Living life where you're remembering God intentionally, consciously, just changes everything. — Ann Holmes Redding, in the Seattle Times, June 17, 2007; Redding is an African American who served nearly 30 years as an Episcopal priest before being defrocked for professing faith as a Muslim; Redding sees no conflict and considers herself both Christian and Muslim

Introduction

This workshop introduces Islam, the world's second largest faith. Only Christianity has more adherents. Over 1.5 billion people are Muslim, nearly a quarter of the population of the earth and living on every continent. Islam, like Hinduism, Christianity, and Judaism, is monotheistic: Muslims believe in one god, whom they call Allah. "Allah" does not mean "God—it means "the God"—so the deity's very name contains the denial of any other gods.

Of all the faiths studied in Building Bridges, none is receiving as much attention on the world stage as Islam. It is both condemned and widely misunderstood. Almost all non-Muslims will live, love, play, struggle, and work with and among Muslims in their lives. Therefore, no religion is more important to understand for global peace and for person-to-person relationships.

Goals

This workshop will:

• Introduce participants to some core aspects of Islam
• Acquaint participants with the life of Muhammad, founder of Islam
• Encourage participants to think about how their own religion is manifest in their lives.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• Discuss important aspects and concepts of Islam
• Deepen their understanding of the Islamic faith in its diverse expressions
• Learn about the prophet Muhammad, founder of Islam
• Think more deeply about how their own faith could be expressed in small and great ways, in every part of their lives, and throughout life.

Workshop-at-a-Glance