Week V

Topics of the week:

• Is the Islamic religion homogeneous and monolithic?
• Different interpretations of Islam and new movements have existed throughout history.
• Ibadites have existed from the beginning of the 8th Century, next to the Sunnis and Shiites.
• Alevis are Muslims in Turkey but are recognized as a separate religion in Germany.
• The Ahmadi community sees itself as a modernizer of the Islamic faith.
• How does talking about inner diversity change perceptions of Islam?

Goals of the week:

• Change the perception that Islam is a homogeneous and monolithic religion.
• Understand that new interpretations arise within every religion and that new groups are formed within religions.
• Understand that Alevis, Ibadites, and Ahmadis are different directions of Islam. These trends do not define themselves as Shiites or Sunnis, but they understand themselves as Muslims.
• Understand that the different directions of Islam are, by most Muslims (Sunnis), either excluded, understood as heresy, or accepted by default.