AP+Islam

Islam is a religion based on the belief that a Supreme Being exists and he is the one and only God. His prophets have been sent at various times to send messages from Allah in many places throughout history. Islam is about commitment and striving for peace through "a struggle for justice, equality of opportunity, mutual caring and consideration for the rights of others, and continuous research and acquisition of knowledge for the better protection and utilization of the resources of Creation" (Murad). The culture of Islam is very structured when it comes to personal regard to the Commandments of Allah and achieving peace. There are very simple, decent, and civilized society. A part of the structure of the culture and religion is the Five Pillars of Islam. "The believer's duties are summed up in five simple rules, the so-called Five Pillars of Islam: Belief, Worship, Fasting, Almsgiving, and Pilgrimage" (Five Pillars). These Five Pillars are intended to remind Muslims of their Islamic culture and their holy practice. Belief is the phrase that "There is no god but God and that Muhammad is His messenger," to affirm the sovereignty of Allah. Worship is practicing faithful prayer at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and nightfall so they may prepare themselves for Mecca, the holy land. Fasting is abstaining from food and drink during the month of Ramadan. Almsgiving is a fixed amount of donations to charity every year. Lastly, Pilgrimage is taking a once in a lifetime journey to Mecca for purposes of faith. These are the foundation of the culture of Islam.
 * Islam: Culture**
 * Ashley Payne**

Works Cited "Five Pillars." Islam: Empire of Faith. PBS, n.d. Web. 2 Feb 2012. Murad, Khurram. "Islam - A Brief Introduction." Islam 101. N.p., 2008. Web. 2 Feb 2012.

1. 2. **Islam – Aim** 3. Sumedha Ravishankar 4. Islam is an ancient religion that has several different goals that it teaches its followers. The main aim of Islam is to teach its followers that God is the only god, and that Muhammad is his messenger (“Five Pillars”). This belief is the first step to acheiveing “Salam”, or peace. This peace helps all people and bring together justice. For example, “ Islam affirms these simple beliefs as the basis for the decent, civilized society towards which it strives… The success of civilizations and cultures is directly related to the extent of their practice of the righteous way of life revealed in the teaching and commandments of God, and set forth in the monotheistic religions which are confirmed by //Islam// //.// ” (Murad). This indicates that through the belief in God, “civilizations and cultures” can achieve “success” because they two are “directly related”. As a result, the main aim of Islam is to teach its followers that submission to God will allow them to become better as individuals and as a society, as well as gain peace. Furthermore, Islam teaches that by living the way taught by God, one can live a righteous and successful life. The remaining four pillars of the five pillars of Islam are worship, fasting, almsgiving, and pilgrimage (“Five Pillars”). These all are means by which Muslims are reminded to put their full belief into God, as set forth by the main aim of Islam. 5. Works Cited "Five Pillars." Islam: Empire of Faith. PBS, n.d. Web. 2 Feb 2012. Murad, Khurram. "Islam - A Brief Introduction." Islam 101. N.p., 2008. Web. 2 Feb 2012.

2. Islam - Audience 3. Courtney 4. The people of the world view followers of the Islamic religion as a violent and aggressive group, contrary to the peaceful nature of the religion. This is due to the fact that some followers of the religion express their beliefs in extreme ways, exaggerating Islam's core message. It appears as if the negative impression that non-followers have of the Islamic people is, at its core, simply a misunderstanding, “...in Islamic legal theory, the ultimate object of Islam was not war //per se//, but the ultimate establishment of peace” (Khadduri 141). T he "object of Islam" was never war, as much as it may seem that way because of actions such as the September 11 attacks. There should really be no distinction between followers and non-followers of the religion because both often share characteristics, "There are still significant numbers, in some quarters perhaps a majority, of Muslims with whom we share certain basic cultural and moral, social and political, beliefs and aspirations; there is still an imposing Western presence—cultural, economic, diplomatic—in Muslim lands, some of which are Western allies" (Lewis). Islamic people are misinterpreted by the rest of the world, and it is important that people understand Islam's purpose and beliefs. 5. Works Cited =Khadduri, Majid. War and peace in the law of Islam. New York: John Hopkins, 2005. Print. =

Lewis, Bernard. “The Roots of Muslim Rage.” //The Atlantic//. Sept. 1990. Web. 02 Feb. 2012.

**1. ** **2. Islam – Historical** **3. Bethanie Butler** **4.** Islam is one of the oldest religions in the world and as a direct result it has a vast group of followers. Followers of Islam believe in the prophet Mohammed and his preaching, most common “may peace be upon you”, and his life (sira) and traditions (sunnah) are still upheld by those that follow him (Oussani). Although the history of Islam shows it to be a religion that promotes peace amongst its followers and people, more recently its history has been tainted by the violence and brutality of Islamic extremists. “Historically, of course, to become a Muslim was to become a follower of Mohammed and of his religion; and it is very doubtful whether the earliest Muslims or followers of Mohammed, had any clear notion of the ethico-religious significance of the term, although its later theological development is entirely consistent and logical” (Oussani). Therefore, it was impossible for Mohammed or followers of Islam to predict the “later theological development” of Islam and how extremists would misinterpret it. “In the classical Islamic view, to which many Muslims are beginning to return, the world and all mankind are divided into two: the House of Islam, where the Muslim law and faith prevail, and the rest, known as the House of Unbelief or the House of War, which it is the duty of Muslims ultimately to bring to Islam” (Lewis). One of the most common consequences of this Islamic “House of War” is the terrorists attacks and most remembered by citizens of United States is the September 11th attacks in 2001. Yet, even with all the lives lost and destroyed that day, it is important for people to remember what the history of Islam tells people instead of the more recent history that is being created by a relatively small group of extremists that do not in any way reflect the views, traditions, practices of true followers of Islam.

** 5. Works Cited ** Oussani, Gabriel. “Catholic Encyclopedia: ISLAM (CONCEPT).” //Cornell University Library//. Trans. Joseph P. Thomas. 1997. Web. 02 Feb. 2012.

Lewis, Bernard. “The Roots of Muslim Rage.” //The Atlantic//. Sept. 1990. Web. 02 Feb. 2012.