Transcript Muslim World

Muslim World
Chapter 11
The Arabian Peninsula
• Geography
• Farming limited in Arabia
• Commerce lively
– Trade routes converged at
Arabian Peninsula
– Ideas as well as
merchandise exchanged
– Trade-dependent towns
rose near coasts
• Mecca, near Red Sea,
most important of coastal
towns
• Religious purpose
• The Kaaba, at heart of
Mecca
• Site drew religious pilgrims
• One god considered
supreme: Allah
Islam
• monotheistic
• Prophet Muhammad said to have heard the
calling of God
• journey from Mecca to Medina
– turning point for Islam.
• Quran contains the sacred word
– final authority on all matters.
Islam – Way of Life
• Sharia
– the Islamic system of law
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•
•
•
regulated moral conduct
family life
business practices
Government
• Unlike the West
– the Sharia does not separate religious matters
from criminal or civil law.
Basic Belief
• Followers memorized Muhammad's words, some wrote them
down
Qur’an
• Muslims read from Qur’an to hear
Allah’s teachings
• Seek religious experience in rhythm,
beauty of words
• Full meaning known only in original
Arabic language
• Translations not true representation
Five Pillars of Islam
• Five basic acts of worship central to
Islam, Five Pillars of Islam
• Profession of faith
• Performance of five daily prayers
• Giving of alms to poor, needy
• Fasting during month of Ramadan
• Make pilgrimage to Mecca
Five Pillars of Islam
Profession of Faith
• “There is no god but God…”
• By affirmation, Muslim signals
acceptance of the faith
• Denies existence of other gods,
accepts Muhammad as prophet
Giving Alms to Poor, Needy
Five Daily Prayers
• Worshippers say daily prayers five
times during day
• Always face Mecca to pray, no
matter where they are
Fasting During Ramadan
• Muslims supposed to give
percentage of income to charity
• Muslims required to go without food,
drink, dawn to dusk
• Even those with little encouraged to
help others
• Ramadan when Muhammad began
to report messages written down in
Qur’an
Spread of Islam
Movements within Islam
SUNNI
• Believed caliph, or
successor to
Muhammad,
should be chosen
by leaders of the
Muslim
community.
• Viewed caliph as a
leader, not as a
religious authority.
SHIITES
SUFI
• Believed that only
descendants of
Muhammad could
become caliph.
• Believed descendants
of Muhammad to be
divinely inspired.
• Sought to
communicate with
God through
meditation, fasting,
and other rituals.
The Umayyads and the Abbassids
• These powerful caliphates ruled the Islamic
world
– expanded the Arab empire
– brought about a golden age in Muslim civilization.
UMAYYADS
ABBASSIDS
• Set up dynasty that ruled
until 750
• Conquered lands from
Atlantic to the Indus
Valley
• Relied on local officials to
govern the empire
• Faced economic tensions
between wealthy and
poor Arabs
• Overthrew the Umayyads
in 750
• Ended Arab dominance
and helped make Islam a
universal religion
• Empire of the caliphs
reached its greatest
wealth and power
• Muslim civilization
enjoyed a golden age
Advances
PHILOSOPHY
•
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MATHEMATICS
Scholars tried to •
harmonize
Greek ideas of
reason with
religious
•
teachings of
Islam.
Ibn Khaldun set
standards for
scientific study
of history.
Scholars studied
Indian and
Greek
mathematics.
Al-Khwarizmi
pioneered the
study of algebra
and wrote
mathematics
textbook that
became
standard in
Europe.
MEDICINE
ASTRONOMY
• Al-Khwarizmi
developed
astronomical
tables.
• Astronomers
calculated
circumference
of the Earth.
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Government set
up hospitals with
emergency rooms.
Muhammad alRazi studied
measles and
smallpox.
Ibn Sina wrote a
medical
encyclopedia.
Surgeons
developed
treatment for
cataracts.
Islam in India
• In the 1100s, Muslim invaders entered
northern India and organized a sultanate
• land ruled by a sultan.
– Sultans introduced Muslim traditions of
government to India.
– Many Turks, Persians, and Arabs migrated to India
to serve as soldiers or officials.
– Trade between India and the Muslim world
increased.
Ottoman and Safavid Empires
Gunpowder
• the Mughals ruled India, the Ottomans, and
the Safavids dominated the Middle East and
parts of Eastern Europe.
– new military technology
• cannons and muskets.
– “the age of gunpowder empires.”
Fears
• The fears to Islam
– Negative stereotypes about Islam
• “the enemy within”
• “Islamic terrorists”
– General stereotypes of Muslims:
• as barbaric, irrational, fanatic, supportive of terrorism,
oppressive of women
– simply: Anti-American
– biases
• spread prejudices & stereotypes
Measure your fear
Prejudice
Stereotyping
Defamation
Discrimination Profiling
Slander Attack Alienation
Breach of
by Media
Civil
liberties
Hate Crimes: Verbal
& Physical Abuse
Vandalism & Arson
of Mosques & shops
Murder
Historical implications
Based on deeply embedded cultural biases
• Crusades & Inquisition
– Holy War
• Renaissance
– excluded Muslims
• Colonial times
– Orientalists portrayed Arabs & Muslims as
barbarian & primitive to justify colonial conquests
Myth 1 - Islam is a monolithic bloc
• Around 1.4 Billion Muslims in the world
– Only 18% are Arabs
• Largest Muslim population
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Indonesia 201M.
55M Russia
100M India
24 in EU
7-10 US (2nd largest religion)
• Muslims comprise 4000 ethnic groups in 128 countries
• Muslims follow no single religious authority – no priesthood
Myth 2: Islam condones violence
against non-Muslims
• Aggression is a vice in Islam
 The Prophet defined the Muslim as one causing
no verbal or physical harm to others
 Islam’s greeting to everyone is “peace be upon
you”
 Murder of one person or causing devastation of
any form is equated with killing all humanity
• “Jihad”
– Striving to do good for the sake of God
– A broad concept
Myth 3: Terrorism is Islamic - a
fundamentalist duty
• Terrorism : Defined as “devastation on land” “killing
people & destroying crops”
– Recognized as most heinous crime
• Punishment for terrorism: execution, crucifixion or exile
– Trial first.
• Terrorism as a phenomena
– Hitler vs BinLaden