World Religions: Islam Islam is a another monotheistic religion. The Arabic word for God is Allah. They believe that Allah dictated the holy book called the Koran (Qur’an) to an man named Mohammed who lived in the Arabian Peninsula in 622. Mohammed is seen as the last of a series of prophets that included Abraham and Jesus. Islam is the name of the religion. A follower of that religion is called a Muslim. Muslims see Jesus as a great prophet, but do not believe that he is the Son of God or God as Christians do. Muslims have five core beliefs: There is no God but Allah and Mohammed was the final prophet of God All Muslims should take a pilgrimage (religious journey) called Hajj to the Holy City of Mecca All Muslims should pray five times a day facing Mecca All Muslims should fast during the month of Ramada. From sunrise to sunset All Muslims should give alms to help the poor

Muslims have strict dietary laws. Any food from a pig is forbidden. Alcohol is forbidden The place of worship for a Muslim is called a mosque. With it is usually a minaret, a tall tower from which calls to prayer are given. Mecca and Jerusalem are seen as holy cities. Only Muslims are permitted in Mecca. Any non-Muslim attempting to enter would be killed. For some countries such as Saudi Arabia the Koran is their constitution. This is called Sharia Law. Under Sharia, women must wear a head covering when out of their homes. Women may not be on the street unless with a man. In some countries girls may not attend school. The penalty for adultery is beheading, but usually this only happens to the woman. The penalty for stealing is to have your hand cut off. In some countries men may marry up to four wives.

Mohammed conquered militarily. When he died, Muslims split into two groups: The followers of Sunni Islam, are the majority in most Islamic countries outside of Iran, Iraq, Yemen, and Bahrain. Shiite are found mostly in the above countries. The Sunni and Shi'a both trace their differences to the 7th century C.E., when disagreements over the successor to the Prophet Muhammad arose. The Sunni maintain that the Muslim community was to select the Prophet's successor (caliph) to lead, whereas the Shi'a believe the Prophet chose his son-in-law, Ali, to be his successor. They are often killing one another today. Jihad is the idea of Holy War. If a religious leader declares that a cause is just, Muslims are to fight for that cause. If they die in Jihad, they are guaranteed that they will go to heaven. Christians practiced a similar thing in the Crusades, and today talk about a just war in spite3 of the fact that their leader taught them to love their enemies and feed them if they were hungry. Mohammed did use warfare to spread Islam. Terrorist try to claim that they are waging Jihad, but their claims are false.

Muslims, like Jews trace their ancestry back to Abraham. They claim that his firstborn child was Ishmael, who was born to Abraham’s servant Hagar. Therefore they believe the Jewish claims to the land of Palestine are wrong. Their second most holy mosque is in Jerusalem which they consider their second most holy city after Mecca. where the Jews also claim it as their holy city. Muslims have a mosque where the Jewish temple used to be. Indonesia is the largest Muslim country on earth. Muslims follow a lunar calendar of 28 days in a month, so the month of fasting, Ramadan, comes at a different time each year.

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