Examining Religion And Belief: Muslims 2

This is the second volume of this series to explore Muslim
believing, expressing and living. As with the first volume,
we aim to provide authentic, first-hand resources to use
in the classroom. Our focus on ‘Muslims’ rather than ‘Islam’ seeks to avoid any essentialising of Muslim belief and practice, allowing for a close examination of particular beliefs (e.g. angels, pp. 12–13) and attitudes (e.g. towards animals, pp. 14–15), and
also opening up something of the diversity of Muslim
voices (e.g. of teenagers, pp. 8–11; on being Sufi, pp. 6–7;
and the vibrant art of Teakster, pp. 32–33).

We are aware that certain topics present difficulties
for students as they face examination demands. One
of these areas is on the relationship between Sunni
and Shi’a Islam. In the first book of this series we
produced a resource on what is held in common and
what is distinctively Sunni and Shi’a. In this book we
have opened up the origins of the divide, rooted in the
succession to Prophet Muhammad (see pp. 4–5).

Each resource page offers some suggestions to get
your students thinking. Two longer articles give ideas
for more sustained study: examining what goes on
at the mosque (for 11–14s, pp. 18–23) and how Muslims
practise charity (for 14–16s, pp. 25–29).

Through engaging with and encountering Muslim
voices, students can deepen their understanding of the
world and reflect on how they make sense of their own
place within it. This resource aims to enable personal
reflection as well as to develop religious literacy