On the Topic of: Islam

Today's topic was the Muslim religion and where it came from. I'm sure that many of you don't know all that much about the Muslim faith, because the vast majority of the American public have great misconceptions about Muslims and their faith.

The Muslim faith started in the Arabian Peninsula (shown below). Originally inhabited by Bedouin Arabs, the Arabian peninsula largely stayed out of the light of history until the 7th century, when Islam began to rise. Originally, Bedouin Arabs were nomadic people who traveled with their livestock around the rim of the Arabian Peninsula (the center has been dry, extremely hot, arid, desert for millenniums).

The Arabian Peninsula highlighted in pink. Includes today's modern: Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Contains vast desert land, and small pockets of lush, humid, green land located near the sea.

There existed only two established cities on the Arabian Peninsula at the time Islam began to rise: Mecca and Medina. According to record, Mecca was a holy site for the polytheistic (multi-god religious) Bedouins. Several centries BCE, there was a sizable comet that landed in Mecca, and the Bedouins kept and worshiped the comet as a sign of the God of the sky. The site still exists today, and is enshrined in the city. It is now a religious site, and is the location of the great pilgrimage required of all Muslims at least once in their lifetime.

The Mecca holy site. Located in the upper Colosseum is the Kaaba, where the ancient meteorite is located. 

The Kaaba

In 570 CE (common era), Mohammed--the Islamic prophet--was born in the city of Mecca. In 598, Mohammed was visited by the angel Gabriel and told to go to the desert and listen for God's commands. For one month, Mohammed remained in the desert where he heard directly the word of God. He recited aloud the word of God. Reciting the word of God repeatedly for one month, Mohammed returned to Mecca to spread the word of God and proclaim his word to the people there.

After many years, in 622, Mohammed was not accepted by the polytheistic Bedouins and he made the trip to Medina. Here, Mohammed was happily accepted by the population. He was revered as a great prophet. While in Medina, he became a great military and political leader. In 624, Mohammed led his army back to Mecca, where he easily seiged the city. The citizens were converted to Islam and soon were willing followers of the invading Muslims.

Mohammed died shortly after his reign as 'the final prophet' began, in 632. There was great controversy after his death. Mohammed never specified a substitute or replacement leader before his abrupt death. This is where the great Muslim divide is based. Sunna (Sunni) Muslims believe that Mohammed's successor should be chosen and revealed by God. Sunni leaders are known as Caliphs, and are not related to Mohammed. Abu Bakr was the first of the Caliphs.

Shi'a Muslims believe that the successor to Mohammed should be someone of his family. Originally Ali, Mohammed's son in law was approved as the successor. Ali was assassinated soon after he took his reign because Sunnis believed the rightful successor would be chosen by God. Shi'a Muslim leaders are known as Imams. The Shi'a leader of Iran is known as the Ayatollah.

The largest sect of Islam is Sunni Muslims, followed by Shi'a Muslims, and Sufi Muslims (ultra conservative, nomadic, Muslim sect). All Islamic republics that exist today are Sunni Muslim republics with the exception of Iran, which is a Shi'a Muslim republic.

The Holy Koran

There are many common misconceptions about Muslims that we have addressed in class, so as not to offend Muslims over seas and to set the record straight:

1. Islam is a religion of peace. Although many people are of the belief that all Muslims follow jihadist beliefs, that's not true. Nearly 92% of Muslims do not follow extremist beliefs about jihad, which means 'war against the infidels'. According to many Imams and Caliphs, jihad is meant to be interpreted as the internal struggle to be a better Muslim; referring to those who struggle with fighting temptations and following Islamic law.
2. Shari'ah law is not used all across the Muslim world. Much like the Jewish Bible, the Koran lays out hundreds of laws for Muslims to follow. The Koran, much like the Torah, has many outdated and barbaric laws that were used when the Koran was written. Although some of the laws are in use in the Middle East, for the vast majority of the middle east, Shari'ah law is only used in tribal regions.
3. Arabs are not the same as Muslims. Muslims follow the Islamic faith. Arabs are descendants of peoples from the Arabian peninsula. There exist numerous different kinds of Arabs in the middle east. Muslim Arabs, Christian Arabs, Jewish Arabs, Persian Arabs, Turkish Arabs, Egyptian Arabs, Palestinian Arabs, etc.
4. Many Muslims denounce the violence used by radical Muslims. Nearly 99% of Muslims across the world practice harmless, peaceful, private forms of Islam. It's those who use radical and extreme violence that attract attention and steal spotlight in the news, giving the West the perception that Muslims are all "terrorists" or "extremists".

I've found it fascinating to learn more about the Muslim faith, and I'm excited to see it's practice in Israel! We'll be visiting the Temple Mount, the location of the the Dome of the Rock, the third most holy site for Muslims in the world. It's said that the Temple Mount is the site where Mohammed dreamed of his assent to heaven shortly before his death. Although Christians and Jews are not allowed into the Dome of the Rock, they are allowed to get close to observe the Temple Mount. Only Muslims are allowed to the top of the Temple Mount and inside the Dome of the Rock.

That's all I've got for today, I hope to put my final post after class tomorrow. We'll be talking about the peace negotiations that started in 1991, 1993, and 2000, and I'm sure I'll have a lot to post about!