Author: Clara Moore

At first, I struggled to understand how our class related to what I was doing when volunteering at the IPS Newcomer Program. I did not interact with any Chinese students, nor did we have discussions about faith or Islam. When I stepped back to reflect on the semester, I think that the relationship is much… Continue reading Final Thoughts – ICR

After a week off for Thanksgiving break, the kids were excited to see me today, which was such a great feeling. Today in math, we talked about plotting points on a graph. They were given a sheet of graph paper and a list of coordinates to plot. They had to connect the coordinates in order… Continue reading ICR 12/1

I had an awesome experience at the Newcomer Program today. In math, we talked about dividing, subtracting, and multiplying decimals – which is something I hadn’t done in quite awhile. I walked around and helped the kids work on a worksheet. In art, the kids took an exam. It seemed to be difficult despite how… Continue reading ICR 11/17

The beginning of this chapter presents an interesting issue considering refugees. The author talks about how he is returning to Iran and encounters an airport agent who is the same age when he arrives. There is a moment of awkwardness when the agent asks what his point of origin is, to which he replies “America.”… Continue reading Cairo House Chapter 10

This reading talks about the relationship between Islam and society. In my understanding, the author is claiming that Islam and society are one in the same. The practice of Islam applies to all facets of life and is not only for the religious sphere. Instead, Islam is universal. It can apply to everyone equally and… Continue reading Social Justice in Islam

This was an important section of poems to read. One that stuck out to me in particular was #14, “Two hands, two feet, two eyes, good, as it should be, but no separation of the Friend and your loving. Any dividing there makes other untrue distinctions like “Jew,” and “Christian,” and “Muslim.” The most important… Continue reading Poetry of Rumi

I thought this reading was interesting and has a lot of different sentiments. One of the articles that sounded familiar to sayings we use today was #3, “what reaches you could not possibly have missed you; and what misses you could not possibly have reached you.” This is similar to many modern sayings. I often… Continue reading The Fiqh Akbar I

This was one of the best visits I have had to the IPS Newcomer Program. In math, the kids took a test. This was the first time I have been able to witness an exam in person since volunteering at the school. Most of the time, I observe the kids working together – not separately.… Continue reading ICR 11/10

One of the things we talked about in class today was why the Islamic religion is perceived as being so strict. I think that one of the things that points to this is the rigidity of the requirements and what people think the punishments are for breaking them. The Muslim religion requires scheduled prayers, fasting,… Continue reading 11/4

One of the themes I have noticed throughout this unit are the similarities between Islam and Christianity. This is especially true with the Five Pillars in today’s reading. I found a variety of parallels between these and many of the rules in my religion, Catholicism. The first pillar, Shahadah, is declaring a belief in Allah.… Continue reading Five Pillars