Religion in the Arab World Teacher’s Edition Unit Two – The Arab World

Today’s Main Idea The Arab world is very diverse – both in ethnicity and religiously. The religious variation adds to the richness of culture and history, but also has been a source of conflict for centuries. The conflict today is worsening.

Christianity:  Belief in Jesus Christ is central to all Christian denominations  The birth place Jesus is in the Middle East and he had his ministry there as well – specifically, in Palestine.  Christians view part of this region this as a Holy Land to their religion  Ex: Jerusalem (site of the crucifixion) & Bethlehem (site of his birth)  Many Christian pilgrims (travelers on a religious voyage) visit the Holy Lands

Judaism:  A Monotheistic Religion  A religion centered on the belief in one God and they are awaiting the coming of a Messiah. Don’t believe that Jesus was the messiah.  The Jewish homeland is in Israel – you heard a great deal about that in the video you watched after the test.  Orthodox Jewish followers observe a diet regulated by Kashrut (strict rules) Especially in regards to meat:  This means the animal was killed in a way that it felt no pain  They do not eat pork or shell fish  They do not mix meats and dairy

Judaism cont.  Major Holidays:  Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year – Sept 25  Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement – Oct 4  Passover – When the angel passed over the houses with lambs blood over the door – April 3-8, 2015  Hanukah – the Festival of Light – December 16-24, 2014

Islam:  Muhammad was the founder of Islam  One night in a dream he described seeing the angel Gabriel who told him about the belief in one God  He was frightened by this message  Many people did not like Muhammad's message especially merchants in Mecca  Mecca was a holy city for the polytheistic religions that existed in the region

 After his wife died he moved to Medina and began to gather followers  This was journey is known as the Hejira  This is when Islam began to expand

Islam – The Teachings:  There is only one God ( Muslims believe that this is the same God that Christians and Jewish people worship, but they refer to him as Allah)  Muhammad is the prophet of God and should not be worshiped  This is why Muslims don’t show the image of Muhammad  Ramadan observes the month in which Gabriel came to Muhammad  The end of Ramadan is celebrated with Eid  During Ramadan Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset

Islam – The Five Pillars:  Proclaim their belief in God  Pray 5 times a day  Give charity to the aged and the poor  Daytime fasting during the Holy Month of Ramadan  Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) if finances allow - Some say there is 6 th pillar which is jihad (this has meant a struggle between sin and God. However the term has come to mean physical war on “infidels”)

Islam:  Their sacred book is called the Koran  Believe that one should always honor their parents  All people are equal  Respecting the people of the Book – Jews and Christians