A simple guide to Islam

Islam is the religion of people called Muslims. Muslims believe that someone is more important than themselves and they obey them. Muslims believe this person is God, whom they call Allah. Muslims believe that there is one God and he is eternal.

Islam – Key Terms Islam mean ‘voluntary submission to God’ A Muslim, therefore, is ‘one who submits to God’ Allah means God in Arabic. Allah is the same God that Christians and Jews believe in. Mohammad (and his followers) rejected polytheism

Beginnings Muhammad ( ) – Not the ‘creator’ of Islam – a prophet or messenger of God – Qur’an revealed to Muhammad – A great general who united the tribes of Arabia – Seen as the last in a line of prophets, including Abraham, Moses and Jesus

Spread of Islam After Muhammad’s death, Islam spread (mostly into Persian territory) across the Middle East and North Africa Caliphs were the head of Islam. Following political differences and assassinations, there was a schism within Islam in the mid 7 th century

There are over 1.2 billion Muslims in the world today, living in almost every country in the world. About 3 million Muslims live in the USA, about 1.5 million live in Britain, and about 220,000 live in Australia In most of the countries in northern Africa and the Middle East, over half of the population are Muslims. In Europe, Islam is the second largest religion after Christianity.

Muslims believe that these messages were the words of Allah and can never be changed. They were collected together to form the Muslims’ holy book which is called the Qur’an.

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What are the main practices? They are called the “five pillars of Islam”.

1.Say the Shahada throughout the day. Declaration there is only One God!

2. Pray five times daily, facing Mecca. Each prayer begins with a recitation of the opening chapter from the Qur’an Prayers must wash in the prescribed way before they pray. Prayers are formal and memorized and prayed in various postures, from bowing to kneeling. The word mosque means “place of prostration.”

“In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate Praise belongs to God, the Lord of all Being, the All-merciful, the All-compassionate, the Master of the Day of Doom. Thee only we serve; to Thee alone we pray for succour. Guide us in the straight path, the path of those whom Thou hast blessed, not of those against whom Thou art wrathful, nor of those who are astray.”

Muslims pray in a place called a Mosque. Muslim take off their shoes before they enter the mosque. Muslims then perform wudu, washing to make themselves fit for prayer. In the entrance of the mosque there is a row of clocks to inform them of the prayer times for the day.

The main room of the mosque There is no furniture Decorated in Arabic text. Never any pictures Usually covered in carpet May have a large single dome on the roof or one or more smaller ones

This is called the Prayer Hall Muslims pray in this room at prayer times Muslims pray facing in the direction of Mecca Muslims may use prayer mats Muslims prayers involve standing, bowing and kneeling

3. Alms: Muslims are required to give 2.5% of their income to the poor.

4. Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) - Every able bodied Muslim must make this pilgrimage once. Activities during hajj re-enact important events in life of Muhammad Sigh.

5. Sawm: fasting and self-control during the blessed month of Ramadan

Allah. – The Muslim God Qur’an.- Muslim holy book Mosque.- Place of worship Wudu – the wash before prayer Mihrad – Alcove or arch in prayer hall Minbar – platform or stairs where the prayer leader preaches qiblah – direction of Mekkah Mekkah – can be known as Mecca. A place in Saudi Arabia Imam – Muslin leader or teacher Useful words

Some contemporary issues: Islamic State Caliphate, a disputed concept, no longer has a hold over all Muslims

Jihad – Unofficial… Jihad is considered to be an unofficial pillar of Islam by some Muslims Jihad translates as ‘holy struggle’ – this is not the same as ‘holy war’ Some see Jihad as an act of war, but to many (if not most Muslims), the ultimate struggle is with one’s self (living a ‘good’ life)

Roger Du Pasquier (Swiss Journalist) “The West, whether Christian or dechristianised, has never really known Islam. Ever since they watched it appear on the world stage, Christians never ceased to insult and slander it in order to find justification for waging war on it. It has been subjected to grotesque distortions the traces of which still endure in the European mind. Even today there are many Westerners for whom Islam can be reduced to three ideas: fanaticism, fatalism and polygamy. Of course, there does exist a more cultivated public whose ideas about Islam are less deformed; there are still precious few who know that the word islam signifies nothing other than ‘submission to God’. One symptom of this ignorance is the fact that in the imagination of most Europeans, Allah refers to the divinity of the Muslims, not the God of the Christians and Jews; they are all surprised to hear, when one takes the trouble to explain things to them, that ‘Allah’ means ‘God’, and that even Arab Christians know him by no other name.” How do you feel about this statement? Do you agree? Disagree? Can you see evidence in the world around you to support this idea? Discuss with a partner.

Islam and the West The term Islam has many connotations in Western society today Important to distinguish between Muslims and Arabs – the three most populous Muslim countries are actually in South East Asia Important to differentiate between religion, culture and ideology

Discuss What do you think is it about ‘The West’ that some Muslim fundamentalists hate?

Sufism Dating from the thirteenth century, the Sema ritual performed by the Semezens from the Mevlevi Order of Whirling Dervishes is a UNESCO Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Terrorism Muslims do not hate the West because we are predominantly Christian (remember, we believe in the same God) – Some are opposed to atheism or secularism Most of the issues which lead to acts of terrorism are political, not religious

Terrorism Some reasons for acts of violence against the West include: – Cultural imperialism – Military presence in Middle East – Eye for an eye/Retaliation to violence, sanctions, etc

Blowback Term coined by the CIA in the 1950s – refers to the unintended consequences of intelligence operations – Eg. US supplies arms to bin Laden for years so that he can fight the Soviets in Afghanistan. He uses these weapons and the people that he has recruited to then attack the West

Blowback There are reasons for each act of terrorism You don’t have to agree with these reasons, but you have to acknowledge that, for many, they are real and important

Islamism Islamism is a radical form of Islam that combines religious teaching with political ideology Has been used to encourage individuals to commit violent acts under the pretense of religion, when really, they are political acts

Stereotypes Your job is to separate the religious from the political, and to ensure that you are not forming opinions of a religion based on the actions of a radical few.

Charlie Hedbo Cartoon – Disrespectful? hebdo-editor-caricature/

Islamophobia Muslim schoolgirl's passionate speech about Islamophobia goes viral after bullies 'blame sister for Paris attacks'

30 Days in the life of a Muslim

The case of the Yazidis and ISIS Newspaper Article Dabiq – ISIS Propaganda Magazine Dabiq

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