Transcript Islam ppt

ISLAM
Location and Population
• Over 1 billion Muslims living
mostly in Southwest Asia and
Northern Africa. The religion
is Islam, people who practice
it are Muslims.
• The main ethnic group in SW
Asia is Arab, and most Arabs
are Muslim.
• Most Muslims, however, are
not Arab (only 25% of the
world’s Muslim population);
Indonesia has the largest
Muslim population, then
Pakistan and India.
The Islamic World
So, these are the
countries with
the highest % of
Muslims
But the majority of Muslims
live in Asia
(Indonesia,India, Pakistan,
and Bangladesh)
Maps like this can be misleading, since they show the
percentage of the population that is Muslim. For
example, Saudi Arabia is almost 100% Muslim, so
its Muslim population is about 24 million. India’s
Islamic population is only about 14% of the country
(not enough to even show up on the above map), but
considering India’s population of over one billion, that
means roughly 155 million Muslims live there).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:World_Muslim_Population_Pew_Forum.png
Think of it like a Venn diagram:
Most Arabs
are Muslim
But most Muslims
are not Arab
Some Arabs are
Christian, etc.
Why study Islam with SW Asia?
- because that is where it began and is most common
Background
•Muslims, like Jews and Christians, trace
their history back to Abraham. Muslims
believe that Jews are descendents of
Abraham’s son Isaac, while Muslims are
descendants of Ishmael.
• Ishmael and his mother were sent
into the desert, but God showed them
a spring. Abraham built a temple
there where he set a black stone
called the Ka’aba.
•This temple would later be part of
the polytheistic worship of local
Arabian tribes, and the city
surrounding it, Mecca, became a major
center of trade in Arabia.
Abraham’s Genealogy
HAGAR
ABRAHAM
Ishmael
12 Arabian
Tribes
SARAH
Isaac
Jacob
12 Tribes of
Israel
Esau
Muhammad
• Muhammad (570-632CE) is
Heraa Cave where Gabriel regarded as the founder of
came to the prophet.
Islam, though he is seen as a
prophet, not a divine person.
• Muslims believe Muhammad
received revelations from the
angel Gabriel beginning in 610
CE
• Muhammad was upset with
the polytheistic worship of
the Arabs, and saw the
messages he received as a
continuation of prophecy of
monotheistic faiths such as
Judaism and Christianity.
Muhammad the Prophet
• In Islam,
Muhammad is
considered the
last of the
prophets which
include: Adam,
Moses, Abraham,
John the Baptist,
and Jesus.
Muhammad in Arabic
•
•
When some Meccans did not
believe he was a prophet,
Muhammad and his followers
fled from Mecca to Yathrib,
later called Medina (“the
City of the Prophet”) in
622CE.
This migration, known as the
Hijra, is seen as such a
turning point in Islam that it
marks the year 1 in the
Islamic Calendar
(622 CE = 1 AH) .
• In Medina, Muhammad was accepted and ruled as a
religious and secular leader. Eventually, he and his
followers returned to Mecca and established it as the
center of Islam by destroying the tribal gods contained at
the Ka’aba.
Scriptures
• The holy book is the
Koran, or Qur’an. It
contains large portions of
the Old and New
Testaments.
• Like most religious texts,
the Qur’an has some
ambiguity. To clarify
some questions of faith,
followers read the
Hadith and look at
examples from the life
of Muhammad . (using
former court cases)
Beliefs
• Muslims, like Jews and Christians are
monotheistic. The Arabic word for God is Allah.
Muslims believe that when Muslims, Christians
and Jews speak of God, they are speaking of
the same entity: the God of Abraham.
• An infidel is one that does not believe in the
same God, and they will not have the same
rights in strict Islamic societies.
• Jihad is usually translated as “holy war.” It
actually means a struggle, for faith or against
an enemy. Starting war is not supported in the
Qur’an, and one translation of Islam is “peace.”
1. Profession of Faith Shahada
• The basic beliefs of
Islam are found in
the FIVE PILLARS
OF FAITH:
• Profession of faith:
There is no God but
Allah, and
Muhammad
(founder) is his
prophet.
2. Prayer – Salat or Salah
• Five times a day:
dawn, noon, afternoon,
sunset, before bed.
• Must face Mecca,
wash before prayer,
and use a prayer rug.
• Pray in the mosque on
Friday, the holy day.
3. Zakat
• Almsgiving, or
Zakat, is a %
donation of wealth
given annually by all
Muslims.
• Charity is
mandatory for
those who can
afford it.
4. Ramadan – The Sawm
• 'He who fasts during
Ramadan with faith and
seeks his reward from
Allah will have his past
sins forgiven; he who
prays during the night in
Ramadan with faith and
seeks his reward from
Allah will have his past
sins forgiven;
• Fasting during the
daylight hours during
the 9th month of the
Islamic calendar:
Ramadan.
• All adults who are
physically able
abstain from
anything entering the
body.
5. Hajj - Pilgrimage
• All Muslim men, and
women if they may be
escorted, are obligated
to make the pilgrimage
to Mecca once in their
lifetimes.
• It is divided into 4
parts over 12 days,
and the most well
known element is the
ceremonial circling of
the Ka’aba stone.
Practices
• Practices vary
depending on how
fundamentalist or
secular the state is.
• For example, strict
societies forbid the
representation of
humans or animal
figures in Islamic
art.
In place of representation of
humans/animals, Islamic art
often contains beautiful
calligraphy and geometric
patterns
Clean and Unclean - Halal
• The code of conduct
divides food into
categories of clean and
unclean.
• Alcohol is forbidden
(haram) in almost all
divisions; drunkenness in
others .
• The dietary laws of Islam
are quite similar to those
of the Jews, and they
forbid eating blood, pork,
animals found dead, and
food sacrificed or
offered to idols.
Some Muslims travel to
farms to kill the animals
themselves to insure it is
done according to Halal.
Women in Islam
• The rights of women in
Islam vary depending on
the strictness of the
govt. and culture.
• For example, Turkey is a
secular country –
separation of mosque and
state. Women here have
extensive rights. Saudi
Arabia is a strict
theocracy/monarchy and
women are limited – the
veil and robe are
mandatory, for example.
Divisions of the Faith
• Around 660 CE, the Muslim community
was split along political lines over who
should be the caliph, or successor to
Muhammad. The first 3 caliphs were
related to Muhammad and elected, but
the line was broken.
• One group wanted the
closest relative – his
son-in-law and cousin Ali.
The other felt the
caliph should be elected
from the faithful.
Sects
• SUNNI – 80- 90% of
Muslims - they
wanted an elected
caliph.
• SHI’A - Followers of
Ali who believed the
caliph should be a
direct descendent of
Muhammad (Iran and
Iraq)
Problems Today
• The city of Jerusalem is
considered sacred to all
three religions, and many
Muslims are upset that it
is currently under the
control of the Israelis.
Terrorism
• Terrorism has been
increasing among extremist
groups, but moderate
Muslims condemn these
acts.
• Groups such as Hamas and
Al Qaeda commit acts
against Israelis and western
powers. In Israel, suicide
bombers are common.
• Debate between those who
support such acts and those
who condemn them are
causing a split among
Muslims.
•Sectarian violence
(Sunni and Shia) in
Iraq threatens the
fragile democracy
there.
Within the United States