PEAC 224 Current Issues in Peace Studies: Introduction to Islam will introduce students to the Islamic religious tradition and to Muslim communities in Canada. The course begins with self-directed study into how the news media constructs reality. The first part of our group study of Islam will include a discussion of pre-Islamic Arabia and the historical development of Islam, the life of the Prophet Muhammad, the Qur’an and the Hadith, Islamic religious practices and law, as well as the Sunni—Shi‘a split.
The second part of the course will be concerned with the modern phenomenon of Islam in North America, focusing on Muslim communities in Canada. We will examine themes such as ''fundamentalism'', the ''Islamic Threat'', and Islamophobia. We will examine the meanings of ''jihad'' and look at Muslim teachings on war, violence, and peace. The roles of women in Islam will be examined throughout this course.