Web Sources on the Middle East & Islam
FOR K-14 TEACHERS
Middle East Outreach Council (MEOC)
MEOC is a national network of educators dedicated to disseminating apolitical and nonpartisan information, resources and activities furthering understanding about the Middle East, including the Arab world, Israel, Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan. MEOC’s target audience is non-specialists at the K-12 and college levels, although its services are also relevant to broader community needs. We have members around the country. Our services include the Middle East Book Award, and annual travel award for members to attend our annual meeting and workshop, and a member forum.
The purpose of TeachMideast is to provide free and accessible, high-quality information and resources to enable K-14 educators to teach about the Middle East in social studies and introductory area studies classes. We aim to do this through presentations and workshops for students, educators, and other civic leaders. Our core tool is this website, which uses digital media resources to reach users in a globally-connected society. Working in conjunction with Title VI university outreach centers, scholars, area specialists, and teachers themselves, TeachMideast provides tools and support to better inform students about the Middle East and Muslim world today so they are adequately equipped to handle difficult policy decisions in the future.
The Dar al Islam Teachers' Institutes, Abiquiu, New Mexico. The two-week residential Institutes cover Islam from a normative perspective. Using primary texts and classical interpretations, university professors and Islamic scholars cover in depth and breadth Islamic faith & practice, history, culture and civilization, contemporary issues and world-view of Islam, and existing resources & curriculum for social studies, religion or world history classes. Participants, faculty, and staff benefit from living together during the program because it provides the opportunity to 1) have informal conversations with one another outside of the classroom; and 2) observe the lived Islam of faculty and staff, most of whom are Muslims.
Qatar Foundation International
Through its grants to educators, institutions, and students, Qatar Foundation International (QFI) is committed to providing K-12 students in Qatar, the Americas, and the United Kingdom (UK) with the intellectual, communicative, and cultural competencies that will enable them to be engaged global citizens. Here's the link to its grants management portal: https://qfi.fluidreview.com.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Middle East Studies Association (MESA)
The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) is a non-profit association that fosters the study of the Middle East, promotes high standards of scholarship and teaching, and encourages public understanding of the region and its peoples through programs, publications and services that enhance education, further intellectual exchange, recognize professional distinction, and defend academic freedom in accordance with its status as a 501(c)(3) scientific, educational, literary, and charitable organization.
The National Council of U.S.-Arab Relations
Founded in 1983, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations is an American non-profit, non-governmental, educational organization dedicated to improving American awareness, knowledge, and understanding of the Arab countries, the Mideast, and the Islamic world. Its means for doing so encompass but are not limited to programs for leadership development, people-to-people exchanges, lectures, publications, an annual Arab-U.S. policymakers conference, and the participation of American students and faculty in Arab world study experiences. As a public service, the Council also serves as an information clearinghouse and participant in national, state, and local grassroots outreach to media, think tanks, and select community, civic, educational, business, and professional associations. In these ways the Council helps strengthen and expand the overall Arab-U.S. relationship.
University Platform for Research on Islam in Europe and Lebanon (PLURIEL)
PLURIEL has been initiated by the Federation of the Catholic Universities in Europe and Lebanon (FUCE). It aims to promote the link between researchers on Islam and the Muslim-Christian dialogue, in connection with Eastern Christians, and to foster the interaction between academics, social actors and economic organisations. The aim is also to open up research fields on Islam and to develop methodological tools to avoid cultural misunderstandings. The electronic platform is the virtual showcase of all research groups. It informs about the latest news, publications, and events including lectures, workshops, symposia and international conferences. It also offers electronic resources: videos, articles, etc.
This year (2022) marks the Middle East Institute’s 75th anniversary. As a leading American organization focused on the Middle East, MEI is leveraging its history and legacy by launching MEI@75, a three-year campaign to deepen and expand our work towards building the US-Middle East relationship.
ISLAM
General Sites
IslamiCity was launched in February 1995. We provide a non-sectarian, comprehensive and holistic view of Islam and Muslims. We cultivate peace, inspire action, explore positive solutions and encourage purposeful living through the universal teachings of Islam.
The International Institute for Islamic Thought (IIIT)
The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) is a center of excellence in educational research and Islamic thought whose main interest is on carrying out evidence-based research in advancing education in Muslim Societies and the dissemination of this research through publication and translation, teaching, policy recommendations, and strategic engagements. The Institute was established as a non-profit 501(c)(3) non-denominational organization in the United States of America in 1981. The headquarters are in Herndon, Virginia, in the suburbs of Washington DC.
Center for Islam in the Contemporary World
Center for Islam in the Contemporary World (CICW) at Shenandoah University is an independent, privately funded, academic center engaged in research, teaching, training, and outreach on issues related to Islam and Muslims in contemporary contexts. CICW utilizes inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary approaches from diverse academic specializations. It engages in inter-faith education and outreach, connecting Shenandoah University to local, national, and global Muslim communities.
Ahlulbayt Organization (Shi'ism)
Ahlulbayt Organization (www.shia.es), a registered Non-Profit Organisation that operates through the collaborative effort of volunteers based in many countries around the world. The objectives are to digitize and present on the Internet quality Islamic shia resources, related to the history, law, practice, and society of the Islamic religion and the Muslim people, with particular emphasis on Twelver Shia Islamic school of thought.
The official website of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Established since 1995, the website serves as the online central hub for the community with educational and training material in the form of books, articles, apps, and multimedia content.
Official website of the Ismaili (Nizari) community.
The Bohra Community, though small, has certain special features, which have enabled it to carve out a name for itself in the life of the nation. Its strong religious roots, its compact social order, its sharp eye for business, its powerful code of conduct, and its sturdy discipline are mainly responsible for its flourishing condition and growing importance.
The Institute of Ismaili Studies was established in 1977 with the object of promoting scholarship and learning of Muslim cultures and societies, historical as well as contemporary, and a better understanding of their relationship with other societies and faiths. The Institute’s programs encourage a perspective that is not confined to the theological and religious heritage of Islam, but seeks to explore the relationship of religious ideas to broader dimensions of society and culture. Within the Islamic tradition, the Institute’s programs seek to promote research on those areas which have had relatively little attention devoted to them in scholarship to date. These include the intellectual and literary expressions of Shi'ism in general, and Ismailism in particular.Muslim Religious Texts
Unfortunately the University of Southern California-Muslim Student Association (USC-MSA) “Compendium of Muslim Texts” website closed several years ago. The project was taken over by the Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement, but they have had technical problems and the full texts are no longer accessible on their site.
Muslim Religious Texts
QuranX includes translations of the Quran, Commentaries (Tafsir), Hadith, including what was on the USC-MSA Compendium, but it is very difficult to use.
QuranicAudio.com is the largest collection of cd quality Quran recitations on the internet. Mp3s on this site may be downloaded and used for personal use free of charge. However, you may not use these files for commercial purposes as many of these files have rules and regulations that prevent their sale except by the publishing companies. Includes English translation.
The goal of this website is to provide the first online, authentic, searchable, and multilingual (English/Arabic at the individual hadith level) database of collections of hadith from our beloved Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.
Ahl al-Bayt (Shi’ite) Digital Islamic Library
Ahl al-Bayt (Shi’ite) digital Islamic library project with English translations of Shi’ite hadith and other primary sources.
MIDDLE EAST GENERAL
Pars Times is a non-profit, non-partisan and totally independent website. It's mainly targeted for researchers, scholars and investors. The site aims at providing comprehensive information pertaining to Iran and the Middle East.The goal of the general webguide is to give the public easy access to the best sites on the web. It is a gateway to a variety of free resources available on the internet.
Founded in 1949, AramcoWorld seeks to increase cross-cultural understanding by broadening knowledge of the histories, cultures and geography of the Arab and Muslim worlds and their global interconnections, past and present. It is published on this site and available in tablet and mobile editions using the AramcoWorld app. Back issues from 1960 are searchable, and texts are available in full; photographs from archival articles are online from 2004 to the present.
A series of 5 articles on the history and styles of Arabic calligraphy.
Arabic Calligraphy Services was first established in 1999 as a world leader in the field of Arabic Calligraphy – Providing individuals and corporations alike with an artistic, high resolution, relevant and enjoyable Arabic Calligraphy Styles. Our mission is to promote our customers’ awareness for Arabic designs, and to drive their appreciation for cultural diversity through the practice of Arabic calligraphy and Islamic designs. That is why we also provide a series of workshops and courses in Arabic Calligraphy.
Arab America is a national media organization founded with the purpose of promoting an accurate image of the Arab American community and the Arab world.