The Middle East is a dynamic and evolving topic in academia and politics, and one UH professor is eager to introduce students to its most widely practiced religion, Islam. Professor Hayan Charara, a poet and scholar who teaches in the Honors College, recently announced his plans to teach a course solely devoted to Islam’s representations in modern media.
“With the September 11, 2001 attacks as a reference point, we will study representations of Islam found in scholarship, literature, art, film, news, television, foreign and domestic policy,” Charara said in an email to Honors College students about the course. “(We’ll study) propaganda from Al-Qaeda and ISIS, paying close attention to the ways these texts construct Islam in the age of terror.”
Representing Islam: Literature, Arts and Ideology will be available for the first time in Spring 2016. While the course originates from the Honors College, it is also available to students from other colleges as an advanced-level elective. The course is listed as HON 4397 and will take place Mondays and Wednesdays from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
Charara said a major goal of the course is to offer students with critical interpretive skills for approaching Islam.
“Another goal is to look into the ways that anti-terrorism or counter-terrorism and security issues have changed the critical discourses about politics and ethics in our democracy,” Charara said. “Given that we’re in an election season, these issues are front and center, and what people are saying and thinking about Islam, explicitly or not, is informing the issues.”
Students will work creatively to complete a project that facilitates a clearer, more complex understand of Islam and its relationship to the West. For Charara, this course will be a means of creating an accurate image, examining the whol picture of Islam, and not just the stories in the news or popular media.
“While many people think that they either know very little or nothing at all about Islam, they are actually bombarded with information about it, on a daily basis,” Charara said. “Much of that information is either distorted, wrong or filtered through a very narrow lens. And the fact is, if someone wants to be informed and take Islam, and our relationship with it, seriously, whether a person is a Muslim or not, it makes sense to understand it from a broader, more accurate perspective.”
In the classroom, students will read a variety of first-hand accounts. As well as screening films and viewing art pieces, students will also read and discuss documents and stories written by or about those affected by Islam’s representation in the West.
“We’ll read stories from young Muslims living in Brooklyn and how their lives were transformed by the attacks of September 11, 2001,” Charara said. “We’ll read testimonies by experts on Islam made during congressional hearings. We’ll also read the 9/11 commission report in graphic novel form.”
Many students have expressed interest in the course and are signing up. English literature sophomore Madison Stephens said she is enrolled in the course.
“I am looking forward to the discussions that will happen both in and out of class,” Stephens said. “Healthy conversation on subjects such as Islam, the Middle East and terrorism are rare in our society today. I hope this course helps us better understand how to have these healthy conversations that society tends to shy away from.”
Other students, although not enrolled, said they are willing to look into the course. Education senior Wajiha Jawed said he would take the course and is interested because the perception of Islam has been overwhelmingly negative in films, literature and media since 2001.
“I think as a Muslim, I’d learn how to defend my religion when people would tell me that what they see on the media is accurate,” Jawed said. “For non-Muslims, I think they’d learn that Islam is a religion; a way of life that isn’t associated with some of the accusations it tends to receive.”
As the fall semester comes to the close, and expectations for the spring are rising, Charara said he is ready to take on the course and hopes to teach and learn new perspectives.
“As with all the courses I teach, I end up learning something,” Charara said. “I’m excited to work with students who will no doubt bring unique and eye-opening perspectives to the course, which will make it worthwhile not only for them, but for me too.”
“For Charara, this course will be a means of creating an accurate image, examining the whol picture of Islam, and not just the stories in the news or popular media.”
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Will this include the following?
* Mohammed was a sexual predator. He enslaved women for his sexual use.
* Mohammed’s eleventh wife (Aisha) was only none years old when Mohammed forced intercourse upon her.
* Mohammed led over 60 battles against infidels. He and his followers stole great wealth from their defeated foes, enslaved their women and children and, in the case of the village of Qurayza, beheaded all 800 men in that village.
Will the class include the following information.
* When Muslim jihadists conquered what is now called Afghanistan they killed or forcibly converted every single Buddhist who lived there. Today Afghanistan is 100% Muslim.
* When Mohammed and his warrior followers began their battles against non-Muslim villages they eventually conquered the entire Arabian Peninsula. Today, thanks to Islam’s hatred of infidels, Saudi Arabia is also 100% Muslim.
* When Muslim warriors (jihadists) invaded what is now known as Turkey they killed something like ten million Christians. Today Turkey is 99.7% Muslim and all other religions have been almost entirely ethnically cleansed.
* When Muslim jihadists fought their centuries long war for contol of southern Asia they killed 70 million Hindus and are still killing Hindus as they tighten their grip on Pakistan and Bangladesh. Now Pakistan – once a Hindu and Buddhist land – is now almost 100% Muslim.
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Will the lectures include explanations for why wherever Islam invades the region ultimately becomes 100% Muslim? Why is it Islam hates diversity as is made obvious when one studies the demographic profiles of most every single Muslim nation?
Great! Another Apologist course.
Madison Stephens … before HON 4397 confirms your euphoria and you run to the Middle East to become an ISIS jihadi bride … please do your research. Google “British jihadi brides” and check out their experiences … for those that are still living and non-raped. Check out ISIS’s Magazine Dabiq @ ClarionProject.org. You can also get ISIS Alerts sent to your cell phone of all the latest shootings and bombings that ISIS takes credit for across the World.
And please get back us on the young Muslims in Brooklyn (who weren’t celebrating the Twin Towers demise) whose lives were transformed on the day that will live in infamy in 2001.
Lastly, please let us know how you did during the IED portion of the class. A little heads-up on the placement of the IEDs would also be appreciated so that those in the know can avoid the catastrophe.
As-Salaam-Alaikum
Dear Charara,
As we in the west are learning more and more about Islam we are also seeing through your white-lies about it.
We in the west may be slow, but we are not stupid. When we hear your imams cry out for our destruction it may take us a long time (and hearing countless imams shouting this out) before wee realize there truly is something violent and cruel about Islam.
When we read about the sadism, repressions, and cruelty found throughout every single Muslim country we slowly realize there really is a connection between Islam and all these awful things.
When we learn more and more about how Islam spread from Morocco to Indonesia through violent jihad leaving tens of millions dead in their path we begin to realize your version of Islam is a completely sanitized version. Your version, in fact, is also part and parcel of Islam for we now know that the Qur’an and Hadiths urge Muslims to lie to Christians and Jews so as to trick them into thin king Islam is not what it is – violent, supremacist and determined to take over our lands at any cost.
I can’t help but wonder why The Daily Cougar has allowed it’s comment section to be hijacked by bigots and idiots who obviously have no interest in any topic other than their own vitriol. On every comment section these days it seems there are nothing but outsiders coughing up their ignorant opinions as if they knew what the f**k they were talking about. As a UH Senior, I find this abuse offensive and entirely inexcusable. The Cougar, being a student newspaper, should be more concerned with what UH students think on an issue, encouraging intellectual development, and exchange and curiosity, rather than enabling combative and ill-informed outsiders who want to mock and ridicule our students and other cultures. Why encourage the input of trolls with nothing but hateful opinions about things they have never studied academically? Perhaps the Daily Cougar always wants to be regarded as mediocre, by enabling the kind of hateful commentary one expects out of Donald Trump. So be it.
Dang GFUH … you’d easily fit in with Kim Jong-un’s North Korea, where group-think is mandated, and those that don’t in fit like Bob Jones and some other guys are shuffled off to reeducation camps.
You spew your vitriol GFUH as if you were Syed Farook, who thought in the same mindset as you, where if anyone thinks differently than you deserves a fate like Syed’s and Tashfeen’s Jewish victim.
I actually feel sorry for you GFUH … but then again maybe not. I mean we just had Paris and San Bernardino, and yes, some student comments probably should not have been said. But there are certainly realities out there that you and our President, are not embracing.
And Donald Trump’s comments that you see as toxic, do have a legal Presidential precedent, which was last enacted while Carter’s Administration was dealing with the Iranian Hostage Crisis. Other President’s before Carter have used the statute as well.
You mention that 10% of the UHPop is Muslim. Now what are the realities of that? Some undoubtedly believe that Sharia Law should supersede our Constitution. And of course, the vast majority are law abiding students. But I am worried about the one or one’s that think like you GFUH. That’s why I can’t wait till concealed carry is allowed on campus. And my bet is that some are carrying on campus already, in the thinking that’s it’s easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission … should an incident happen.
The fact that you probably belive every disjointed thing you’ve written demonstrates clearly how disconnected you are from reality. You’re exactly the type who would open fire on someone you suspect of being a “terrorist” just because they look Arab, what with your CHL and whole 8 hours of training and a brain stuffed full of anti-government, Islamaphobic garbage. They way you talk, you don’t need a gun; you need psycho-therapy. Gun addiction and extremism is real. You’re living proof.
GFUH … who cares what the population of International Students is. Aren’t you tired of you projecting your failures on me. I mean, you’re the one who wakes up each morning and just can’t wait to be offended. I don’t harbor any hate towards you, But you would love to see me beheaded by an ISIS fanatic, or be dissected by an I-45 abortionist.
All of your assertions relating to guns are way off. CHL holders that offend the law barely register three-tenths of a percent, when compared to all gun offenses. They don’t go around looking for Muslims or trouble, in fact they don’t ever wish to fire their gun at all, unless absolutely necessary.
And I am a UH student, and I have my class ring to prove it. So I’ve lived a little life between my bach and grad days, Your just peeved that someone younger and smarter than you can embarrass you under the table while proving a point.
Look, I’m not the one writing “Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz” and “Yawn” as responses to clear and concise thought. If you want to call someone “deranged” and “paranoid” GFUH, just look in the mirror.
Citing a claim by John Lott , debunked social scientist, goes to show how little you’re able to engage in “clear and concise” thinking. If you have to resort to debunked, mythologized data, you obviously don’t have a clue. Sadly, your only regard for anyone from another country is to equate them with extremists. Also very telling. The “conviction” rates in Texas for CHLs are low; however, what never gets mentioned is that the DPS data in Texas also shows a large number of folks being rejected for CHL permits. Here’s something else: over 163 CHLs were issued in 2014 in the zip code area where UH is located — and during the same period, crime DID NOT decrease and still has not. Neither has it increased. IOW, CHL possession has had 0 effect on crime rates in the area surrounding UH. You should also know that at a recent debate with Lott, several of his colleagues in the audience stood up to shout him down for falsifying his data he’s used to hype any number of bogus claims — including the wacky notion of “gun free zones” and the ridiculous idea that low “conviction” rates should somehow be equated with strong moral fiber. CHLs are no more “law-abiding” than any other member of society. Several were just recently photographed trespassing on school property, proudly displaying there weapons. It’s just garbage to even make the claim, let alone expect anyone to take it seriously.
GFUH … Yawn …. you are beyond help. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Thanks for confirming that you’re unable to refute hard evidence with anything except petulant replies. Yours is the standard response when your type is confronted with reality; the exact kind of response a teenage girl would give. Thank you. Now bug off.
GFUH … LOL … you are so square you can’t even tell when people are mocking you. (It was late as I was tired).
You can quote all the CHL numbers you want. You can say that crime numbers are unchanged, and CHL app rejection numbers are high (you should be happy for that). You’re obviously trying to say the issuance of CHLs doesn’t equate to lower crime numbers, that’s why the bad guys look for softer targets. But the idea that CHL holders are out there, does have to figure in the psyche of anyone thinking of committing a crime.
The fact remains that CHL holders do not roam Houston in groups looking for trouble. Even if we were in situation where lives were in danger, unless a holders life or the people around them are imminently threatened; the gun will probably be drawn and chocked, but maybe not be used at all. Each situation is different, but don’t be looking for CHL holders to go Dirty Harry on anyone.
Gotta go. Online meeting with my office in a few minutes.
And please … your use of dehumanizing terminology (page one of the SocDem playbook) does not affect me, and reveals your true petulance.
I’m not saying anything. Just citing the DPS and HPD facts. You can deny and call names all you like. Doesn’t change a thing. Facts are facts. You can’t name-call them out of existence. Reality doesn’t work that way. The reality is, as has been shown hundreds of times in similar reports, CHL possession has 0 effect on crimes rates and the “personal safety” claim is complete garbage. The reality is, crime did not decrease in the same area where CHL permits were being issued — and it is considered a high-crime area which is why I used it. The 163 CHL permits issued in 2014 for that area, BTW, is a 4-fold increase in CHL permits issued in the same area over a 10-year period. Crime NEVER decreased over the same period in the same location. And by crime, I mean personal and property crimes. Go enjoy your meeting. We’re done here.
GFUH … enough with the statistics … I hated that class.
GFUH … just go and enjoy the Christmas holidays. I know you will trust in statistics to keep you warm and toasty in the personal safe-space that surrounds you as you walk around campus. This thread has run its course.
Merry Christmahanakwanzika.
Never taken a stats class. My major is history and my minor anthropology. My academic training is in the social sciences. I have years of research, however, of compiling data and making use of professional databases on a variety of topics and using it in intelligent discussions. I’ve also observed that those without facts, almost universally resort to name-calling when confronted with empirical data — as if that’s some kind of defense for their absurd claims. Thank you for confirming this observation as many like you have over the years.
Sections C and F will blow your mind. Click on the link.
http://www.training.fema.gov/emiweb/docs/shared/cve%20do%20and%20dont.pdf
Changing Tracks: Mario Joseph, Muslim Imam convert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjUXd4qW9mg
Here’s a book which should be on the reading list:
Why We Left Islam: Former Muslims Speak Out: http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Left-Islam-Muslims/dp/0979267102/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8
1 Samuel 15:3: “This is what the Lord Almighty says … ‘Now go and
strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare
them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep,
camel and donkey.’ ”
Psalm 137, which celebrates this terrible revenge: “Happy is he who
repays you for what you have done to us / He who seizes your infants and
dashes them against the rocks.”
Numbers 25:3-4 “And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was
kindled against Israel. And the LORD said unto Moses, ‘Take all the
heads of the people and hang them up before the LORD against the sun,
that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.’”
Numbers 31:16-18 “Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of
Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and
there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD. Now therefore
kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath
known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not
known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.”
I Chronicles 20:3 “And he brought out the people that were in it, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes…”
Isaiah 13:15-16 “Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is
joined unto them shall fall by the sword. Their children also shall be
dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and
their wives ravished.”
And on and on and on, this all and more from the christian bible that is full of genocide, rape, and slavery as commanded by god. No religion does not have its black stains or is innocent. The violence we see is more cultural and uses religion to justify their violence and oppression, just as Judaism did, as Christianity did and still does in central Africa. The middle east’s hatred of the west has been growing since after the second world. In 1950 the state department circulated a memo on the subject and religion was not the reason, it was instead our involvement with Israel and the appropriation of their natural resources, i.e. oil. Over the years fanatical factions have used religion to justify and rally those that were angry at the west just as we still do today. Every time our soldiers go into battle someone makes a speech about how god is on our side (on ward christian soldiers). To solve the problem you have to know the cause, then address the cause and resolve it. To just say “They hate our freedom” is to be ignorant and does nothing to stop the hate, it only perpetrates it.