts and Sciences. For a discussion of the Webbys and this website
see And
the Winner is ... Islam or the Vatican? in the Athens Banner-Herald,
June 16, 2002.
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This Webby nominated Islam and Islamic Studies website also touches on the areas of Arabic
and Religion (focusing on Western
religions). It is particularly intended to be of use for non-Muslim and Muslim
students and teachers at all levels as well for members of
the general public who wish to get a non-polemical
and non-sectarian view of Islam and the diverse perspectives of
Muslims (including
Sunni Islam, Shi'ism, and Sufism, et al.) and to a lesser extent
of
Judaism and Christianity.
You can send me email at "godlas" followed directly by the "at" sign, i.e. the little
circle around the "a"; then "uga" [dot] "edu" (without the quotation marks). This
indirect way of stating my email
address is designed to diminish the huge amounts of spam that I receive. If you don't
hear from me, email me again. If you still don't hear from me, email me at
my department, with "mail for Dr. Godlas" in the subject line, at "religion", the "at"
sign, "uga" [dot] "edu". Please
inform me of any broken links.
(Ma bara-yi vasl kardan amadim, nay bara-yi fasl
kardan!)
If you wish to support this website, please consider donating to it. Instructions for
making donations are on the UGA
Virtual Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of the
Islamic World (VCISIW) donations webpage.
For Qur'an recitations, translations in many languages,
and complete
resources in Arabic for Qur'anic Studies, go to (i.e. click on)
Muslims,
Islam, and Iraq
A unique website focusing on Islam in modern Iraq and on the major
Muslim groups in Iraq: Arab Shi'ites, Arab Sunnis, and Kurds.
PBS Presents: Muhammad,
Legacy of a Prophet: The Life Story of the Man Who Lives
in the Hearts and Minds of American Muslims. To date, simply the best
film for gaining an understanding of mainstream Islam in the US.
Bush Takes on Christian
Right Over Anti-Islam Words. by Randall Mikkelsen (Nov. 13, 2002) (Link fixed Jan. 31,
2010.)
El extremismo
manipula el Islam ( en Español )Dr. Godlas addresses the issue
of Islam and terrorism in this article based on his views by Venezuelan
journalist, Pedro Pablo Peñaloza. (July 9, 2003)
Ten
Things Everyone Needs to Know about Islam (link fixed 23
November 2008)
by Professor John Esposito, Director of the Center for Muslim-Christian
Understanding at Georgetown University
Islam:
A Primer Harvard professor Roy Mottahedeh's lecture on Islam
to a group of distinguished American journalists--the link includes extensive
discussion. Jay Tolson, of US News & World Report, contributed a short
essay as well. Sponsored by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (Washington,
D.C.). The seminar took place in January 2002 but this was posted on September
8, 2002.
Talking
With Churches About Islam
by Professor John Kaltner, an expert on the comparative study of the
Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, who spent many years affiliated with the Catholic
Maryknoll Society.
Muslims:
The Facts
Including statistics about world Muslim populations, Muslim nations,
Muslim communities, and refugees.
Islam:
A Mosaic not a Monolith by Vartan Gregorian, Ph.D., the
President of the Carnegie Corporation. This lengthy and detailed
essay, written sometime after Sept. 11, 2001, is a survey of
Islamic history, culminating in an excellent
overview of the major issues facing Islam today. It became a published
book (2003) that at least one reviewer Prof.
Michael B. Schub ( Middle East Quarterly, Winter, 2005) has
criticized.
Please do sign my guestbook [not in
operation for a while]
and feel free to let me know what you like about this website; but if you do not like
something about it, polite disagreement and constructive criticism are welcome.
Previously, readers' remarks have resulted in valuable changes to the website. Please
make your guestbook entries brief; those longer than ten lines will be edited. If
you wish to make a lengthy comment, please email it to me. Read my guestbook from 2005-Aug. 2006.
Read my guestbook from
2002 to 2005.
Click here to read my
guestbook
for Sept. until December 2002, and here to read my
guestbook for the first eight months of the year 2002 or Click here to read my
guestbook for the year 2001.
Awards for
This Website and Reviews
Note that the vast majority of religion sites on the Web are
established
by committed believers. Although this presents certain problems (one of
which is the variable quality of the material), its virtue is that the
discourse of believers is directly accessible to students of
religion. The articles linked on this site have been written both by
Muslim and non-Muslim scholars as well as informed believers. Of course,
the views expressed in the links connected to
this site are not necessarily the views of Dr. Godlas or the University of
Georgia.
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