Stereotypes and Religion
This week in class, we will be discussing stereotypes in religion. This is a natural jumping point from the discussion of ambiguous pronouns (us, them). Many of us have some kind of idea of Islam, and we may have embraced many stereotypes. Below, I am putting a couple of links to two short clips. One examines Islam in Indonesia , which is the largest Muslim country. The other examines Islam in Turkey. Please watch these two videos and consider their comparisons and contrasts. We will discuss these in class. Here is a short video to consider on why some women choose to wear the hijab. How does this fit with the stereotypes around hijabs? One more video on the hijab for you: What does the Quran really say about a Muslim woman's hijab ? Please prepare three questions you have about Islam for our discussion. You may also want to start reading about Islam in Huston Smith's Religions of the World .