Getting to Know Your Muslim Neighbors and Learning about Islam June 2016 Guilderland Public Library

Transcription

1 Getting to Know Your Muslim Neighbors and Learning about Islam June 2016 Guilderland Public Library Alison (Amina) el-sheikh Fazana Saleem-Ismail Safiyyah Stewart

2 Overview of the Presentation Introduction/Why We Are Here Islam 101 Muslims Around the World Common Misconceptions/Myths about Islam Questions & Discussion

3 Amina el-sheikh Introduction Born in Oneida to American Christian parents Became Muslim 22 years ago Fazana Saleem-Ismail Born in Staten Island to Muslim immigrants from Sri Lanka Safiyyah Stewart Each of her American-born parents independently converted to Islam after which they got married and had her Raised Muslim

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5 Muslims Around the World 1.6 billion Muslims around the world (Pew Research Center) 22% of the world s population Only 18% of Muslims are Arab. Countries with largest number of Muslims (2010)* 1. Indonesia 2. India 3. Pakistan 4. Bangladesh 5. Nigeria *Source: The Future of World Religions: Population Growth

6 Who are American Muslims? ~ 6-8 million American Muslims First Muslims to arrive in America: African slaves starting with the first slave ship that landed in Virginia in Muslims migrated to America in 4 waves: Late 1800s & early 1900s: from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan After World War I: relatives of the first wave of immigrants : from Eastern European countries and some from South Asia After 1965: many from South Asia More recently, Muslim immigrants have come from Afghanistan, Iraq, and African countries such as Somalia and Sudan.

7 American Muslims: Ethnicity Ethnicity Percentage South Asian 35% African American 30% Arab 25% Persian or Turkish 5% African 3% European 2% Statistics from: Smith, J. I. (2005). Patterns of Muslim Immigration. Muslim Life in America, Office of International Information Programs, U.S Department of State

8 Islam 101: Terminology Islam peace through submission to God. It is the name of the religion followed by Muslims. Muslims those who follow the religion of Islam. Allah Arabic word for God Qur an (Koran) Muslim holy book

9 Islam 101: Sources of Guidance Qur an (Koran) Muslim holy book Word of Allah Provides guidance for daily life Hadith and Sunnah Sayings and practices of Prophet Muhammad

10 Islam 101: Beliefs Oneness of God (Monotheistic) Angels Prophets Holy Books Day of Judgment Qadr (belief that God knows everything)

11 Islam 101: Five Pillars Declaration of Faith (Shahada) Prayer 5 times daily (Salat) Charity (Zakat) Fasting during Ramadan (Sawm) Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)

12 Misconceptions Muslims worship a different God than Christians and Jews. Allah = God in Arabic Arabic-speaking Christians use the term Allah to refer to God Islam, like Judaism and Christianity is one of the Abrahamic faiths

13 Misconceptions Muslims don t believe in Jesus. Muslims highly respect Jesus as a prophet of God. Jesus is mentioned 93 times in the Qu ran. Muslims believe in the miracles Jesus performed, that he was born of a virgin and that he will return again as the Messiah. An entire chapter of the Qu ran is dedicated to Jesus mother, Mary. Mary is mentioned more times in the Qu ran than in the Bible.

14 Misconceptions Jihad is terrorism. Jihad is incorrectly referred to as holy war in western media Jihad means to strive with all one s might Highest form of jihad is spiritual: a struggle against immoral temptations and refraining from wrongdoing

15 Misconceptions Islam oppresses women. Women have always had multiple rights under the laws of Islam. A Muslim woman was the first female head of state (Benazir Bhutto) A Muslim girl was the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner (Malala Yousefzai) Cultural practices that have nothing to do with Islam contribute to the misconception that Muslim women are oppressed.

16 Misconceptions Islam is a violent religion. The word Islam comes from the root of the Arabic word silm meaning peace. Whosoever kills an innocent human being, it shall be as if he has killed all of mankind, and whosoever saves the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved all of mankind. (Qu ran 5:32) Anyone who kills a non-muslim will not smell the fragrance of Paradise, even though its fragrance can be experienced at a distance of forty years. (Prophet Muhammad)

17 Thank You! Questions? Comments?