ABSTRACT
In dealing with this subject I will draw primarily on my experience teaching about Islam within the framework of religious studies for more than 25 years, first in the United States and then for a longer period in New Zealand. (I have done research in the field for some 40 years but I shall not refer directly to this even though it has informed my teaching.) In particular the focus will be on what I was doing as a teacher, that is, what I think I was doing and why I was doing it, as well as what I might have done or wish I had. Briefly stated, my primary aim has been to give my students as accurate and empathetic an understanding of Islam as I can (and as they are capable of receiving). This seems a fairly straightforward statement, but “Islam”, “accurate” and “empathetic” all need unpacking.
