Download Religion in the Middle East

World Geography
Religion in the Middle East
Three of the world’s most practiced religions have their roots in the Middle East. Islam,
Christianity and Judaism all began in the Middle East. People from all over the world make
pilgrimages to this region to see the place where their religion was founded. While religion is a source
of inspiration and hope for many people, religious disputes have been the cause of turmoil in the
Middle East as well. It is important to have some factual knowledge of Islam, Christianity and Judaism
to better understand the culture of this region of the world.
The Basics of Islam…
Islam is a monotheistic religion practiced by more than one billion people across the world. It
is also the world’s fastest growing religion. People who practiced Islam are called Muslims. The
Middle East and North Africa have the highest concentration of Muslims in the world, but other
countries, such as Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia also have large Muslim populations. Muslims
believe in one God who they called Allah (the Arabic word for God). Islam is an Arabic word that
means “to submit” and Muslims are people who submit to God’s will. Muslims believe that God sent
prophets to earth to spread his message such as Moses and Jesus. They believe that the last prophet
sent to earth by God was a man named Mohammad. Mohammad lived in the city of Mecca (located
in the present day country of Saudi Arabia). The message that he was given by God was written
down in a book called the Koran. Muslims also read the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, but
they believe that theses text have been corrupted by man. They believe that the Koran is the true
word of God.
The Islamic faith is based on the principles that Allah is the one and only God and people
should not worship any other God. Muslims feel that belief in Allah, Mohammad and the Koran
alone is meaningless. A true Muslim must uphold their faith by practicing the Five Pillars of Islam.
Below is a brief description of the Five Pillars of Islam.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Declaration of Faith (stating that Allah is the one, true God)
Prayer (Muslims pray five times daily)
Fasting (Muslims fast to cleanse the body and soul)
Welfare Tax (2.5% of a Muslims income is donated to the poor)
Pilgrimage (Muslims are expected to make a trip to Mecca at least once in their lifetime)
Muslims have a wide variety of rituals that are carried out in their everyday lives. For
example, marriage is considered the joining of two families, not just two people. Therefore, it is
common for parents to choose the partner of their son or daughter (this practice is often referred to
as an arranged marriage). Divorce is permitted, but strongly discouraged. Polygamy (the practice of
having more than one spouse) is acceptable in traditional Islam, but it is not widely practiced today.
Muslims follow a strict diet. All meat is slaughtered in a traditional manner. Pork, alcohol and
gambling are forbidden.
Muslims worship in buildings called mosques. Mosques are usually decorated with patterns of
geometric shapes. You will not find paintings or statues or other art forms in mosques because the
Koran forbids the worship of any idols (even images of Mohammad). Muslims do not have a large
number of holy celebrations. The most recognized celebration is Ramadan. Ramadan is a monthlong holiday in which Muslims fast from dawn until dusk each day.
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World Geography
Religions of the Middle East:
Reflection Questions
Directions: Use today’s “Mental Warm-Up: Thinking About Religion” and the reading “Religion in
the Middle East” to help you answer the following questions.
1. Identify the 3 religions that were all founded in the Middle East.
a. ______________________________________________
b. ______________________________________________
c. ______________________________________________
2. Define the word “m
monotheistic”: __________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. There are 1.3 billion who practice the religion called ___________ (Muslim or Islam). People
who practice this religion are called _______________ (Muslims or Islams).
4. What does the Arabic word “A
Allah” mean? ________________________
5.
What is “p
polygamy”? ____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6. What is “R
Ramadan”? _____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
7. What is considered to be the holiest city in Islam? ____________________________________
8. Which of the three religions is practiced by the most people worldwide? Give a statistic to
support your answer. ____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
9. Identify two important holy sites for Christians (according to the text) and identify the
country in which they can be found. _______________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
10. What is a bar mitzvah? ___________________________________________________________
Important Facts about Christianity, Islam, & Judaism
11. Use the reading to complete the chart below.
Founder of
Religion
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Holy Book of the
Religion
Symbol of
Religion (draw it)
Name of Building
used for Worship