Islam and Islamic Studies Resources
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.
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
The 500 Most Influential Muslims (2009 first edition), an online and in print publication by professors John Esposito and Ibrahim Kalin.
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.
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 road-map 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.
"Islam and Islamic Studies Resources" is the website of Professor Alan Godlas of the
Department of Religion at the
University of Georgia
