Chapter 8

STUDENT MATERIALS

​Summary- 


Points of connection for Muslim students


"Christianized Indians" - http://www.encyclopedia.com/history/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/native-americans-and-christianity




"9/11" - focus on badness of groups who commit terrorism, there is a disproportionate amount of focus on Muslim groups. I recommend avoid delving to deep into 9/11 as an issue itself. - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world-0/terror-attacks-media-coverage-muslim-islamist-white-racism-islamophobia-study-georgia-state-a7820726.html - there is of course and endless discussion and background knowledge to go into the matter; but the point ultimately boils down to what is articulated in the book, that a rotten few create an adverse situation for all. 


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"Abbey has been doubting Providence" - Now this is beginning the set up of a recurring role in the book for Abbey where Sophia will articulate to her Islamic attitudes towards faith and hardship and other matters related to Islamic teaching. The study guide will highlight and expand upon these parts in the book as they come up. 


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““Not only was Matthew not a Muslim…” - Islam puts marriage restrictions on Muslims, and there are several differences between marriage in Islam and marriage in Christianity, though some similarities also. These differences weigh rather heavy on the cultural experience and concise of our Muslim students who are growing up in America. As the story is alluding to here, Muslim women are only allowed to marry Muslim men in Islam, Muslim men are only allowed to marry Muslim women, Christian women, or Jewish women, and they are many Islamic scholars who say that for a Muslim man to marry a Christian or Jewish woman should only take place under certain or extenuating circumstances. This is something that can effect the Muslim youth in a myriad of manifestations. Beginning with the girls, they can experience many trials over this. As they emerge into pubescence and romance becomes a curiosity to them they will feel pressure to put their thoughts about under this restricted frame. I have seen girls who seem to have gone to lengths to find out about Muslim celebrities to fulfill their impulses to fantasize about celebrity romance under these restrictions (such as Zayn Malik from the band One Direction). If they do develop a “crush” on a non-Muslim guy (celebrity or otherwise) they might fit their fancies about him into a narrative wherein they teach him about Islam and he converts to it before marriage (and indeed, there have been many men in the West who converted to Islam because a Muslim girl taught him about it whilst one of them had a crush on the other).