Tapestry of Faith: Building Bridges: A World Religions Program for 8th-9th Grades

Find Out More about Workshop 14

The quote from this workshop comes from Saimah Ashraf. Her essay "Shattering Illusions: Western Conceptions of Muslim Women" contrasts Islam's position on women as stated in the Qur'an versus women's rights and roles as proscribed today in a variety of countries and examines Western attitudes toward Muslim women.

Additional resources on women and Islam: Love in a Headscarf by Shelina Zahra Janmohamed (Boston: Beacon Press, 2010); Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate by Leila Ahmed (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992, paperback 1993); “Ambassadors of Islam,” a post on the IslamiCity website by Tayseir Mahmoud Shabadul Haq, a Muslim woman who wears hijab; the online post "Hijab: a Must, OR a Choice?" by Haitham Sabbah; and a 2009 report, "Women Leaders Struggle for Female Rights in Iraq" on the Niqash website.

On its website, the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry describes differences between the Bible and the Qur'an from a Christian perspective.

An interesting book is The Trouble with Islam Today by Irshad Manji, (New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2005). The author is a lesbian South Asian who embraces an Islamic faith while interrogating the challenges of modern Islam.

Khadijah

The book, Ayat Jamilah: Beautiful Signs, offers a story about Khadijah, "The First Muslim," along with other stories from the Islamic world from China to Africa and the Middle East.

The Islamic Occasions network offers a longer, less formal history of Khadijah. Also see a translation of a 2003 biographical study of Khadijah-al-Kubra (Khadijah the Great) by Anar-Al-Din.

Shia and Sunni

A January, 2016 New York Times article explains differences and schisms between Shiite and Sunni Muslims.

Explore differences between Shia and Sunni Islam in the Prezi "Comparison of Shia, Sunni, and Sufi Factions of Islam."

Sihkism

Visit the Sikhs website or the website Khalsa Kids.

The Religious Tolerance website has information about Sikhism. Also see The Ten Gurus of Sikhism (Hindu website) and The Five Ks (the Search Sikhism website).