Inspiring RE: Muslims

This opening book in the series focuses on Muslims, looking at what being a Muslim really means to some of the approximately 2.8 million Muslims living in Britain today. Our new section ‘Ready Steady RE’ suggests some starters for teaching about Muslims and the religion of Islam. For our youngest children we look at prayer mats and the key celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr. The key concept of Ibadah - both worship and any action that is performed with the intention of obeying Allah - is the focus for 9 - 11s. Our final units focus on different aspects of sacred text, including the amazing story of the ‘Birmingham Qur’an’. Discovered in 2013, it is a manuscript of four truly ancient pages of the Qur’an, dating from the earliest decades of the Muslim religion and now given pride of place in Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

For 9 - 11s there is a focus on Hadith related to both women and education, and they can also find out about the lives of certain Muslim women. The unit provides a mystery strategy on the life of educational activist Malala Yousafzai.

This new series of nine curriculum books, Inspiring RE, was planned by a group of primary RE subject leaders. It is designed to be a series for classroom teachers and subject leaders to help them improve the teaching of RE in their classroom and across the school, and to improve pupils’ subject knowledge as well as their own. The publication aims to be considered, insightful, practical as well as engaging and encouraging.