American Muslims are one of the most diverse religious communities in the US, with views that may surprise you. How well do you know this community? Though studies show that Muslims receive far more media coverage for the same negative behavior as others, the story that seldom makes the news are the contributions Muslims make to American prosperity and innovation. Most Americans want to live in a country where no one is targeted for their religion. Gaining a balanced and accurate understanding of Muslims in America is therefore important because Islamophobia is a tool of public manipulation, threatening not only a vulnerable religious minority, but democracy itself. Islamophobia is a threat to all.

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The complex geometry of Islamic design
In Islamic culture, geometric design is everywhere: you can find it in mosques, madrasas, palaces, and private homes. And despite the remarkable complexity of these designs, they can be created with just a compass to draw circles and a ruler to make lines within them. Eric Broug covers the basics of geometric Islamic design.

The five major world religions
It's perfectly human to grapple with questions, like ‘Where do we come from?’ and ‘How do I live a life of meaning?’ These existential questions are central to the five major world religions -- and that’s not all that connects these faiths. John Bellaimey explains the intertwined histories and cultures of Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam.

On reading the Koran
Lesley Hazleton sat down one day to read the Koran. And what she found -- as a non-Muslim, a self-identified "tourist" in the Islamic holy book -- wasn't what she expected. With serious scholarship and warm humor, Hazleton shares the grace, flexibility and mystery she found, in this myth-debunking talk. (Filmed atTEDxRainier.)

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