Sandhills Community College Classes on Islam Spark Wide Interest
TEHRAN (IQNA) – On a recent late summer day, a group of almost 40, mostly retired students took on the monumental task of digging in to a subject that confuses many Americans.
They'll spend the next few months digging into Islam as a faith, Islamic history, the Quran, Muslim culture and violent radical groups pretending to be Muslim such as Daesh (ISIS) and al-Qaeda.
Jason Howk, a retired foreign area officer, is their guide for this ambitious undertaking and he says the group is one of the most inquisitive he's come across.
"They're a hungry group," he said. "They want to know what the heck is going on."
Howk is a writer and speaker on Islam, the Middle East, foreign policy and other national security issues. He has a master's in Middle Eastern and South-Asian studies and was a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is writing a modern English interpretation of the Quran. Howk said he spoke about Islam in Pinehurst just after retiring from the Army last year. He was surprised when 50 people showed up.
"Every time I spoke three or four people came up and asked me to speak and then they started paying me to speak," said Howk.
People were telling him they wanted to know more about the people, culture and places where American soldiers were fighting. The class topics are also the subject of presidential debates and conversations at their social gatherings.
"They say, 'I'm getting more confused when I watch the news or listen to the government,'" Howk said.
The class meets for two hours every Wednesday and students have homework, assigned readings and a final project. College administrators say they are delighted at the level of interest the class has generated.
"We don't usually schedule Creative Living courses that span an entire semester," said Teresa Reynolds, the Creative Living Director. "Having 40 students who are willing to commit their time to this topic and to the instructor indicates how important and relevant the content is to our better understanding of the differences between Islam, Islamic ideology and modern-day radical groups."
After two hours of lecture, Howk asked for questions the class would like answered during the course. Hands shot into the air and the list grew to 21.
Karen Hubley, a retired flight attendant who lives in Southern Pines, said she felt she had a duty to learn about the connection between Islam and the United States.
"I felt as an American with as deep as we are in the history, the wars, the problems, I needed to know about this," she said.
Maryann Crawford lives in Pinehurst and is one of several students who said they just wanted to understand more about why we have such conflict with traditional Muslim cultures.
"I just want to understand Islam. It's very important," she said.
Sandhills Community College plans to offer more classes like this one in the future.
"I think a more honest discussion dispels myths on both sides," Howk said.
Jason Howk, a retired foreign area officer, is their guide for this ambitious undertaking and he says the group is one of the most inquisitive he's come across.
"They're a hungry group," he said. "They want to know what the heck is going on."
Howk is a writer and speaker on Islam, the Middle East, foreign policy and other national security issues. He has a master's in Middle Eastern and South-Asian studies and was a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is writing a modern English interpretation of the Quran. Howk said he spoke about Islam in Pinehurst just after retiring from the Army last year. He was surprised when 50 people showed up.
"Every time I spoke three or four people came up and asked me to speak and then they started paying me to speak," said Howk.
People were telling him they wanted to know more about the people, culture and places where American soldiers were fighting. The class topics are also the subject of presidential debates and conversations at their social gatherings.
"They say, 'I'm getting more confused when I watch the news or listen to the government,'" Howk said.
The class meets for two hours every Wednesday and students have homework, assigned readings and a final project. College administrators say they are delighted at the level of interest the class has generated.
"We don't usually schedule Creative Living courses that span an entire semester," said Teresa Reynolds, the Creative Living Director. "Having 40 students who are willing to commit their time to this topic and to the instructor indicates how important and relevant the content is to our better understanding of the differences between Islam, Islamic ideology and modern-day radical groups."
After two hours of lecture, Howk asked for questions the class would like answered during the course. Hands shot into the air and the list grew to 21.
Karen Hubley, a retired flight attendant who lives in Southern Pines, said she felt she had a duty to learn about the connection between Islam and the United States.
"I felt as an American with as deep as we are in the history, the wars, the problems, I needed to know about this," she said.
Maryann Crawford lives in Pinehurst and is one of several students who said they just wanted to understand more about why we have such conflict with traditional Muslim cultures.
"I just want to understand Islam. It's very important," she said.
Sandhills Community College plans to offer more classes like this one in the future.
"I think a more honest discussion dispels myths on both sides," Howk said.
Source: fayobserver.com
