Download Islam-From Arabia to America

Islam-From Arabia to America
 Inder Pal Singh
 This presentation was done as a part of honors
seminar: for Culture Diversity in the United States.
Introductory objectives
 A brief history of the Islam
 A brief history of the Muslims in the United
States
 Concerns of the Muslims residing in
Northwest Arkansas
World before the rise of the Islam
 Arabs were tribal people who
lived life herding camels, sheep
or goats
 Most of the Arabs were
polytheists
 They used to worship natural
objects such as the sun, rocks,
and trees, which is a form of
animism.
 Mecca and Medina were the
major cities for long distance
trade and would become
important Islamic centers or
communities.
 Arabs started gaining military
power after 300 B.C.
Prophet Mohammad
(570-632)
 Born at Mecca in a tribal
Koraysh family.
 He earned his early
reputation as a skilled
arbitrator of disputes.
 Believed in one god
named Allah
 Thought he was a
messenger of god
 He formulated the
messages in the Koran,
believed to be divinely
inspired and holy.
Word Allah written in Arabic
Shia Islam
 Followers of Ali were known as the
Shia(partisans) of Ali
 Ali was Mohammad’s cousin and son-in law
 Shias believe that only the descendants of
Ali entitled to rule the Muslim community
 Iran and Iraq are Shia dominant countries
Sunni Islam
 Sunna means the way or the example of
prophet Mohammad
 In contrast to the Shias, the Sunnis believe
that the leadership is in the hands of the
Muslim community at large
 Sunnis form the majority in Middle East and
the Islamic world
Sharia(Islamic law)
 Muslims consider Sharia as universal law
and equally applied for everyone
 Sharia provides system of government,
legal, and social system
 According to sharia no priesthood or
intermediaries between people and God is
allowed
 Muslims believe Sharia as a law
established by Allah
 Sharia is believed to be greater than
human reason
 Muslim men can marry women from
another religion but Muslim women are
forbidden to marry non Muslim men
A religious leader
preaching Sharia to the
followers
Qur`an
 Qur`an is at the center of
Muslim life
 Qur`an is made up of 114
chapters called Suras
 The first chapter is called
al-Fatiha(the opening)
 Muslims recite al-Fatiha
during each of the five
daily prayers.
Students reciting Qur`an
Spread of Islam by Mohammad.
 Intially only Mohammad’s
close family members
accepts Islam.
 In 622 he moved from
Mecca to Medina(Hijra)
 He expelled jews from
Medina in 625.
 He conquered Mecca with
the help of his followers in
630.
 Mohammad dies in 632.
Mecca
 The holiest site of
Muslims.
 Al-Masjid Al-Haram (The
Sacred Mosque) as the
holiest place on Earth.
 Center of Muslim
pilgrimage.
 Non Muslims are not
allowed to enter.
 Shrine of Kaaba.
Kaaba
 A cube shaped, one
room stone structure
 Holiest place in Mecca
 Believed to be built by
Abraham and Ishmael
 Kaaba is the House of
God for Muslims
 Muslims face towards
kaaba during pray.
Medina
 Second holiest city of
Islam.
 Only Muslims can enter.
 Mohammad settled there
after Hijra.
 Shrine of Mohammad(AlMasjid an-Nabawi)
 Muslim visit this mosque
during pilgrimage.
Five pillars of Islam
 Shahada or
kalima(pronouncing the
confession of faith)
 Salat( performing the five
daily prayers)
 Saum( fasting during the
month of Ramadan)
 Zakat( paying the alms
tax)
 Hajj(performing at least
once in life, the major
pilgrimage to Mecca)
Jihad
 The word in Arabic
means, to struggle or
to exhaust one’s effort
in order to please God
 Some Muslims
consider it as sixth
pillar of Islam
 Personal Jihad
 Verbal Jihad
 Physical Jihad
Madrasa
 Islamic religious school
 A Madrasa is a place for
learning and prayer
 Madrasa(religious
seminary) was first
introduced in eastern Iran
during middle ages
 Talibans(Students)
originated from Madrasas.
A Taliban leader teaching
students in Madrasa
Islam in the United States
 Muslim migration began in 1893
 First mosque was build in 1915
 African Americans are in majority among the
Muslims in the United States
 Total Muslim population in the United States
is between four to six million
 Most of the American Muslims entitle
themselves as Sunni Muslims
Muslims during Slavery
 Muslims constituted at least
fifteen percent of slave
population during 18th and 19th
centuries.
 West African Muslims were first
to brought Islamic believes to
the United States
 Slaves’ ethnic roots could be
traced to ancient black Islamic
kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and
Songhai
 Muslims slaves could not
preserve their faith and
eventually their version of Islam
disappeared after their death
Nation of Islam
 A religious and socio
political organization.
 Founded by Wallace Fard
Muhammad in 1930.
 Aim of resurrection of
black men and women.
 Large number of blacks
converted to Islam.
Fard Muhammad
Symbol of Nation of
Islam
Current issues of Muslims
 Attacks on Muslims after the incidence of
9/11.
 Attack on various Muslim nations.
 Stereotyping Muslims as being terrorists.
 Fundamentalism in some countries.
 Issue of oil.
Muslims in Northwest Arkansas
 Most of the interviewees moved here very recently.
 They mostly use their mother tongue to
communicate with their children.
 According to them the most important aspect of
Islam is oneness of the god.
 They read Koran at least once a week.
 They believe that personal Jihad is the most
important among the other categories of Jihad.
 They all try to follow five pillars of Islam.
Muslims in Northwest Arkansas
 Muslim parents agree that their children are
losing some traditional values.
 The children are not as enthusiastic as their
parents to visit mosque.
 Parents do not teach religion to their
children in very fundamental way
 Women have equal rights as of their
husbands.