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.

UGA-Morocco Maymester Program Abroad, 2015 APPLY NOW! Places still available! New Deadline of March 4!
With Intensive Arabic Option!

Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think A free online hour long film based on Gallup surveys of Muslims around the world.

Fear, Inc., The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America This is a well-documented 130 page report in pdf format issued in August, 2011. It identifies the major individuals and organizations that are funding the current campaign against Islam in the U.S. media.

Anti-Muslim Crusaders Make Millions Spreading Fear by Bob Smietana, published in the Tennessean.Com, Oct. 24, 2010. This is part one of a Pulitzer quality expose of the merchants of bigotry who are making millions generating anti-Muslim hatred in the US.

"Islamophobia: A Threat to American Values" by John L. Esposito, Prof. at Georgetown University, August 10, 2010.

Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia an on-line book that is a collection of articles by a variety of Jewish and Muslim authors, this was first published in The Palestine-Israel Journal. It is about time that people started pointing out the similarities of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

Fatwa Outlaws Suicide Bombing and Terrorism Shaykh Tahir al-Qadri, a leading Muslim cleric, unequivocally declares that suicide bombing and terrorism are crimes and violations of Islam and that those who commit such acts are no longer Muslims. See the presentation of the fatwa.

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

Obama names White House lawyer Rashad Hussain as US envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference a global organization of Muslim nations. (Feb. 13, 2010)

The 500 Most Influential Muslims (2009 first edition), an online and in print publication by professors John Esposito and Ibrahim Kalin.

Where are the voices of the Moderate Muslim Majority? Where are Moderate Muslim Voices? Here they are: 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. See also Islamophobia A-Z (actually separated into two parts) Islamophobia A-L; and Islamophobia L-Z.

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 roadmap 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.

discusses this Islamic Studies website October 31, 2001 (offline Jan. 2010); but it is available for subscribers to the Chronicle of Higher Education at Georgia Professor's Web Site on Islam Attracts New Attention After Attacks by Brock Read. An unofficial copy can be found at A Georgia Professor's Web Site on Islam

The Qur'an and Qur'anic Interpretation (tafsir) Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad: His Life and Sayings Sunni Islam: Faith and Theology (Iman and Kalam) The Sunnah: Practice and Law (Shari'ah and Madh'habs)
Shi'ite Islam, Shi'ism Sufism, Sufis, Sufi Orders, and Sufi Poetry: Islamic Psychology, Sprituality, and Mysticism Islam, the Modern World, and the West: contemporary topics Muslim Women and Women's Rights
Jihad: War, Terrorism, and Peace in Islam Islam in each county of the Muslim World Today, including Maps and Populations Islamic History Islamic Philosophy and Scientific Thought
Islamic Art, Music and Musicians, Architecture, and Images from the World of Islam Arabic, Arabic Study Abroad, Arabic Books, Other Islamic Languages Basic Questions, Terms, Bibliographies, Comprehensive Sites for Islam, and Islamic Bookstores Academic Islamic Studies, Middle East, Other Area Studies, Academic Journals

Judaism, Christianity, Religious Studies, and Mysticism

"Islam and Islamic Studies Resources" is the website of Professor Alan Godlas
of the Department of Religion at the University of Georgia


 

Webby nominated (2002) website of Dr. Alan Godlas, Professor, University of Georgia.

This website is administered through the UGA Virtual Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of the Islamic World (VCISIW)
 

The Arabic word islam literally means surrender, implying surrender to God. And a muslim, literally, is one who is surrendering; more specifically, one who is surrendering to God. Muslims believe both that islam is the quintessence of the spiritual impulse present in the earliest humans and that, as "Islam," it is the name of the religious form revealed by God to Muhammad beginning in the year 610 CE. Those who follow this particular religion are called Muslims.

At the core of this website are short introductory essays on various aspects of Islam containing numerous annotated links. Regarded by scholars as the most comprehensive academic website on Islam, this website was nominated as one of top five websites worldwide in the category of "spirituality" for the year 2002 Webby Awards, (link fixed, Nov. 2004) which are the equivalent of the Oscars for websites.  Among the other nominees in "spirituality" were the Vatican's website and Beliefnet (a commercial interfaith website that won the award). The Webby nominees and winners are selected by members of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. For a discussion of the Webbys and this website see And the Winner is ... Islam or the Vatican? in the Athens Banner-Herald, June 16, 2002. . 


 
This Webby nominated Islam and Islamic Studies website also touches on the areas of Arabic and Religion (focusing on Western religions). It is particularly intended to be of use for non-Muslim and Muslim students and teachers at all levels as well for members of the general public who wish to get a non-polemical and non-sectarian view of Islam and the diverse perspectives of Muslims (including Sunni Islam, Shi'ism, and Sufism, et al.) and to a lesser extent of Judaism and Christianity.

You can send me email at "godlas" followed directly by the "at" sign, i.e. the little circle around the "a"; then "uga" [dot] "edu" (without the quotation marks). This indirect way of stating my email address is designed to diminish the huge amounts of spam that I receive. If you don't hear from me, email me again. If you still don't hear from me, email me at my department, with "mail for Dr. Godlas" in the subject line, at "religion", the "at" sign, "uga" [dot] "edu". Please inform me of any broken links.  

(Ma bara-yi vasl kardan amadim, nay bara-yi fasl kardan!)

If you wish to support this website, please consider donating to it. Instructions for making donations are on the UGA Virtual Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of the Islamic World (VCISIW) donations webpage.


For Qur'an recitations, translations in many languages, and complete resources in Arabic for Qur'anic Studies, go to (i.e. click on)

Muslims, Islam, and Iraq
A unique website focusing on Islam in modern Iraq and on the major Muslim groups in Iraq: Arab Shi'ites, Arab Sunnis, and Kurds. 

PBS Presents: Muhammad, Legacy of a Prophet: The Life Story of the Man Who Lives in the Hearts and Minds of American Muslims. To date, simply the best film for gaining an understanding of mainstream Islam in the US.

Bush Takes on Christian Right Over Anti-Islam Words. by Randall Mikkelsen (Nov. 13, 2002) (Link fixed Jan. 31, 2010.)

El extremismo manipula el Islam ( en Español )Dr. Godlas addresses the issue of Islam and terrorism in this article based on his views by Venezuelan journalist, Pedro Pablo Peñaloza. (July 9, 2003) 



Ten Things Everyone Needs to Know about Islam (link fixed 23 November 2008)
by Professor John Esposito, Director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University 

Islam: A Primer Harvard professor Roy Mottahedeh's lecture on Islam to a group of distinguished American journalists--the link includes extensive discussion. Jay Tolson, of US News & World Report, contributed a short essay as well. Sponsored by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (Washington, D.C.). The seminar took place in January 2002 but this was posted on September 8, 2002. 

Talking With Churches About Islam
by Professor John Kaltner, an expert on the comparative study of the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, who spent many years affiliated with the Catholic Maryknoll Society. 

Muslims: The Facts
Including statistics about world Muslim populations, Muslim nations, Muslim communities, and refugees. 

Islam: A Mosaic not a Monolith by Vartan Gregorian, Ph.D., the President of the Carnegie Corporation. This lengthy and detailed essay, written sometime after Sept. 11, 2001, is a survey of Islamic history, culminating in an excellent overview of the major issues facing Islam today. It became a published book (2003) that at least one reviewer Prof. Michael B. Schub ( Middle East Quarterly, Winter, 2005) has criticized.


Please do sign my guestbook [not in operation for a while] and feel free to let me know what you like about this website; but if you do not like something about it, polite disagreement and constructive criticism are welcome. Previously, readers' remarks have resulted in valuable changes to the website. Please make your guestbook entries brief; those longer than ten lines will be edited. If you wish to make a lengthy comment, please email it to me.

Read my guestbook from 2005-Aug. 2006.

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Click here to read my guestbook for Sept. until December 2002, and here to read my guestbook for the first eight months of the year 2002 or Click here to read my guestbook for the year 2001.


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Awards for This Website and Reviews

Tools for Research, Writing, and Cyberwork Courses Taught (including those with a WebCT component) and Programs Supervised Professional Biography


Note that the vast majority of religion sites on the Web are established by committed believers. Although this presents certain problems (one of which is the variable quality of the material), its virtue is that the discourse of believers is directly accessible to students of religion. The articles linked on this site have been written both by Muslim and non-Muslim scholars as well as informed believers. Of course, the views expressed in the links connected to this site are not necessarily the views of Dr. Godlas or the University of Georgia.



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Copyright©1997-2008 Dr. A. Godlas. Nothing on any of the pages of this website may be reproduced in any fashion except by written permission of the author. Links to these pages and conventionally cited scholarly quotations, however, can of course be made. Unless otherwise stated, none of the images belong to the author.