Islam: :Islam: Myths and Reality


Terminology: :Terminology: The religion is called ISLAM. The people are MUSLIMS. 2


Myth #1: Most Muslims are Arabs who live in the Middle East. :Myth #1: Most Muslims are Arabs who live in the Middle East. 3


Slide 4:Reality: Of more than 1 billion Muslims worldwide, only about 1/5 are Arabs. 4


Try to Guess: :Try to Guess: Which country has more Muslims than any other country in the world? 5


Answer: :Answer: Indonesia - with over 200 million Muslims. Note: The U.S. has about 5 million Muslims. 6


Slide 7:7 http://www.skidmore.edu/academics/arthistory/ah369/islam_map.jpg


Myth #2: Muslims have a strange religion and worship a god called Allah. :Myth #2: Muslims have a strange religion and worship a god called Allah. 8


Slide 9:Reality: Muslims are monotheistic and worship the same one God as Christians and Jews. 9


Note: :Note: ‘Allah’ is the Arabic word for ‘God.’ 10


Myth #3: :Myth #3: Muslims believe it is o.k. to kill civilians in a holy war (“jihad”). 11


Reality: :Reality: Only Muslim extremists believe this. (Just like most Christians do NOT believe in bombing abortion clinics.) 12


Myth #4: :Myth #4: Most Muslim women wear veils over their faces and are treated very badly. 13


Reality: :Reality: Muslim women have many different styles of dress. (Very few cultures require women to cover their faces.) The treatment of women varies from country to country and family to family. Some Muslim countries, like Pakistan, have had female prime ministers. The U.S. has never had a female president. 14


Pakistani dress (left); Saudi Arabian (right) :Pakistani dress (left); Saudi Arabian (right) Shariah TV website 15


Iranian woman :Iranian woman Green Cine.com 16


Somali (left); West African (right) :Somali (left); West African (right) Shariah TV website 17


Malaysian (left); Indian/Bangladeshi (right) :Malaysian (left); Indian/Bangladeshi (right) Shariah TV website 18


Afghani women wearing burqas :Afghani women wearing burqas International Medical Corps photo 19


Muslim girls in Texas protesting discrimination for wearing head scarves :Muslim girls in Texas protesting discrimination for wearing head scarves http://www.cairdfw.org 20


Something to think about: :Something to think about: Should women in a Western country be allowed to wear a headscarf if they choose? 21


Main Beliefs of Islam :Main Beliefs of Islam 5 Pillars of Islam 22


Faith: :Faith: Belief in one God and that Muhammad is His prophet. 23


Prayer: :Prayer: 5 times a day – facing Mecca http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/galleries/salah/images/5.jpg 24


Alms :Alms Giving money to the poor is REQUIRED, not optional 25


Fasting :Fasting During the month of Ramadan, Muslims cannot eat or drink anything during the daylight hours. 26


Pilgrimage :Pilgrimage Once in their lives – IF they can afford it, Muslims make a pilgrimage to Mecca 27


In Mecca during the pilgrimage :In Mecca during the pilgrimage www.thefaithclub.com 28


Vocabulary: :Vocabulary: MOSQUE: a Muslim place of worship 29


Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia :Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia http://islamicbooks.info/H-21-Madh'habs 30


Mohammed Ali mosque, Cairo, Egypt :Mohammed Ali mosque, Cairo, Egypt http://www.solarnavigator.net/geography/egypt.htm 31


Inside the Mohammed Ali Mosque :Inside the Mohammed Ali Mosque http://www.ask-aladdin.com 32


Dome of the Mohammed Ali mosque :http://www.ask-aladdin.com Dome of the Mohammed Ali mosque 33


Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Mosque), Istanbul Turkey :Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Mosque), Istanbul Turkey http://cs.ua.edu/~greg/personal.html 34


Interior of the Blue Mosque :Interior of the Blue Mosque http://www.britannica.com 35


Dome of a mosque, Esfahan, Iran :Dome of a mosque, Esfahan, Iran http://www.perceptivetravel.com/issues/1106/maclean.html 36


Interior of a mosque in Iran :Interior of a mosque in Iran http://www.worldisround.com/articles/73022/photo621.html 37


Mosque in Djenne, Mali (West Africa) :Mosque in Djenne, Mali (West Africa) http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/17028.html 38


North African mosque :North African mosque http://www.galenfrysinger.com/ tunis.htm 39


Indonesian mosque :Indonesian mosque http://www.richard-seaman.com/Travel/Brunei/index.html 40


Islamic architecture in Spain :Islamic architecture in Spain http://www.islamservices.org 41


Muslim mosque and tombstone in Sarajevo, Bosnia :Muslim mosque and tombstone in Sarajevo, Bosnia Yugoslavia: Republics and Provinces 42


Mosque in Tempe, Arizona :Mosque in Tempe, Arizona http://www.4uth.gov.ua/usa/english/society/muslimlife/mosques.htm 43


Vocabulary: :Vocabulary: QURAN (or KORAN): Muslim holy book 44


The Quran :The Quran http://www.minhajsisters.com/home/articles/index.minhaj?id=8 45


Muslim influences on :Muslim influences on secular art 46


Muslim profession of faith in the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, Turkey :Muslim profession of faith in the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, Turkey http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-251804/Muhammad 47


Arabic calligraphy in secular art :Arabic calligraphy in secular art http://www.plumsite.com/ palace/arabic.html 49


Stained glass windows in the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey :Stained glass windows in the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey http://www.geocities.com/mlafren/english/turk.html 48


Conclusions: :Conclusions: Islam is an important religion, which shares many beliefs and practices with Christianity and Judaism. Muslims live in many different countries. Islam is especially widespread in Africa, Asia, and southeastern Europe (the Balkans). Islam has had a great impact on world art and culture. 50