Ali Asani of Harvard University explores the diversity of ideology and practice within Islam. We also talk with Rachel Otty, a public high school teacher in Cambridge, MA, about why and how she teaches religious literacy.
Guest Bios
Ali Asani
Ali Asani is Professor of Indo-Muslim and Islamic Religion and Cultures at Harvard University, where he specializes in the teaching of the practice of Islam. His own research explores the devotional traditions among Muslim communities in South Asia.
Rachel Otty
Rachel Otty is a history teacher at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, a public high school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She has written about teaching about Islam and religious literacy for Education Week and for PBS.org (citations and links below).
Free Resources and Featured Books
Learn more about teaching the diversity of Islam and religious literacy with these free resources:
Harvard Divinity School’s Religious Literacy Project, where you can find information and teaching resources about religious literacy. Be sure to download the free Guidelines for Teaching About Religion in K-12 Public Schools in the United States, produced by the American Academy of Religion, the professional association of scholars of religion in the US.
“Teaching Islam: Deconstructing Myths and Clarifying Truths,” an essay written by this episode’s guest history teacher, Rachel Otty, published on PBS.org on February 14, 2017.
“Clarifying the Truth: Teaching Islam in Our Age of Misinformation,” another essay written by Rachel Otty, which appeared in Education Week (online) on February 21, 2017.
Islamic Arts & Architecture, a blog-style, online magazine devoted to the exploration of historical and contemporary Islamic arts, including calligraphy and other decorative arts. The site features numerous articles written by scholars, academics, artists, and other practitioners.
An example of a Quranic recitation, performed by a young boy, provided by Professor Asani.
Episode Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Qatar Foundation International, which provided the seed funding and support to develop and launch this podcast and to produce this episode.
Thanks to Professor Asani for his time and generosity, and to Ms. Otty for her willingness to share her work on teaching religious literacy.
Image Credits
- “Moroccan Design: Mosaic 13,” by Mikołaj Pasiński, used under Creative Commons License Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0).
- Photo of Professor Asani downloaded from islamicstudies.harvard.edu and used with Professor Asani’s permission.
Featured Music
“Kim Arar,” by Wind of Anatolia, from the album Live at the 2014 Golden Festival, used with permission from Wind of Anatolia. The track has been excerpted and mixed with narrative.
“Cicle Ariel,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Cicle Kadde, used under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been excerpted and mixed with narrative.
“Cicle Veroni,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Cicle Kadde, used under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been excerpted and mixed with narrative.
“Thread Indigo,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Textiles, used under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been excerpted and mixed with narrative.
“Cach,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Pacha Faro, used under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been excerpted and mixed with narrative.
“Algea Tender,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Algea Fields, used under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been excerpted and mixed with narrative.
“Feathered,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album The Cabinetmaker, used under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been excerpted and mixed with narrative.
“Sage the Hunter,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Landsman Duets, used under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been excerpted and mixed with narrative.
“When in the West,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Landsman Duets, used under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been excerpted and mixed with narrative.
“The Summit,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album K2, used under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been excerpted and mixed with narrative.