Essential Questions

1. How do people find connections with individuals who live and think differently than themselves? 

2. What is the purpose of religion?

3. What can Islam teach us all about the importance of submitting to starting points and boundaries?

Learning Intentions Upon completing this Module, students will:

1. Be more aware and supportive of people with different practices and beliefs than themselves. 

2. Examine the purpose of religion.

3. Articulate certain practices, customs, and beliefs of Muslims.

4. Understand the importance of finding starting points and submitting to boundaries to happiness and success. 

5. Use video to examine perspective and derive meaning.
   

Success Criteria

1. I will welcome and engage with diverse people in my community.

2. I set a goal for myself, find a starting point and establish and submit to boundaries.

Learning Outline

This 3-hour module is on Maysa Kergaye’s video presentation on being Muslim. It can be taught as a whole learning experience, or in chosen sections as time allows:  

• 15 minutes: Launch Activity– Introduction: Famous Muslims

• 10 minutes: While Viewing– Introduction: Meet Maysa Kergaye

• 10 minutes: Post-Viewing– Introduction: Finding Answers & Asking Questions

• 10 minutes: Launch Activity– Part 1 & 2: What is the Purpose of Religion?

• 15 minutes: While Viewing– Video 2: Part I Being Muslim: Famous Muslims,  Basic Beliefs, Burkinis and More! // Part 2 Being Musliim: The Five Pillars of Islam

• 15 minutes: Post-Viewing– Finding Answers & Asking More Questions

• 10 minutes: Launch Activity–Part 3: First Dates

• 15 minutes: While Viewing– Part 3 Being Muslim: Part II: How to Wear A Hijab, Dating, Math Tricks and More! 

• 10 minutes: Post-Viewing– Part 3 Being Muslim: Comparing Notes

• 25 minutes: Demonstration– Even if You Aren’t Muslim! An Approach To Applying Maysa Kergaye’s Lessons To Our Own Lives

60+ minutes: Making Connections: Arts Integration Activity: Using Videography POV (Point of View) to Examine Starting Points and Boundaries

Launch Activity–Pre-Viewing: Introduction: Famous Muslims

[15 min]

[Learning Intentions 1,3]

Procedures:

1. Tell Students: There are an estimated 1.9 billion Muslim people in the world, and approximately 4 million in the US. 

2. What is a Muslim? Muslims are people who adhere to Islam. Muslim literally means “those who submit.”. Islam is a monotheistic religion (meaning Muslims believe there is only one God who is Allah (“Allah” literally meaning God in Arabic). The Quran is the religious text or sacred scripture of Islam. The Quran was revealed by the Angel Gabriel to Prophet Muhammad in the early 7th century. (610 A.D.)

3. Hook: Some of you in this class might be Muslim. Regardless, many of you will recognize one or two of these famous people who are Muslims! 

4. Project the ‘Famous Muslims’ PowerPoint and reference the Notes section on each slide to elaborate on each individual as you move through the slides.

5. Ask Students: 

   1. How many famous Muslims did you recognize?

   2. Which of them did you previously know were Muslim?

   3. Did any of them surprise you?

6. Tell Students: Muslims come in all shapes and sizes but are often portrayed a certain way in movies, for example. In reality, as we just saw, Muslims have many different looks and it is often very hard to tell Muslims apart from any one else. Maysa, who you will meet in the videos we are about to watch, is easy to spot since she wears a headscarf (a hijab). But as she will explain, only about 50% of Muslim women across the world wear the hijab. In most countries, it is optional. Some women, like Maysa, choose to cover their head and you will hear why. 

Viewing: Introduction: Meet Maysa Kergaye (7:57 min)

[10 min]

[Learning Intentions 1,2,3]

Procedures: 

1. Tell students they will now watch the introduction video where we meet Maysa Kergaye.

2. Read the introduction out loud: Maysa Kergaye was born in a Muslim family in Syria and as a young girl moved all over the world. She landed in Salt Lake City, having married a Utah Native, and has called Utah home ever since. Wearing her head scarf, and following the practices and beliefs of Islam, she has embraced and felt embraced by her interfaith community.

One way Maysa describes being Muslim is that you try to be the best person you can be in everything you do, from raising children, to helping others, and even to being a good driver on the road! Her faith guides her in charity work alongside her Mormon friends, in teaching Zumba dance classes to women from all walks of life, to working with prison refugees and inmates. She seeks people who need her support.  Through these video conversations, Maysa Kergaye shares her life on being Muslim, teaching us about her culture and practices and shedding light on finding happiness and success.  

3. Pass out the Graphic Organizer: Being Muslim: Finding Answers & Asking Questions. Tell them that as they watch they will be filling out Video 1: Section I of the graphic organizer. Read through the instructions at the top of the page and review the Section I questions:

1. What does Maysa mean when she says she is part of an “interfaith community?” 

2. What are some of the ways Maysa connects with her community?

3. What are a few of Maysa’s responses to the stereotypes around Islam and Muslims? 

4. Tell Students: We will discuss your questions and answers as a class before moving to Video 2.   

5. Play the Introduction video: Meet Maysa Kergaye (7:57 min)

6. Tell Students: Before we discuss, take a few minutes to jot down any questions you would want to ask Maysa. 

Post Viewing: Introduction: Finding Answers & Asking Questions

[10 min]

[Learning Intentions 1,2,3]

Procedures:

1. Tell Students: Let’s first discuss your responses to the three questions and then we will share our questions with the class. 

2. Ask Students: 

   1. What does Maysa mean when she says “interfaith community?” Maysa is Muslim and she prioritizes making friends with others who have different beliefs and faiths.  Her community includes: Mormons, Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists, and non-believers, you name it!  

   2. What are some of the ways Maysa connects with her community? She gets involved in neighborhood activities independent of their faith; she finds resources for refugee communities; she works in prisons; she teaches Zumba dance, etc.

   3. Talk about ways Maysa addresses stereotypes around Islam (the religion) and Muslims (the people). Maysa says it is frustrating when people associate violence and terrorists with her. She explains that Islam is a peaceful religion and anyone who promotes violence and oppression are not following the tenets of Islam but rather misusing Islam to further their political agenda. 

3. Tell Students: Maysa has let it be known that her favorite part of doing presentations for students like yourselves is hearing your questions, which she tries to answer candidly. Let’s hear your questions!  (Assign a student to keep track of all questions that come up over the span of this Unit. You can either email them to Maysa at maysa_utah@yahoo.com or invite her to answer them in person in your classroom or via zoom.) 

4. Tell Students: We will have time after the next video to come up with more questions for Maysa, so keep thinking about those. 

Pre-Viewing: Part 1 & 2 : What is the Purpose of Religion?

[10 min]

[Learning Intention 2]

Procedures:

1. Hook: Ask Students: How would you describe  the purpose of religion?

2. Tell Students: If you recall the first slide in the Famous Muslims PowerPoint I showed you we met Reza Aslan, the former CNN TV host and author. (His photo was the first one in the PowerPoint.) Listen to what Reza Aslan says on religion: "You know, you're either a person of faith, or you're not. You either believe that there's something beyond the material world that you can commune with, or you don't. If you do believe it, then it helps to have a language to help you express that ineffable experience - to yourself, and to other people. And that is all that religion is - that language." 

3. Ask students: can you summarize what Reza says here? Religion is a language that helps us express things that are hard to express or describe in words. 

4. Tell Students: Here is Reza explaining why he is a Muslim: "I'm a Muslim not because I believe Islam is more correct than other religions, or that it's more 'true.' On the contrary! I'm a Muslim because the symbols and metaphors that Islam uses to talk about God and humanity, the relationship between creator and creation, are the symbols and metaphors that work best for me. That makes sense to me. They are not more valid, or more true, than the symbols of Judaism, or Christianity, say, but they just make more sense to me." And lastly: "To ask whether Moses actually parted the Red Sea, or whether Jesus truly raised Lazarus from the dead, or whether the word of God indeed poured through the lips of Muhammad, is to ask totally irrelevant questions. The only question that matters with regard to religion and its mythology is 'What do these stories mean?'" Reza Aslan

5. Tell Students: As we listen to Maysa’s account of being Muslim ask we are going to ask ourselves: What do her stories mean? What can we learn not only about her, other Muslims but what can we learn about ourselves?

6. Tell students: One more thing. Remind me to ask you: What is the purpose of religion? once we have completed this Unit (after the arts integration project). I would like us all to discuss that again.

Viewing:  Part I Famous Muslims, Basic Beliefs, Burkinis, and More! / Part 2 Being Muslim: The Five Pillars of Islam

[15 min]

[Learning Intentions 1,2,3]

Procedures:

1. Hook: We are about to watch two videos: Part 1 Being Muslim: Famous Muslims, Basic Beliefs, Burkinis, and More! and Part 2 Being Muslim: The Five Pillars of Islam. But before we start the video, does anyone remember where we heard the word  ‘burkini’ earlier in this Unit and what a burkini is? In the Famous Muslims PowerPoint we met Halima Aden, the Somali-American supermodel who was first to wear a burkini in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant where she was a semi-finalist. The burkini is a stylish Muslim woman’s swimsuit. Burkini is a clever combination of the word  bikini and the word burqa (also spelled burka) - the outer garment some Muslim women wear that covers them from head to toe with only their eyes showing. You will see the trending ‘burkini’ bathing suit in this next video. 

2. Have students access the Graphic Organizer: Being Muslim: Finding Answers & Asking Questions Tell them that as they watch they will be filling out Part 1 & 2: Section I of the graphic organizer. Review the questions prior to watching:

   1. What word to Muslims use to greet one another? 

   2. Write down 2 things describing Prophet Muhammad.

   3. List the names of Muslim prophets you might recognize. How do you recognize these names? 

   4. Who do Muslims worship? What is their sacred text called? Where do they go to worship? Mosque How do they worship? 

   5. Explain the article of faith known as the Day of Judgement. 

   6. There are five pillars of Islam. List one of the pillars and describe it. 

   7. What did Maysa teach you that you found most interesting, and/or surprising? 

3. Tell Students: We will discuss your questions and answers as a class before moving to Video 3.   

4. Play Part 1 Being Muslim: Famous Muslims,  Basic Beliefs, Burkinis, and More! and Part 2 Being Muslim: The Five Pillars of Islam

5. Tell Students: Before we discuss, take a few minutes to jot down any questions you would want to ask Maysa. 

Post-Viewing: Finding Answers & Asking More Questions

[15 min]

[Learning Intentions 1,2,3]

Procedures: 

Tell Students: Let’s first discuss your responses to the questions for Part 1 & 2 and then we will share our questions with the class: 

1. What word to Muslims use to greet one another? Salaam or Salaam-Alaikum

2. Write down 2 things describing Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad was born 570 years after the death of Christ/ he received the revelation of the religion of Islam/he was the last prophet/ the Hadith are the advice or sayings of Prophet Muhammad. 

3. List the names of Muslim prophets you might recognize. How do you recognize these names? Adam, Jesus, Moses, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael…

4. Who do Muslims worship? Allah What is their sacred text called? Quran or Koran Where do they go to worship? Mosque How do they worship? Pray 5 times a day/be the best people they can/fast during Ramadan, etc. 

5. Explain the article of faith known as the Day of Judgement. God (Allah which means God in Arabic) is the only one who can judge you and decide how you will spend your afterlife. Most Muslims believe they have free will to make their own choices and they will be judged by God for those choices. They recognise that humans are still responsible for their actions. 

6. There are five pillars of Islam. List one of the pillars and describe it. 

1. Profession of Faith (shahada). Muslims profess their faith.

2. Prayer (salat). Muslims pray five times a day: at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and after dark.

3. Alms (zakat) Muslims donate 2.5% of their surplus wealth to charitable causes.

4. Fasting (sawm) Muslims fast from dawn to dusk for a month every year and it is a time of spiritual discipline.  

5. Pilgrimage (hajj) Muslims journey once in a lifetime to Mecca, Saudi Arabia to visit the sacred Kaaba 

g. What did Maysa teach you that you found most interesting, and/or surprising? Acknowledge all answers

Pre-Viewing: Part 3: First Dates

[10 min]

[Learning Intentions 1,3]

Procedures:

1. Hook: We are about to watch video Part 3 Being Muslim: How to Wear A Hijab, Dating, Math Tricks, and More!  Ask a few volunteers to describe a typical first date and see if others in the class want to add to that or describe a first date differently.  There are so many ways to date! 

2. Have students access the Graphic Organizer: Being Muslim_ Comparing Notes. Read through the instructions at the top of the page and review the 5 topics: Tell them that as they watch they will be filling out certain customs and practices as Maysa describes them while thinking about how their own customs and practices compare. Be prepared to discuss.

Viewing: Part 3: Being Muslim: How to Wear A Hijab, Dating, Math Tricks, and More! 

[15 min]

[Learning Intentions [1,3]

Procedures:

1. Play Part 3 Being Muslim: How to Wear A Hijab, Dating, Math Tricks, and More!

Post-Viewing: Part 3 Being Muslim: Comparing Notes

[10 min]

[Learning Intentions 1,3]

Procedures:

1. Have students get into pairs and discuss what they recorded on Being Muslim: Comparing Customs. Note the similarities and differences. What did you learn? What did you find interesting?  (Optional) Open it up to a group discussion. 

2. Tell Students it’s time to explore more about the meaning of Maysa’s story on being Muslim and what her story can teach us. 

Demonstration: Even if You Aren’t Muslim! An Approach To Applying Maysa Kergaye’s Lessons To Our Own Lives

[25 min]

[Learning Intentions 1,2,3,4]

Procedures:

1. Ask Students: What did you learn from Maysa? Acknowledge all responses

2. Tell Students: We aren’t all Muslims but there is a lesson worth considering.  In a nutshell, Maysa says that by submitting (remember that the word Islam literally means ‘submission’ and the word Muslim literally means ‘one who submits’). Maysa is saying that in choosing to submit to God and follow Muslim beliefs and practices she feels liberated. Ironic? Isn’t it the opposite? Isn’t submission more associated with oppression? Let’s talk about what Maysa is teaching us in terms of starting points and boundaries. 

3. Tell Students: If we talk about Maysa’s story – a minority Muslim woman who finds home and community in Utah– in terms of starting points and boundaries we might be able to see how this relates to our own lives. As you may recall from the video, Maysa’s childhood was all over the place. But meeting her husband at 19-years-old and coming to Utah was a starting point for her.  It was a new beginning and a point of focus for her future. Now let’s talk about boundaries. For Maysa, among her boundaries, she faced geographical and cultural limitations being in Utah; and religious practices being Muslim. Being a Muslim woman in Utah involved challenge or struggle. With boundaries always comes struggle. And Muslims are the first to tell you that struggle is a requirement, not a curse. 

4. Every success requires struggle. You can’t be a good doctor, athlete, spouse, citizen, gardener, neighbor, artist, musician, dancer, video game player, without the struggle to get good at it. Muslims have a word for struggle.

5. Ask Students: What do you think of when you hear the word Jihad? Yes, this term is often used (many would say misused) in the media and associated with ‘holy’ war and violence. However, Jihad simply means struggle in Arabic.  Muslims talk about two types of Jihad: 

   • ‘Little Jihad’ which stands for external struggle and 

   • ‘Big Jihad’ which stands for INTERNAL STRUGGLE. 

Though we hear the word Jihad in the media associated with external struggle, Muslims prioritize the internal, focusing inward on self improvement, grounding themselves in order to better negotiate the external world. 

6. Maysa’s message has to do with adhering to starting points in order to move through the necessary struggle to push your boundaries and expand your horizons. Like being on a body of water in a sailboat and getting that wind in your sail to take you anywhere you want to go. Let’s look at a few examples:

   • MUSIC: Ask students what the starting point is in music, let's say on a piano. Middle C. And the boundary would be the rest of the notes on the keyboard (A-G). By adhering to this starting point and boundary, and with practice (Jihad) we can make beautiful music. Conversely, with no starting point or boundary or practice we are just banging aimlessly on the keyboard making a horrible racket.

   • LANGUAGE: At a young age we learn the alphabet to read and write. If our starting point is the letter ‘A’ and we submit to the boundary of ‘Z’ and with some Jihad, along comes speech, writing – letters, novels, essays and poetry! 

   • COMPUTERS: The basis of computer coding is a series of 1’s and 0’s. And not just in any order but rather in deliberate sequences of binary code. Think about where submitting to this starting point and the extremely tight boundaries of  1’s and O’s has taken us. Phones, Tablets, Computers, the internet…

   • ISLAMIC GEOMETRIC ART: (Show students a photo of a Mosque made of ceramic tiles- the interior of the Blue Mosque in Turkey is a good example ) Muslim places of community are called Mosques. Mosques and other architecture are often made of ceramic tiles in extremely sophisticated patterns requiring scientific and mathematical precision. All patterns are simply starting points and boundaries. 

7. Ask Students: What experience do you have when there are no boundaries? Why do you think parents give their kids curfews? Not to make their lives miserable but rather to make them better. Sleep is very important; staying out late often leads to trouble. What has happened in your life when you’ve crossed boundaries? (Eg. I ate too many cookies and felt really sick.) Sometimes you get lost and things feel reckless. (Note that pushing boundaries like summiting a mountain or opting for a vegan diet in face of people insisting you need meat is very different. This takes utmost submission to starting points and boundaries.)  With no starting points and boundaries we have no focus, we get lost, and we cannot grow and expand. 

8. Take a few minutes to think through something you are good at. Identify your starting point and boundaries you chose to submit to in order to excel. What are some starting points and boundaries to play football, do yoga, build a structure, or create art? Ask a few volunteers to share.

9. That is what Maysa and the beliefs and practices of Islam can teach us: that submission to certain boundaries with a good starting point and a little Jihad, ( ie. struggle/practice) is key to our personal growth and success in anything we want to accomplish. When Maysa wears her headscarf, and prays five times a day and fasts during Ramadan, she is submitting to boundaries which ultimately liberates her. 

Using Videography POV (Point of View) to Examine Starting Points and Boundaries 

[60 min in class total + homework assignment]

[Learning Intentions 1,2,3,4,5]

Procedures:

1. Among the starting points that everybody has, is the story you tell yourself about yourself. 

2. That is called a personal narrative. Let’s take a look at a few:

   1. I’m bad at math

   2. I’m always late

   3. I’m a jock

   4. I’m not good with technology

   5. I have a great voice

   6. I’m terrible with directions

   7. I have a way with words 

   8. I’m bad at remembering people’s names

3. This often goes unquestioned and we accept them as truths about who we are.  Here is the problem. These starting points can be restrictive and limiting when they go unexamined. Even the positive ones. 

4. Tell Students: Let’s practice this concept of examining starting points based on the 5 Pillars of Islam that Maysa presented to you in video Part 2. (Optional: Have students rewatch Part 2: Being Muslim: The Five Pillars of Islam.) Put students in groups of five. Pass out one 5 Pillars Handout to each student. Reference page 2 of the handout and read through these out loud to the class. 

i. Shahada (to profess) One professes their beliefs. 

ii. Salat (to pray) One converses with their higher power. 

iii. Zakat (to give charitably) One shares their time, talent, and treasure. 

iv. Sawm (to fast) One develops a deeper appreciation through abstinence.

v. Hajj (to go on a pilgrimage) One takes a purposeful journey.

5. Tell Students: The 5 Pillars we just read through are each represented as one word in each circle on page 1.  Starting with Pillar 1, tell students to jot down 3 words they associate with ‘to profess.’  There are no right or wrong answers. They just need to write down three words that ‘to profess’ makes them think of.  Repeat this exercise for the other 4 Pillars. Have groups take turns sharing the associated words they came up with for any 1 of the 5 Pillars with the class. 

6. Have groups choose two of the five Pillars that they will use for the arts integration  POV videos exercise.

7. Tell Students: Your homework is to use the 2 of the 5 Pillars your group selected from the handout and each create short videos representing them. Review the assignment instructions from page 2 of the handout with the class: 

8. Produce 3 short (15-30 second) videos total: 

Step 1: Choose a spot in your house where you will stand to film all 3 videos. We suggest a spot with objects around. This will be your ‘starting point.’ Mark your starting point with tape or something to ensure you can return to the exact same spot to film all 3 videos. 

Step 2: Video 1: Stand on your starting point, hold your phone or camera steady, and turn slowly on the spot as you shoot a 360 degree video. When you have done a complete 360 stop recording. 

Step 3: Video 2: The goal of this video is to visually represent one of the two Pillars your group chose from the handout.  Your 3 associated words serve as your boundaries and you are going to make a video that represents these 3 associated words.  To prepare, stand on your starting point and slowly turn on spot and decide what objects in the room would best represent each of  the three words. For example, if one of your words is “empty” you might film a window or empty cup. Be creative!  Once you know how you want to represent the three words in your film, you can begin filming (never moving from your starting point but rather turning in place as you capture all three objects in this one video). It is up to you whether you zoom in, how long you linger on any object, etc. *Feel free to do as many takes as you would like, until you are happy with it. 

Step 4: Video 3: Repeat Step 3 for your second Pillar choice. 

Step 5: Watch all three videos. Compare the first video you took (capturing a 360 degree view of the room) to the next two videos. They were all taken from the same starting point but each video had different boundaries. How does the first video compare to the other two? Be prepared to present your videos and ideas to the class. 

9. Ask Students: Now that you have all completed the exercise, I would like you to get back in your groups and take turns playing your three videos for your peers. Have students discuss the following:

   1. The differences and similarities of how each of you visually represented the two Pillars. 

   2. The impact of the starting point to the video (Though we had a starting point, and we could film from there, it wasn’t enough. We got started but we needed more direction (boundaries) to add point of view.) 

   3. The impact of the boundaries to the video (The 360 degree video had no boundaries and therefore meaningless. It didn’t tell us anything. There was no distinct message or story. The associated words for the next two videos acted as the Director and these videos therefore had a message and told a story.) 

10. Tell Students: We have learned that it  is important to pay attention to your starting points and boundaries. Choosing a starting point is essential to how the video of your life– your narrative– plays out. This film activity showed you that no matter where you choose your starting point, you can make it work. The important thing is to choose one and just get started. Choosing boundaries is also essential to how the video of your life turns out. We might all choose different boundaries as we saw in the exercise: your group members all had the same associated words but each of you had different starting points and so the path you took was unique to each of you. But for all of you, with a starting point and boundaries, your film conveyed a story; it had meaning. We saw this too in Maysa’s life: how choosing starting points and boundaries in her life have been meaningful and liberating. 

11. One last thing. What was the question I asked you to remind me to revisit at the end of this Unit? What is the purpose of religion? Anyone want to try to answer it now that we have completed the Unit and studied the meaning in Maysa’s story? Acknowledge Answers. Many people seek out religion all over the world. One of the things we learned from Maysa and studying Islam and Muslims is that religion gives us starting points and boundaries. In other words, it gives us structure – a framework to live by and many people want that and find it very liberating. This of course is not the only purpose of religion, but it is one to consider.  

Invite students to “dig deeper” on these topics by providing additional options for research and reflection about being Muslim, the importance of getting to know our Muslim neighbors, and what other faiths and cultures can teach us. 

Try-it-Out: Learning about others and understanding more about who they are and what they identify with is a great pathway to truly appreciating and benefiting from diversity. Try taking the time to learn about the grocer on the corner, or the restaurant owner in your neighborhood.  Those relationships will always be yours to cherish and a good counterweight to the stereotypes bombarding you from all directions. Try it out. 

Books

My Dream of Stars: From Daughter of Iran to Space Pioneer  by Anousheh Ansari 

No God But God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam by Reza Aslan

Books for Teens

All American Muslim Girl by Nadine Jolie Courtney. Nadine Jolie Courtney's All-American Muslim Girl is a relevant, relatable story of being caught between two worlds, and the struggles and hard-won joys of finding your place.

The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan. The tale of a simple act of faith between two young people, one Israeli and one Palestinian, that symbolizes the hope for peace in the Middle East – with an updated afterword by the author.

Smart Teenage Muslimah: An Inspirational Guide for Muslim Girls by Farhat Amin. 

Lesson Plans

Islamic Art Lessons: Arabic Ceramic Tiles- ESL and Spanish teacher, 5 bilingual and multicultural kids, sharing ideas to teach kids about world cultures and our planet through travel, food, music, celebrations, service, maps, art, and projects.

Art Class Curator: Calligraphy Art- Activities to understand another culture and religion

Articles 

Nation of Islam- Since its founding in 1930, the Nation of Islam (NOI) has been notorious for its antisemitism, homophobia, and anti-white bigotry… read more.

Websites

Islamic Society of North America- their mission is to foster the development of the Muslim community, interfaith relations, civic engagement, and better understanding of Islam.

Videos

Malala Fund YouTube Channel Featuring Amanda Gorman

The Medieval Islamicate World: Crash Course History of Science (13 min) Islamicate scholars—meaning people influenced by Islamic civilization, regardless of their religious views—gave us terms such as “algebra,” “azimuth,” “algorithm,” “alcohol,” “alkali,” and “alembic.”