1. Islam in Brief

2. OVERVIEW History of Islam Compared to other religions Timelines of the Islam’s arrival and Muhammad’s (pbuh) life Demographics of Muslims (believers of Islam) Distribution in the World Distribution in United States Pillars of Faith in Islam of Religion in Islam Major Misconceptions about Islam Jihad in Islam vs Terrorism Status of Women in Islam vs Oppression of Women Q&A

3. History of Islam

4. 15001440 30 610563660600 AD BC History of Major World Religions Abraham Judaism 18 Million Christianity 2 Billion Islam 1.3 Billion Aryans Hinduism 900 Million Buddhism 360 Million Islam arrived in early 7 th century in Arabia Peninsula. Muslims are the believers of this religion and second largest religious population in the world. The Holy scriptures for Islam is Quran and the teacher is Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

5. Life of Muhammad (pbuh) and Islam’s arrival Islam’s rules arrived in 23 years with Qur’an to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Quran’s arrival by Gabriel to Muhammad (pbuh) is completed just before his death. Prophet’s sayings, events during his time and his life style became very important resources to understand Qur’an hence Islam.

6. Demographics of Muslims (believers of Islam)

7. ISLAMIC WORLD consists of so many different nations.

8. Muslim distribution in the U.S. African American42.0% South Asian24.4% Arab12.4% African5.2% Iranian3.6% Turk2.4% Caucasian American1.6% Undetermined5.6% Different cultures have different ways of living Islam. Culture, history, education level and economy of the societies/nations are all very important on how people understand Islam and live as a Muslim.

9. Pillars of Faith and Religion in Islam

10. Islam means submission. Muslims believe in: One and Unique God; the Angels; the Prophets; the Holy Scriptures; Day of Judgment and the after life God's complete knowledge/authority over human destiny Allah is the Arabic word for God. Gabriel is the angel who brought Quran. Jesus, Moses, Abraham, and all others mentioned in Torah and/or Bible are respected deeply as prophets. Gospel and Torah are respected but believed to have changed from their original format. All good and bad will be judged on this day. Nobody but God can judge. No person upfront can claim heaven for him/herself and hell for others or other way around. Only God knows where each person belongs. God Almighty has the ultimate knowledge and has the power to change destiny if He wishes to do so.

11. Pillars of Religion: Prayers are 5 times a day, can be performed anywhere, becomes the responsibility of every Muslim by puberty with some exceptions such as sickness (form can change to accommodate the prayers), giving birth to a child ( first 6 weeks), etc… Fasting is for 30 days in Ramadan ( month according to the Islamic lunar calendar) from sunrise to sunset, becomes the responsibility of every Muslim by puberty with some exceptions. At the end of Ramadan there is the religious festival Eid ul Fitr. Almsgiving is the 2.5% of annual earnings, becomes the responsibility of every Muslim by the time they are having extra earnings excluding the basics like house, car and daily needs. Must given to poor. Pilgrimage is the responsibility of every healthy Muslim who also has the financial availability once in his/her lifetime. Pilgrimage is visiting the Kabaah ( Mecca, Saudi Arabia) for 10 days. At the end of this time, there is the second Islamic festival which financially available (based on Islamic criteria) Muslims a sacrifice a sheep, cow or a camel and distribute to poor.( Eid ul Adha) Declaration of Faith Prayers FastingAlmsgiving Pilgrimage

12. Major Misconceptions about Islam

13. Jihad in Islam vs Terrorism Jihad is described in 2 ways by Prophet and Quran: Internal (the greater Jihad) The struggle against greed, selfishness, arrogance, hatred, anger, envy, falsehood and other human weaknesses which prevents us from attaining perfection External ( the lesser Jihad) Removing obstacles between people and faith. So that people can choose freely between belief and unbelief. This however can not a person or a group decision but should be a governmental decision. Verses from Quran: “Say, we believe in God and that which has been revealed to us, and that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes and that which was given to Moses and Jesus and to other prophets, from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit.” (The Family of Ìmrán/Al-Ìmrán 83) "And fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you but be not aggressive. Surely Allah loves not the aggressors"(2:190) Just because terrorists claim to do this in the name of Islam/God/Muslims, Why should we believe them? Can they be the voice/vision for 1.3 billion Muslims?

14. Status of Women in Islam vs Oppression of Women In Islam, women are equal to men in bearing personal and common responsibilities receiving rewards for her deeds the pursuit of education and knowledge When Islam enjoins the seeking of knowledge upon Muslims, it makes no distinction between man and woman Aisha, wife of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is one of the first teachers of Islam to male/female scholars. Source: www.muslimwomen.org Are we mixing religion with culture/social pressure? Is it fair to blame the religion based on some government’s/people’s rulings ? And their Lord has accepted (their prayers) and answered them (saying): “Never will I cause to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female. You are members, one of another” Quran 3:195 33:35 66:19-21