Introduction - Islam
Since the events of September 11th, a great deal of attention has been focused on Islam, a religion followed by roughly one quarter of the earth's population. Many have pointed out the irony in the fact that it took the September 11th attacks to create interest in a faith and a culture integral to the life of so many people.
Any attempt to provide an understanding of that faith and culture ought to be undertaken with a certain humility. If a website can only make a start on the subject of terrorism, it can do still less on the subject of a religion every bit as great, proud, and complex as Judaism or Christianity.
A great many Islamic and Middle Eastern organizations, as well as many universities, have collected and posted a wealth of information about the nature and history of Islam. To even begin to acquaint yourself with the materials below is to see that the whole of Islam is as different from Islamic fundamentalist terrorism as, say, the whole of Christianity is from the Klu-Klux-Klan. As you examine these links, you might keep in mind the words of scholar of religions Karen Armstrong, who said that the West must learn "not just to tolerate, but to appreciate" other peoples and religions if it is not to experience more events like those of 9-11.
