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Common Questions on Muslims, Arabs and Sikhs and Bridging Efforts
What is Islam?
Islam is not a new religion. It is the same truth that God revealed to all His
prophets throughout history.
Islam is both a religion
and a complete way of life. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy and forgiveness
that should not be associated with acts of violence against the innocent.
Who are Muslims and what do Muslims believe?
There are an estimated 1.2 billion Muslims worldwide. No more than 20 percent
of Muslims live in the Arabic-speaking world. The country with the largest Muslim
population is Indonesia . Muslims believe in One, Unique, and Incomparable God.
They believe in the Day of Judgement and individual accountability for actions.
Muslims believe in a chain of prophets beginning with Adam and including Noah,
Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, David, Solomon, and Jesus.
God's eternal message was reaffirmed and finalized by the Prophet Muhammad (peace
be on them all). One becomes a Muslim by saying, "There is no deity but God, and
Muhammad is the messenger of God." By this declaration, the person announces faith
in all of God's messengers.
Source - CAIR
What are the five pillars of Islam?
Source - CAIR
What is the Qur’an?
The Quran is the record of the exact words revealed by God through the Angel
Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad. It was memorized by Muhammad and then dictated
to his companions. The text of the Quran was cross-checked during the life of
the Prophet. The 114 chapters of the Quran have remained unchanged through the
centuries.
Source - CAIR
What is the difference between a Shia Muslim and a Sunni Muslim?
The division between Shia and Sunni dates back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad,
and the question of who was to take over the leadership of the Muslim nation.
Sunni Muslims agree with the position taken by many of the Prophet's companions,
that the new leader should be elected from among those capable of the job. This
is what was done, and the Prophet Muhammad's close friend and advisor, Abu Bakr,
became the first Caliph of the Islamic nation. The word "Sunni" in Arabic comes
from a word meaning "one who follows the traditions of the Prophet." On the other hand, some Muslims share the belief that leadership should have
stayed within the Prophet's own family, among those specifically appointed by
him, or among Imams appointed by God Himself. The Shia Muslims believe that following
the Prophet Muhammad's death, leadership should have passed directly to his cousin/son-in-law,
Ali. Throughout history, Shia Muslims have not recognized the authority of elected
Muslim leaders, choosing instead to follow a line of Imams which they believe
have been appointed by the Prophet Muhammad or God Himself. The word "Shia" in
Arabic means a group or supportive party of people. The commonly-known term is
shortened from the historical "Shia-t-Ali," or "the Party of Ali." They are also
known as followers of "Ahl-al-Bayt" or "People of the Household" (of the Prophet).
Source - Islam.about.com
What is the Muslim world?
There are an estimated 1.2 billion Muslims in the world. The Organization of
Islamic Countries has 55 member states. The ten countries with the largest Muslim
population are: Indonesia (170.3 million), Pakistan (136 million), Bangladesh
(106 million), India (103 million), Turkey (62.4 million), Iran (60.7 million),
Egypt (53.7 million), Nigeria (47.7 million) and China (37.1 million). Of these
countries only Egypt is an Arab country. Most Arabs are Muslims, but most Muslims
are not Arabs.
Source - ADC
More Information
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Arabs
Who is an Arab?
"Arab" is a cultural and linguistic term. It refers to those who speak Arabic
as their first language. Arabs are united by culture and by history. Arabs are
not a race. Some have blue eyes and red hair; others are dark skinned; many are
somewhere in between. Most Arabs are Muslims but there are also millions of Christian
Arabs and thousands of Jewish Arabs, just as there are Muslim, Christian, and
Jewish Americans.
Source - ADC
What is the Arab world?
The Arab World consists of 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa:
Algeria , Bahrain , the Comoros Islands , Djibouti , Egypt , Iraq , Jordan , Kuwait
, Lebanon , Libya , Morocco , Mauritania , Oman , Palestine , Qatar , Saudi Arabia
, Somalia , Sudan , Syria , Tunisia , the United Arab Emirates , and Yemen . Iran
and Turkey are not Arab countries and their primary languages are Farsi and Turkish
respectively. Arab countries have a rich diversity of ethnic, linguistic, and
religious communities. These include Kurds, Armenians, Berbers and others. There
are over 300 million Arabs.
Source - ADC
What is the Middle East ?
The Middle East is a loose term, not always used to describe the same territory.
It usually includes the Arab countries from Egypt east to the Persian Gulf, plus
Israel and Iran . Turkey is sometimes considered part of the Middle East, sometimes
part of Europe . Afghanistan , Pakistan , India , and Bangladesh are usually described
as South Asia .
Source - ADC
More Information
- Silent No More: Confronting America ’s False Images of Islam, Paul Findley
Findley details his journey in correcting his own stereotypes; discusses civil
liberties violations, misconceptions about Islam, biased “experts” on Islam, the
impact of discrimination on the American Muslim community.
- Split Vision: The Portrayal of Arabs in the American Media, Edmund Ghareeb
Interviews with 17 leading journalists; essays analyzing the Arab image in the
press, fiction, TV, political cartoons and textbooks.
- Middle East and Middle Eastern Americans Center, Graduate Center, City University
of New York
- Women in the Middle East
- U.S. Department of State, International Information Programs (U.S. Muslims)
- American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, A Bibliography of Anti-Arab Discrimination,
Stereotyping, and Media BiasArab American Institute Bibliography
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What are the characteristics of the Sikh religion?
Sikhism is a monotheistic faith. It recognizes God as the only One. He who is
not subject to time or space. He who is the Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer of
the Universe. Moreover in Sikhism, ethics and religion go together. The Sikh religion
rejects all rituals and routine practices like fasting and pilgrimage, omens and
austerities. The goal of human life to merge with God is accomplished by following
the teachings of the Guru, by meditation on the holy Name and performance of acts
of service and charity. The Sikh Scripture (Sri Guru Granth Sahib) is the perpetual
Guru. This is the only religion which has given the Holy Book the status of a
religious preceptor. There is no place for a living human Guru (Dehdhari) in Sikh
religion.
The word “Guru” is combination of two words Gu meaning Darkness and Ru meaning
Light. So literally, Guru means “The Light that dispels darkness.” The light is
divine knowledge. The light is the Word. The Word is the true nature of Akal Purakh
(God) Himself. Guru Nanak Dev Ji was imbued with the Jot of the Akal Purakh to
fulfill the latter's will and mission in this Kal Age.
Source - allaboutsikhs.com
What do Sikh’s believe? What is the Sikh Value System?
- Physico-economic values - A Sikh treats body as the sacred abode of the Spirit.
There is no place for austerities and torturing of the body as a way of salvation.
- Intellectual Values - Knowledge and wisdom are the key concepts; reason plays
the pivotal role and truth is the highest value to be cherished.
- Aesthetic Values - Loving devotion to the Lord, generating ecstatic state of
bliss leading to the enjoyment of the grandeur and beauty of His creation.
- Ethical Values - Virtue as reflected in valor, purity of conduct, realization
of the Divine presence in all the human beings and service of the mankind.
- Spiritual Values - Mukti and Nirvana in Sikhism is emancipation in life through
Divine Grace.
Source - allaboutsikhs.com
Are Sikhs Arabs or Muslims?
Sometimes it is difficult for people from the Western Hemisphere to distinguish
between different groups of people from the east. While it is true that some Muslims
wear turbans, the majority of people in the United States wearing a turban are
Sikhs. Sikh males, and some females, wear a turban as per the mandatory requirement
of their faith. The turban keeps their long, uncut hair neat and covered at all
times. Muslims, even those who wear turbans cut their hair. While orthodox Muslim
males wear a particular style of trimmed beard, an adult Sikh male's beard is
full and uncut. In addition, Sikhs do not profess the Muslim religion.
Source, SALDEF
Is Sikhism a sect of Hinduism?
No. Sikhism and Hinduism are distinctly separate religions. Most Hindus are henotheist,
i.e. worship a god/goddess from a large pantheon of deities. Sikhs believe in
the equality of all persons of both genders, do not believe one day to be more
auspicious than another, and worship One unincarnated, timeless God Who is beyond
birth and death. These are but a few of the fundamental differences in philosophy
and practice between the two groups.
Source, SALDEF
Is Sikhism based on Hinduism and Islam?
No. Sikhism originated in the teachings of Guru Nanak who realized that rituals,
religious legalism, and much religious practice current in his time did not lead
to a realization of God, or to a relationship with God, which Nanak believed is
the goal of every life.
Source, SALDEF
Are Sikhs taught to be violent?The “martial race” theory is a colonial construct that was created and propagated
by the British who recruited large numbers of so called “martial races,” the Sikhs,
Gurkhas, Rajputs, etc., for service in the British army
Source, SALDEF
More Information
Books
3 Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace… One School at a Time, Greg
Mortenson and David Oliver Relin - Mortenson and Relin tell the inspirational story of the Central Asia Institute,
which has since constructed more than 50 schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan
. The book has won the 2007 Kiriyama Prize for nonfiction.
Documentaries / Films
Unity Productions Foundation,
UPF is a non-profit foundation what woks for peace through the means of media.
Some the films include “Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet,” “Prince Among Slaves,”
and “Allah Made me Funny.”
Websites
- Our Voices Together
Unites individuals to counter terrorism through positive, global action by building
mutual trust and respect around the world.
- 20,000 Dialogues
20,000 Dialogues is a nationwide campaign designed to bring people of different
faiths together using films about Muslims to stimulate discussion and promote
understanding. It brings the concept of interfaith dialogue into the hands of
ordinary people who want to make a positive difference. At its heart is the idea
of democratizing dialogue through a "bottom up" approach that gives any interested
individual the materials and tools needed to host and/or participate in small,
grassroots generated discussions. It is an empowering project for those looking
to get away from the helplessness of the headlines and do something positive in
the world.
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