Muslims in Our Community and Around the World, Grade 2 The purpose of the unit is to cultivate an understanding that Muslims everywhere practice Islam in similar ways, and that they need communities to help them follow Islam. Beginning with a description of a Muslim home, the unit is developed beyond the home to the activities carried on by Muslim individuals outside the home, including serv1ce to the larger com· munity and participation in the Muslim community through the masjid. Muslim countries and transplanted or indigenous Muslim communities in non-Muslim countries are described, and the links which unite them are explored on the levels of religious duty, customs and co- operation. A brief introduction to the geography of Muslim countries [s given. Corollary to an understanding that Muslims need communities is the concept that Muslims bear the responsibility to develop their community. The lessons show how Muslims work together to make sure that it provides those services which are a port of compliance with Islamic law (Shari'ah). Finally, the lessons in this unit are intended to foster a sense of identity for children living in non-Muslim communities. It is inJended to show that the "different· ness" of the Muslim from his surroundings goes beyond custom and taste. The central fad of the Muslim commu:-iity's identity is its adherence to Islam. Susan Douglass has an M.A. in Arab Studies from the Georgetown University Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, and a B.A. in History from the University of Rochester. She is a doctoral candidate in world history at George Mason University. During 2006, she served as Senior Researcher for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations initiative, and served as an Affiliated Scholar with the Council on Islamic Education for a decade. Major publications include World Eras: Rise and Spread of Islam, 622-1500 (Thompson/Gale, 2002), teaching resources for the Council on Islamic Education and the National Center for History in t…