About Us
About Us
Themes, Topics & Goals:
Ideas and influences from the Islamic world are woven into the fabric of life in the West. Many of the ideas, aesthetics, and humanistic values of the modern world emerged from cultural and intellectual exchange over centuries of cross-fertilization between Eastern and Western traditions.
We teach our students about the achievements of Islamic civilization over time and how these achievements remain relevant to our lives today. We also help students understand that the art, knowledge, aesthetics, and values of Islamic civilization have developed over hundreds of years, creating rich, diverse, layered cultures across the Muslim world.
Every child deserves to know the story of how Muslim civilizations helped build the world we live in today.
Sameeta Ahmed — Instructor & Co-Founder
IDEAS
We show how Muslim intellectual achievements and resources, including during the Golden Age of Islam (a period characterized by tolerance, multiculturalism, humanism and scientific & creative ingenuity), were essential in laying the basis for European scholars to move from the medieval era into the Renaissance and beyond. Whether it is the foundations of astronomy, math, physics and optics, medicine, establishment of the scientific method, collectivist values that led to institution-building for the public good, or the idea of a universal humanity, we discuss the contributions of scholars and thinkers across the Muslim world to concepts and institutions we take for granted globally today. We cover contributions from the Golden Age of Islam as well as from other periods and places, including from the Mughal, Safavid, and Ottoman eras, and from other periods as well.
ART, ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
With a mix of didactic instruction, interactive discussion and hands-on activities, we introduce students to Muslim traditions in art, architecture and design. We also show the products of interchanges over centuries between Muslim traditions in these areas and other art and design traditions. Examples include the development of Islamic geometric patterns, innovative design of places of worship, and technologies for agriculture and irrigation that created a medieval Islamic Green Revolution.
CULTURAL DIVERSITY
Using striking visual materials, we focus on similarities and differences in the diverse cultures and geographic regions of the Muslim world. This includes shared values that run deep, including a strong sense of community, hospitality, respect for elders, and taking care of the poor. We teach, too, about the shared love for beauty as a manifestation of the divine in material culture. We also cover differences across the Muslim world in language, architecture, culture, and other areas.
KNOWLEDGE AS A SOURCE OF EMPOWERMENT
We have seen how learning about the achievements of Islamic Civilization builds pride in Muslim identity. In a time of rising Islamophobia and misinformation, we also teach students media literacy and critical analysis tools to help them recognize and deconstruct the stereotypes of Muslims and Islam they encounter in media and popular culture. With a light touch, we do lesson segments on prevalent frameworks in mass culture used to stereotype and dehumanize Islam and Muslims. Sharing with our students the many ways Muslims and Islam have been a part of the American story from the beginning further amplifies a message of empowerment and belonging.
Our Goals in our teaching sessions
Build Knowledge
Expose students to past and current achievements of Muslim cultures
Broaden Perspectives
Expand students’ knowledge base outside a Eurocentric world-view, often called the “Western Canon”
Strengthen Identity
Instill a sense of identity and pride in being Muslim
Foster Connection
Encourage feelings of connection to Islamic civilization and history
Empower Students
Empower students by giving them media literacy and critical analysis tools to provide psychological protection and inoculation in a climate of Islamophobia and misinformation
OUR STORY – Click on Our Team to know about how this Class developed & the actors involved
