Religion paper
Malikbinn
ISLAMBYTHENUMBERS.pptxISLAM BY THE NUMBERS
A Primer in Islam
FIVE PILLARS
CREED: “There is no God but Allah; Muhammad is his prophet.”
PRAYER five times daily: dawn, noon, mid-day, sunset, before bed
ALMSGIVING: 2.5% of one’s net worth (not simply one’s yearly income)
FASTING and sexual abstinence during daylight hours of month of Ramadan
PILGRIMAGE/Hajj: once-in-a-lifetime visit to Mecca
FOUR WIVES
Polygamy (i.e., polygyny) is permitted only if husband can satisfy each wife financially, emotionally & sexually (not common in much of Muslim world) Many Muslim-majority nations have banned the practice (Egypt, Turkey, et al.)
Female genital cutting is not a Muslim practice. It predates Islam, but is still common in Muslim-majority countries.
THREE HOLY CITIES
Mecca (Makka), where Islam originated and site of Kabah, holiest shrine
Medina, where Muhammad fled from persecution & established Muslim rule
Jerusalem, holy already to Jews & Christians and where Muhammad experienced his night vision or prophetic call
TWO PRINCIPAL BRANCHES
Sunni Islam (larger and more democratic)
Shiite Islam (smaller, more hereditary—leadership is descended from Muhammad; prominent in Iraq, Iran, Syria)
SUFISM: Less a branch, more a mystical movement
TWO SOURCES OF SHARIA/ISLAMIC LAW
The Qur’an (the literal word of Allah revealed to Muhammad)
The Hadith (collections of stories about how Muhammad dealt with various problems during his day)
These two are coupled with logic and reasoning to solve pressing problems not explicitly covered in Qur’an or Hadith and result in Sharia/legal-religious rulings
CAUSES OF ISLAMIC EXTREMISM
The nine Crusades: 1096-1291 & their abuses
European Colonialism
End of caliphate & carving up of M. East after WWI
The emergence of Saudi Arabia in 1932 as a fundamentalist Muslim state
Creation of Israel in 1948, leading to expulsion or flight of 700,00 Arabs from Palestine
Extreme revulsion at some aspects of W. culture
Alienation of European Muslims from the mainstream culture
ONE GOD
Arabic: Allah—a strict monotheism centered in submission to God (“Islam” means submission, a Muslim is a submitter)
UNIQUE CUSTOMS
No alcohol or other intoxicants permitted
No Gambling
Strict separation of the sexes
Modesty in dress
Dogs usually not kept as pets
Hallal/dietary code somewhat similar to Judaism (e.g., no pork products)
