Abrahamic Religions Similarities Activity
Participants will read 14 passages and decide whether they are from the Islamic holy book (Quran) or the Christian holy book (Bible). After learning the actual source, and thus observing the similarities between the two holy books, participants should better understand that perceived group threat can affect how they interpret information.
Objective
The objective of this activity is to examine how perceived threat and ingroup bias lead to stereotypic beliefs about Muslims and Christians.
Estimated Time
20 minutes
Group Size
This activity works well with groups of all sizes. For larger groups, break participants into groups of 5-8 to promote a more active discussion. After the small group discussion, the facilitator can lead discussion with the whole group.
Instructions
Participants should individually complete Handout 1 which consists of passages from both the Islamic holy book (Quran) and the Christian holy book (Bible). The passages are worded in such a way that it should be unclear as to what book they were taken from (i.e., "Allah" will be replaced with the universal term "God"). Participants will indicate what religion they believe the passage came from by either writing an "I" for Islam, or a "C" for Christian. They will then evaluate the passage using a 5-point scale ranging from extremely negative (1) to extremely positive (5). After these ratings are completed, the instructor can show which passages belonged to which religious book (see Handout 2). The participants will then move into groups and answer the discussion questions.
