UNDERSTANDING ISLAM IN TODAY'S WORLD

Understanding Islam in today's World

Understanding Islam in Today's World

Introduction

Islam is one of three great monotheistic faiths that sprung from the harsh land of the Middle East. It is the world's second-largest religion, accounting for one-sixth of the human race or approximately one billion people. Like Judaism and Christianity, the followers of Islam or Muslims, are taught to accept as factual in a cosmos in which God pays good, penalizes bad and is merciful to human appeals(Marcus, 1999).

Muslims are the superior population in thirty-six countries from Morocco to Indonesia and they are divided into two branches: The largest is the Sunnis who constitute 85% to 90% and deem that the Caliphs (successors) who followed Muhammad were the rightful heirs. Then there are the Shias, mostly found in Iran and Iraq who trace their lineage to Ali and Fatima (the son-in-law and daughter of the Prophet) and their sons Hassan and Hussein, who believe that only a factual descendent should be on the throne of a united Islamic Empire. This paper will compare the view of Islam and how it is practiced in United States, Great Britain, Pakistan, Middle East, India, and some Asian countries (Waugh, 2003).

Body of Analysis

Muslims are followers of Islam. One of the three major monotheistic religions in the world, Islam calls for complete acceptance of and submission to the teachings and guidance of God. Anyone may become a Muslim, regardless of gender, race, or nationality, by reciting a declaration of faith and embracing a lifestyle in accord with Islamic principles. Specific acts, including fasting, daily prayer, and the pilgrimage to Mecca, are considered the pillars of Muslim spiritual life (Abudabbeh, 2001).

In this first war of the 21st Century, our nation can no longer afford the naïve illusions that have granted numerous Americans solace in peacetime. Chief among them is the notion, offered all too often by our managers and the newspapers, that Islam entails peace. Clearly this declaration is an over-simplification (Waugh, 2003).

By comparing and contrasting the view of Islam across different countries that identify a separation of church and state but in another fashion where mosque and state are one. While there are over 1200 mosques in the United States there are no churches in Saudi Arabia or the Gulf States. There are an estimated 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide. They reside in every world district and pertains to numerous distinct heritage and ethnic groups. The countries with the largest Muslim populations are Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Egypt, , Great Britain, Middle East, India, United States and some Asian countries. Of these, only Egypt is an Arab country, and regardless of the stereotypes, only 200 million of the world's Muslims — about one in eight or the total — are Arabs. The internal consolidation of Islam in Arabia was, strange to say, conveyed about by its diffusion abroad. The holy war contrary to the border countries which Mahomet had already inaugurated, was the best means for making the new religion popular among the Arabs, for ...