The History of Islam

Islam is the second largest religion in the world with over 1.9 billion practicing Muslims around the world. Gain insight into it's vibrant history!

We will travel through the major events from the birth of Islam in the Mecca and Medina of the  7^th-century C.E., to the blossoming of Islamic civilization and empire in areas as diverse as Andalucia, Africa,  Turkey, Iran, and South and South East Asia, to Islam as a global faith on every continent. Our focus will be the spread and growth of Islam as a major world religion that has not only a political history but a rich intellectual and spiritual history as well!

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Colleen Keyes holds a B.A. in Psychology and Spanish from Clark University, an M.A. in Multicultural Education/TESOL from Fairfield University, an M.A. in Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations from Hartford Seminary; and a Ph.D. from the Department of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, UK.  Dr. Keyes has been an educator since 1974 in diverse school and university settings here and abroad. She served as chief academic officer at Tunxis Community College and Zaytuna College between 2001 and 2016. Currently, Dr. Keyes teaches English, works with local refugee assistance groups, and is a member of the boards of directors of Council on Islamic-American Relations (CAIR)-CT and the Muslim Coalition of CT. Devoted to interreligious and intercultural understanding, social justice, and human rights for over 4 decades, Dr. Keyes is a member of the CT Council for Interreligious Understanding.