The Sacrifice Mini Course
The Biblical and Qur'anic Story of Abraham's Sacrifice and Its Relevancy Today
In this course, we will examine the concept of "sacrifice" through the Story of Abraham's/Ibrahim's attempted sacrifice of his son. We will start by looking at the Story in the Bible and the Qur'an and then how it manifests itself in art, history and politics. Special attention will be paid to how the Story remains relevant today and how a greater understanding of "sacrifice" can help deepen one's relationship with others.
Your Instructor
Dr. Younus Y. Mirza is a Visiting Researcher at Georgetown University and Director of the Barzinji Project at Shenandoah University which seeks to enhance America’s relationship with Muslim-majority countries. He defended his dissertation in Arabic and Islamic Studies from Georgetown University and has taught at Millsaps and Allegheny Colleges. His current research focuses on the relationship between the Bible and the Qur’an and the shared stories between them. He is a co-author of the book The Bible and the Qur’an: Biblical Figures in the Islamic Tradition and has published in various journals such as the Journal of the American Academy of Religion (JAAR), the Journal of Qur’anic Studies (JQS) and Islam Christian-Muslim Relations (ICMR). He teaches courses on the Qur’an, Islamic Movements, Biblical and Qur’anic Prophets, Marriage and Sexuality in Islam, Islam in America, and Islam and Other Religions. To learn more about the origins of his interest in Biblical and Qur'anic figures read his blog post "What's in a Name?".