Professional Development Seminars

Islam and New Atheism

The New Atheists have made atheism fashionable. Religion, they argue, isn't just ridiculous but outright dangerous (particularly Islam). Their arguments are everywhere. This seminar will educate teachers on what New Atheism is, why it matters (particularly for Muslims), how not to respond to it, and two detailed case studies that explain their arguments and how Muslims should respond.

Outline:

1. What is New Atheism?
2. The Problem With Our Responses
3. Application: Is God a Fairytale?
4. Application: Is God An Evil Monster?

Science and the Supernatural

Lurking behind our children's science textbooks is a pervasive narrative that religious belief in the supernatural is unscientific. This seminar will educate teachers in that narrative and then demonstrate its flaws using the counter-narrative of the Muslim scholarly tradition. (This counter narrative is not well-known and unique to Muslims.) It then shows them how to integrate science into an Islamic worldview.

Outline:

1. Primitive Humans Invented God Because They Didn't Know Science
2. Humans Believed in God Based on Evidence Then Science Messed Them Up
3. What is Science?
4. What is the Supernatural?
5. Science, God, Angels, and Fairies

Traditional Islamic Psychology

Our scholars developed a science called 'ilm al-akhlaq, or "the science of character" in which they returned good and bad character traits to three basic faculties of the human soul. This seminar will educate teachers how to look beyond their students’ academic performance by using this model to evaluate their character and inspire themselves and their students to begin a process of self-improvement.

Outline:

1. Character is a Changeable Property of the Human Soul
2. Anger and Bravery
3. Desire and Ambition
4. Education and the Mind
5. Application: The "Good" Student
6. Application: The “Bad” Student
7. How to Change Character