Beginning with an examination of life on the Arabian peninsula right before the emergence of Islam, this course will cover all of the most important developments in Islam’s history such as the spread of Islam during the life of the Prophet and after, the first Muslim Civil War, the rise and fall of the Caliphate and other Muslim Dynasties, the Sunni-Shi’a Schism, and will conclude with a treatment of contemporary developments.

This course is meant to give students a general overview of all things relating to Islam and will help to clarify questions relating to common question and concerns about subjects such as Shari’a, Jihad, Sufism, the role of Women in Islam, and what does Islam teach about other religions and believers?

This course is ideal for:

• Religious Leaders who want to be able to confidently address questions or concerns made about Muslims and Islam made by others
• People involved with Interfaith Dialogue who want to increase their understanding of Islam
• Muslims who want to be better prepared to respond to criticisms and misinformation about Islam or who want to build on their foundational knowledge so that they may more confidently teach their own children about Islam
• Members of the General Public who want to ask their own questions about Islam in a friendly and open atmosphere and have them answered by a competent Muslim scholar in an academic setting.

*** In the wake of the horrendous attack on the Muslim community in New Zealand, Respect Graduate School uses this moment not only to pray for the loss of innocent lives, but also to take action against ignorance, which we believe is at the core of attacks like this one.  Therefore we are offering this course for FREE to anyone who has questions or wants to increase their knowledge about Islam and Muslims.