Connections Quarterly Winter 2018 - World Religions | Page 27

L I TE RATU RE I N RE V I E W
Ghobash’s fatherly tone makes Letters an exceptionally pow-
erful document. He writes about how hard it must be for a
“The main theme of
Muslim youth to sort through all he hears about Islam’s past
Letters is that violence
greatness, its superiority to other ways of being, and the
and martyrdom are
need to act to restore its place in the world. He also draws
inimical to true Islam,
on his own distinctive experiences: growing up in the poor-
and a diminution of
est parts of the Arabian peninsula among largely illiterate
the Muslim’s task to
tribespeople who were suddenly vaulted into the modern
world by war, the end of colonialism, and the discovery of
act in accordance with
oil. (Ghobash’s father was assassinated by a Palestinian gun-
the will of Allah.”
man who felt the UAE was not doing enough for Palestine.)

The main theme of Letters is that violence and martyrdom are inimical to true Islam, and a dimi-
nution of the Muslim’s task to act in accordance with the will of Allah. Of the clerics obsessed
with violence he asks, “Where are your learned theories on the role of kindness and generosity?
Why, if you can write hundreds of pages on the theology of death, can you not give equal at-
tention to what we Muslims can do with life?” He advises his son: “It may be true that the great-
est sacrifice that a person can make is to give his life for a cause. But it is not the most difficult
sacrifice…The more difficult and perhaps more valuable sacrifice a person can make is to face
the complexity of modern life and live life to its fullest—morally, spiritually, and socially.” l
Expanding Interfaith Study through MOOCs
Want to supplement your world religion, or ethics class with rich, free material open to
any student over the age of 12? For the past year I have been MOOCing about in online
courses. (MOOCs are Massive Open Online Courses). Most are offered on one of two plat-
forms: edX, founded jointly by Harvard and MIT, and Coursera, started by Stanford faculty.
My focus has been courses in religion, philosophy, and ethics, of which I have completed
a dozen so far. Here’s a short guide, based primarily on my experience:
For general religion courses, try Harvard’s six-unit Religious Literacy series (edX):
1. Religious Literacy: Traditions and Scriptures (introduction to the series; next six units are
separate and optional)
a. Christianity through Its Scriptures
b. Judaism through Its Scriptures
Continues on page 26
CSEE Connections

Winter 2018
Page 25