Curriculum Connections - Social Studies

World History - Standard 37. Understand major global trends from 1750 to 1914
- Understand where Christianity and Islam grew in this era, and understand the causes of 19th-century reform movements or renewal in Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism
- Understand the process of educational reform in various Muslim regions during the 19th century (e.g., the new institutions that were established, the effect of this reform on women, those areas that wholly embraced Western values, and those that rejected them)

World History - Standard 43. Understand how post-World War II reconstruction occurred, new international power relations took shape, and colonial empires broke up
- Understand important events in the struggle between Israelis and Palestinians since 1948 and the argument on each side for rights to the disputed land
- Understand how the Balfour Declaration affected British policy toward Palestine and the political goals of the Arab League and the Zionist Movement, and how the White Paper Reports affected Jewish and Arab inhabitants of Palestine

World History - Standard 44. Understand the search for community, stability, and peace in an interdependent world
- Understand the role of ethnicity, cultural identity, and religious beliefs in shaping economic and political conflicts across the globe
- Understand how specific countries have implemented social and cultural changes (e.g., the different manifestations of China's contingency quest for a "new culture" throughout the 20th century, and what the Cultural Revolution meant for Chinese people in the late 1960s; models for family life, the economy, and social and political institutions suggested by modern Muslim intellectuals)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Why do you think Charlie, who is Jewish, wants to learn about Islam?

2. What is the historical connection of Islam and Judaism? What is the current state of relations between
Muslims and Jews?

3. Why do Muslims around the world face towards the Ka’aba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, during prayer time?
Explain Charlie’s comparison of the midday Islamic prayer time to the Indy 500.

4. According to Islam, what do Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad have in common? How are Moses and Jesus portrayed in the Qu’ran?

5.Charlie describes the opening of the Torah, the New Testament of the Bible, and the Qu’ran as a metaphor for “opening his heart”. Do you think most people feel this way?

6. Jihad asks Charlie, “What are you now? Jewish or Muslim?” Charlie responds with, “Look at my character, look at my heart. That’s who I am.” Explain his response. Is it important to have a label? Jew? Christian? Muslim? Why?