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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. Name: Date: Core: 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