Curated OER
Islam Expands: In spite of internal conflicts, the Muslims create a huge empire that includes land on three continents.
Beginning with a vocabulary review and ending with the Muslim Trade Network, this well-put-together presentation covers the events that lead to the spread of Islam. Also covered are internal conflicts which would provide a good...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Asian Islam and Arab Islam
Focus on the impact and practice of Islam throughout Asia and the Middle East. Learners review the seven major religions, the spread of Islam, and Islamic tenets commonly practiced. They then research one country that practices Islamic...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Islam and Islamic Culture
Whether democracy will ever take hold in Islamic nations continues to be a topic of great debate. Here, a series of questions, research, and discussion provide a foundation for class members to come to their own conclusion which they...
Curated OER
A Religious Get-Together
Students investigate Islam Awareness Week. In this Muslim traditions instructional activity, students visit the listed Web sites to research Muslim traditions, religious hate crimes, and British Muslims.
BBC
Bbc: Sunni and Shia Muslims
An informative site to help explain the differences between Sunni and Shia (Shiite) Muslims. Discusses their beginnings and their split into two differently thinking groups.
PBS
Pbs News Hour: The Role of the Kurds, Sunnis, and Shiites in Iraq
A way to discuss the complex formation of the Iraqi government with students. This lesson plan shows students the different ethnic groups within Iraq and how their views and opinions effect not only Iraq but the surrounding countries and...
New York Times
New York Times: Ethnic and Sectarian Tensions in Iraq
An interactive map that shows the different ethnic groups throughout Iraq. The map has video and audio and tries to explain the relationships and conflicts between the three main groups in Iraq. (25 June 2006)
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Qashqa'i
The Qashqa'i are tribally organized, Turkic-speaking, nomadic pastoralists and agriculturists who live in southwestern Iran. They are Shia Muslims, unlike most of Iran's other minorities, who are either Sunni Muslims, Christians, Jews,...
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Arabs
The Arab world is usually considered to be comprised of the following nineteen countries: Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Chad, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi...
Other
New Internationalist Magazine: Muslims: The Facts
Facts and statistical data of Muslim populations around the world. Includes geographical distribution of different groups and sectors.
BBC
Bbc: 'Bin Laden' Warning to Iraq Shias
Relates Bin Laden's opinion that it is important that the Iraqi Shias do not continue to attack the Iraqi Sunni Muslims. Discusses the tensions between the two groups, and why they are attacking each other. (2 July 2006)
BBC
Bbc: Sunnis and Shias
A quick guide to discovering the differences between Sunnis and Shias, both members of the Muslim religion. Describes what each branch believes in; both their shared beliefs and their differences.
Other
Ahlul Bayt Digital Islamic Library Project: A Shi'ite Encyclopedia
This collection of information relies on the Quran as well as Sunni and Shia sources. Unlike with a traditional encyclopedia, one must use the table of contents to locate particular topics. Includes a brief bibliography of books in...
Curated OER
University of Texas: Iran: Ethnoreligious Distribution
This is a fascinating map of Iran showing the religious distribution of the Sunni and Shi'a sects of Islam. It also shows the many ethnic groups that make up this country. From the Perry-Castaneda Collection.
BBC
Bbc: The Safavid Empire
The BBC surveys the history of the Persian Safavid Empire (1501-1722) in what is now modern Iran. Founded by the Sufi Brotherhood, it adopted the Shi'a version of Islam and the cause of the hidden Imam, which still influences the...
Library of Congress
Loc: Pakistan's Religious Life
This article discusses the dynamics of religious life in Pakistan including basic tenets of Islam, as well as non-Muslim minorities.
CBS
Cbs News: Religions
An interactive map that gives an overview of the different religions that make up Iraq. Shows where each religion is concentrated and what areas of the country it controls.
New York Times
New York Times: Evolution of Islam
Interactive media timeline that gives a brief description of Islam, the spread of Islam, the different Islamic groups, and the conflict in the Middle East.
PBS
Pbs News Hour: Najaf, a Holy City Caught in the Crossfire (Lesson Plan)
A lesson that provides insights into the Iraqi response to a U.S. military incursion into Najaf, an Iraqi religious center. The lesson involves learning about the two main branches of Islam: Shiitism and Sunnism. Students identify why...