A Misunderstood Religion

Islam in the United States By the year 2000, there were over 1200 mosques in the United States About 8million Muslims in the United States -25% of which are African American There are over 1.2billion Muslims in the world today (most of which live in Asia)

The Birth of a New Religion Arabian Peninsula – Home to polytheistic nomads -Bedouins – Independent tribes and clans Arabia -important center of trade -Kaaba – religious shrine -By 600ce – Monotheism spread – Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism -Allah is associated with Yaweh Quraysh Tribe – Controlled trade and taxed pilgrims

The Prophet Muhammad was the prophet (messenger) -was an orphan -was a prosperous merchant -took withdrawal into the desert and wrote down “god’s words” which is the Quran/Koran If you read the Quran in Arabic it is the “message of god”

New Teachings Muhammad is “the seal” of the prophets Return to old – pure religion of Abraham Submission to Allah Muslim = One Who Submits Need to create a community of social justice, equality and care for others Community = umma

Mosque

5 Pillars of Islam 1. The is no other god but Allah 2. Pray 5 times a day at prescribed times 3. Give charity to the community 4. Fast during the month of Ramadan 5. Take a hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca)

Kaaba

Islamic Teachings Jihad = struggle Jihad of the Sword = armed struggle against unbelief and evil. (justification for terrorism?) The interpretation of “jihad of the sword” has varied widely over time.

Arabian Peninsula Transformed In 622 Muhammad took the “hijra” to Medina Created the “umma” (community) in Medina Broke definitively from Judaism Expansion -military successes led to alliances -large scale conversion -Muhammad dies in 632ce and all of Arabia is consolidated under Islam

Fundamental Differences Between Islam and Christianity Islam did not grow up as a persecuted minority religion No separation of church and state -Muhammad was political, religious, military leader Sharia – Religious Law – Same as the law of the land

An Arab Empire The Arab state grew to include all or part of Egyptian, Roman/Byzantine, Persian, Mesopotamian, and Indian civilizations. Expansion -defeated Sassanid Empire in the 650s, took half of Byzantium -in early 700s, conquered most of Spain, attacked France -in 751, Arabs crushed a Chinese army at the Battle of Talas River

Ottoman Empire

Reasons for Expansion economic: capture trade routes and agricultural regions communal: conquest helped hold the umma together religious: bring righteous government to the conquered -did not impose Islam -in early period, Arabs thought Islam was their religion -by mid-eighth century began seeking converts -still protected “people of the Book”—Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians (dhimmis) -non-Muslims paid special tax (the jizya) but could practice their own religion

Conversion to Islam Initial conversion was “social”, not deeply religious Benefits of Conversion -earliest converts included slaves and prisoners of war -converts didn’t have to pay the jizya -Islam favored commerce -good to be friends of “Allah” (since it was a powerful empire) around 80 percent of the population of Persia converted between 750 and 900

Divisions in the Islamic World Problem – Who should be Muhammad’s successor? -sunni – leaders elected by the community -shia – leaders should be blood relatives of Muhammad Sunnis: religious authority comes from the community,especially from religious scholars (ulama) Shias: imams have religious authority

Calligraphy in Arabic

Umayyad and Abbasid Dynasties Ummayad Dynasty -caliphs became hereditary rulers -decadent rulers and unequal treatment of non-arabs created unrest Abbasid Dynasty -overthrew the Ummayad in 750ce -treated non-Muslims much better -caliphs became sultans of independent states

Ummayad Dynasty

Abbasid Continued Last Abbasid caliph assassinated when Mongols sacked Baghdad in 1258 Islamic culture continued to flourish and expand

Sufis Mystics seeking direct connection with the divine Renounced the material world Critical of Sharia and the Quran Members of the ulama thought the Sufis were heretics

Gender Roles Spiritually - Quran states that men and women are equal Socially -women are subordinate to men Women’s Rights -own property, inherit wealth, consent to marriage Early Islam – women had many more rights Modern Islam – can’t attend mosques, must be veiled -restrictions were put on women during the Abbasid Dynasty

The Case of India Invaders brought Islam to India Muslim communities in India -Buddhists and low caste Hindus found Islam attractive (equality) -converted to pay lower taxes -at height – 20%-25% were Muslim Muslim/Hindu Divide -Monotheism / Polytheism Divide -equality of all members / caste system -sexual modesty / open eroticism

Hindu/Muslim Ineractions Many Hindu’s served Muslim rulers Sikhism developed in early sixteenth century; syncretic religion with elements of both Islam and Hinduism Muslims remained as a distinctive minority

The Case of Anatolia (Turkey) Turks invaded Anatolia about the same time as India -major destruction at early stages in both places -Sufi missionaries were important in both places -but in Anatolia by 1500, 90 percent of the population was Muslim, and most spoke Turkish

The Case of West Africa Islam came peacefully with traders, not by conquest -provided links to Muslim trading partners -provided literate officials and religious legitimacy to state West African cities became Islamic centers -Timbuktu had over 150 Quranic schools -libraries had tens of thousands of books -Arabic became a language of religion, education, administration, trade rulers made little effort to impose Islam or rule by Islamic law

Mansa Musa

Islam in Africa

The Case of Spain Islam did not overwhelm Christianity there high degree of interaction between Muslims, Christians, and Jews religious toleration started breaking down by late tenth century increasing war with Christian states of northern Spain many Muslims were forced out of Christian-conquered regions or kept from public practice of their faith (Inquisition is brought back: “Spanish Inquisition”)

Islam as a New Civilization Islamic civilization was held together by Islamic practices and beliefs -beliefs/practices transmitted by the ulama, who served as judges, interpreters, etc. -starting in eleventh century: formal colleges (madrassas) taught religion, law, and sometimes secular subjects -system of education with common texts, sharing of scholarship throughout Islamic world

Muslim Borrowing Astrolabe borrowed from the Greeks The number zero was borrowed from India allowing for more complex math and astronomy.

Networks of Exchange Islamic world was an immense arena for exchange of goods, technology, and ideas -great central location for trade -Islamic teaching valued commerce -urbanization spurred commerce Muslim merchants were prominent on all the major Afro-Eurasian trade routes -aided by banking, partnerships, business contracts, credit instruments

Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo

Networks of Exchange Exchange of agricultural products and practices between regions -Muslim conquest of northwestern India introduced rice, sugarcane, sorghum, hard wheat, cotton, and many fruits and vegetables to Middle East Diffusion of technology -spread ancient Persian water-drilling techniques -improvement of Chinese rockets -adoption of papermaking techniques from China in the eighth century

Exchange of Ideas Persian bureaucratic practice, court ritual, poetry Ancient Greek, Hellenistic, and Indian texts Developments in mathematics, astronomy, optics, medicine, pharmacology