Basic Facts of Islam

2. Basic Facts of Islam • Islam is the third in successionof the three great monotheisticfaiths born in the Middle East (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) • Islam is the second largest religion in world (1.2 billion adherents) • Islam is the fastestgrowing religion in the world

3.  Muslims believe that the Qu'ran is God's word as revealed to the prophet Muhammad (570-632) through the angel Gabriel. • According to Islam, there are five major prophets: Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad.

4. Women dress modestly out of reverence for God, not for men. Muslim women are not more submissive than other women. Some argue that Muslim women, in fact, have been treated better than women in other cultures. For example, women in Islam were given the right to vote about 1,400 years ago, centuries before other women. Of course, like many other cultures, patriarchal culture can corrupt Muslim culture.

11. Islam Terms • Islam: an Arabic word that means “submitting to God” and “peace” • Muslim: a person who follows the teachings of Islam and “submits to God and finds peace in Him”. All creation is Muslim. • Shahadah: “There is no god but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God”. • Allah: Arabic name for God. It is preferred over other names because it has no gender affiliation and does not have plurality

12. Understanding Islam • Islam is a rational religion: “The vilest of creatures are those who choose to be deaf and dumb and do not use their reason.” (Qur’an 8:2) • Muhammad reminded his followers that “The first thing God created was reason”. Therefore, believers must take personal responsibility for one’s actions and faith.

13. Freedom of Conscience • “There is no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clearly from falsehood; whoever rejects evil and believes in God has grasped the strongest rope that never breaks. And God is All Hearing and All Knowing” Qur’an 2:256

14. Beliefs 1. Belief in only One God. He is defined as Eternal, Absolute, Infinite, Compassionate and Merciful, the sole Creator and Provider. 2. Engage only in Righteous Actionsin all areas: spiritual, intellectual and physical activity. 3. All God’s creation is “Muslim”.Only humans are given CHOICE to submit (be Muslim) or reject submission to God’s will. 4. All children are born without sin and are Muslim. As they grow older, they make their religious CHOICE. 5. God created human beings with a body and soul.The body is a temporal host for this life, whereas the soul is eternal. It is the soul that will survive beyond death. 6.Universality of the call.All Muslims are brothers and equals without any distinction of class, race or tongue. Superiority is only based on the greater fear of God and greater piety.

16. Practices Prayer • worshippers line up in rows and enact ritual in unison (prostration) • Friday midday prayers at mosque Fasting • month of Ramadan (ninth month of lunar year) to test the spirit, discipline the will and remind of the hungry and poor • Numerous important events took place during Ramadan (first revelation in 610 CE, flight to Mecca in 622 CE, victory in 624 CE) • Ramadan ends with Eid al-Fitr (period of spiritual and moral renewal)

17. Mosque • Muslim place of worship Muslims come together in a mosque for prayers at midday on Friday (Muslim Holy Day) • MIHRAB= small arch or hole in wall indicates the direction of the Ka’bah in Mecca • MINARET= high tower or dome from which a muezzin calls the faithful to prayer • WUDU= cleansing process before prayer (water) • IMAM= chief officer in the mosque who leads prayers

19. PROPHET’S MOSQUE in Madinah: the first mosque in Islam

20. Qur’an • Holy book of Islam which means “recitation” • Records the revealed word of God that came through Angel Gabriel to Muhammad over 23 years • Muhammad dictated revelations to scribes and companions who memorized passages • It is the only revealed book that has remained intact and unchanged since its revelation (oral tradition) • Principle source of Muslim faith and practice • Children learn to memorize the Qur’an as a child • Divided into 114 suras (chapters); longest chapter has 286 verses, the shortest has 3 verses; approximately 78 000 words in length

21. al-Fatihah (The Opening)Qur’an 1: 1-7 “In the name of Allah, Most Gracious Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds. Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgment. Thee do we worship and Thine aid we seek: Show us the straight way. The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose portion is not wrath and who go not astray.”

22. Kabah- cube shaped building that was built by Abraham to honour God Viewed as Adam’s original place of worship Was filled with idols as people in Arabia followed polytheism Muhammad- received revelations that led to Islam and monotheism (and removal of idols) Site of hajj- pilgrimage to Mecca TheKabah

28. Muhammad • SEAL of the Prophets (last in a line of 28Prophets who all preached the religion of Islam) • Born in 570 CE • Each succeeding Prophet added or improved upon the cumulative message of Islam • Through Muhammand (PBUH), the message of Islam was completed and is preserved intact in the Qur’an • In 622 CE, hijrah (migration) where Muhammad moved from Mecca to Madinah (marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar) • Islam spread to Arabia, Spain and as far East as China

29. Other Prophets • These Prophets are regarded as most significant: Muhammad, Moses, Abraham and Noah • Jesusis highly respected and considered as a great prophet by Muslims • Qur’an re-affirms the miraculous birth and abilities of Jesus • Muslims believe in the Second Coming of Jesus before the end of time

30. Human Equality • “O humankind! You were created from a single soul, male and female, and made you into peoples and tribes. So that you may know one another. Truly, the most honoured of you in God’s sight is the greatest of you in piety. God is All Knowing, All Aware” (Qur’an 49:13)

31. Islam and War • Like Christianity, Islam permits fighting in self defense, in defense of religion, or on the part of those who have been expelled forcibly from their homes • Strict rules for combat, which includes prohibitions against harming civilians and against destroying crops, trees and livestock • “Fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but do not transgress limits. God does not love transgressors” (Qur’an 2:190) • “And fight them unitl persecution is no more, and religion is for God. But if they desist, then let there be no hosility excpet against wrongdoers” (Qur’an 2:193)

32. Day of Judgment • All humans will be bodily resurrected and assembled for final accounting of deeds • Soul will move on to afterlife • Upon the Final Judgment = world will end and we will stand before God to confront our own life and actions • Desire for purified soul= heaven (eternal abode of beauty and majesty) • Disbelievers and unpure soul= hell (abode of great torment and anguish)

33. Jihad • Jihad does not mean “holy war” • Literally, jihad means to strive, struggle and exert effort. • Concept includes struggle against evil inclinations within oneself, struggle to improve quality of life in society, struggle in the battlefield for self defense or fighting against tyranny or oppression • There is no such thing as “holy war” in Islam, but it is the frequent repetition in the West that many people accept it as if it were a fact

34. Women’s Rights • According to Qur’an, men and women are equal before God • Under Islamic law, women have the right to own property, receive an education and take part in community life • Islamic rules for simple, modest and dignified dress applies to women and men equally • In many Muslim countries there are cultural practices that are inconsistent and contrary to the authentic teachings of Islam

35. Islam: Controversial Issues • Polygamy • Jihad vs. Holy War • Hijab : liberation or suppression • Muhammad Cartoons: freedom of speech vs freedom of religion • Appeal of Suicide Bombers • Afghanistan's Taliban • War on Islam

36. Role of Islam in Society • In the Islamic way of thinking religion is related to politics - but this does not mean man does not need the rationality of modern science • Instead, it means that a devoted religious man should try to co-ordinate his political reactions with his religious values. • DR MOHSEN KADIVAR, Iranian cleric

37. Role of Islam in Society • “In the Islamic system of values and from the point of view of Muslim fundamentalists, religion cannot be separated from any aspect of life.” • “Religion is omnipresent in every aspect of a Muslim individual's private and social life from the economy to social relations.” • “What does harm to the society is not religion - it is the way in which some of the rulers take advantage of religion” DR MEHDI KHAZALI, Iranian cleric

38. Terrorism and The Muslim Brotherhood “God is our purpose, the Prophet our leader, the Qu’ran our constitution, jihad our way and dying for God’s cause our supreme objective.” Hassan al-Banna founder of the Muslim Brotherhood www.muslimbrotherhoodterrorism.webs.com

39. Merging the Taliban and Al Qaeda • In the early 1980s, Mustafa Abu al-Yazid served three years in an Egyptian prison for links to the group responsible for the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat (the Muslim Brotherhood). After his release, Yazid went to Afghanistan, and became a founding member of Al Qaeda. • He followed bin Laden to Sudan and back to Afghanistan, where he served as al Qaeda's chief financial officer, managing secret bank accounts in the Persian Gulf that were used to finance the Sept. 11 attacks. • After the U.S. and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001, Yazid went into hiding for years. He surfaced in May 2007 during a 45-minute interview posted on the Web by al Sabah, in which he was introduced as the ``official in charge'' of the terrorist movement's operations in Afghanistan. • Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, the terror leader who earlier this year said he would use nukes on America if he could only get his hands on some.

40. Islamic Jihad, Al-Gama’a al Islamiya, Jihad Talaat al-Fath Hamas Hezbollah Jamaat-e-Islami Al Qaeda Hizballah Al-Hijaz Islamic Salvation Front, Armed Islamic Group National Islamic Front Jemaah Islamiyah Muslim Brotherhood Organizations

41. Global Economy “The World is Flat” Naples Souda Bay Misawa Rota Atsugi Chinhae Yokosuka Sasebo Guantanamo Bay Sigonella Bahrain Hawaii Guam Singapore Diego Garcia UBL Vision: Reestablish Caliphate in 25 years… …and in One Hundred Years Arc of Instability “G–5 Plus” NATIONS Deep Sea Bases Key Point of Interest Trading & Resource SLOC

42. Radical Muslim Terror Attacks in Europe • Mar. 2004 Madrid train bombings by an al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist cell, three days before Spain's general elections. 191 killed; 1,755 wounded. • Nov. 2004 – Dutch film-maker Theo van Gogh is murdered by Islamic extremist Mohammed Bouyeri, a Dutch citizen. • July 2005 - 52 people died in the London bombings carried out by four British Muslims. • Oct. 2005 - More than three weeks of rioting in France's mainly Muslim suburbs • Jan. 2006 - Violent protests across Europe and Middle Mast over publication by a Danish newspaper of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

43. Non-Assimilation in Europe • France – Oct. 2005 riots in Muslim suburb of Paris; continued concentration in poor suburbs of urban areas since 1980’s including Paris, Lille, Lyon, Marseille • Britain – Almost half the 1350 mosques are run by radical Deobandi sect that created the Taliban. A new generation of British imams have a radical agenda: scorn for Muslims who say they are British; preach friendship with a Jew or a Christian makes “a mockery of Allah’s religion”. Seventeen of Britain’s 26 Islamic seminaries are run by Deobandis. • Netherlands – Imams at 180 of 450 mosques have left; the vacuum is being filled by unqualified, radical preachers. One million Muslims in Netherlands. Uproar over Nov. 2006 ban on burqas in public places.

44. Oct. 16, 2009 Protesters rallied as anti-Islamic Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders held a news conference in London. http://islamizationwatch.blogspot.com/

46. Partial Assimilation in the U.S. • Roughly 5M Muslims in the U.S. accounting for about 1.6% of the U.S. population. • Largest segment is African-Americans (42% of U.S. Muslims); followed by south Asians (24%), then Arabs (12%). Other groups contribute 5% or less to the U.S. Muslim population. • Largest populations are in California (1M), New York (800K), Illinois (420K), and New Jersey (200K); Indiana, Michigan, Virginia, Texas and Ohio contain fewer than 200K each. • The U.S. has 843 mosques and 165 Islamic schools

47. Imam Khomeini "There is no room for play in Islam... It is deadly serious about everything."Ayatollah RuhollahKhomeiniSpeech at Qum,reported in Time magazine January 7, 1980

48. Revolutionary Art "The Vampires of the West and East all feeding on the Muslim Ummah."

49. Muslim clergy and soldiers clasp hands in friendship atop an armored personnel carrier.

50. Radical Islam Across the globe, there are terrorists killing in the name of Islam, but a new study shows that al Qaeda attacks kill eight times more Muslims than non-Muslims. Bernard Lewis: - Who did this to us? - Blaming the West vs. corrupt regimes vs. each other - Islam and liberal democracy - compatible? Communication Filters vis-à-vis West . . .