| Council on American-Islamic Relations - Southern California (CAIR-LA) | |
| Media Contacts: | |
| Sabiha Khan 714-776-1847 sabiha@cair.com |
|
| Belief Overview: | |
| Islam means "submission to the
will of God." Islam teaches belief in only one God, the Day of Judgment and
individual accountability for actions. A "Muslim" is one who follows Islam. Muslims submit to the will of God and accept the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as God's last messenger. Islam greatly values peace; in fact the traditional Muslim greeting is "Salaam" which means "peace." The basic teachings of Islam are similar to those of Christianity and Judaism. The Articles of Faith include belief in only one God, the angels, revealed scriptures, prophets, the Day of Judgment, heaven and hell and God's will. There are five pillars in Islam: The Declaration of Faith, Prayer, Charity, Fasting in the month of Ramadan, and the Pilgrimage to Mecca. "Allah" is simply the Arabic word for God, the same God worshiped by Christians and Jews. It is the God of Abraham and Moses, not a different God. Christian Arabs also refer to God as "Allah." The Quran is the holy book of Islam. Muslims believe that the Quran was divinely revealed and is the last testament of God. The Quran is preserved in its original Arabic form and has never been changed. Muslims believe that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a prophet and the last in a series of messengers of God. Muslims believe in many prophets including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them). |
|
| Demographics: | |
There are currently 1.2
billion Muslims in the world, with 6 to 7 million in the United States. One
million Muslims reside in California alone. Contrary to popular perception,
only 18% of Muslims are Arabs and live in the Middle East. The countries
with the largest Muslim populations are India (175 million Muslims) and
Indonesia (200 million Muslims). |
|
| Facts: | |
| CAIR website:
http://www.cair-net.org The Mosque in America: A National Portrait http://www.cair-net.org/mosquereport/ Islam in America Ad Campaign http://www.americanmuslims.info/ Library Project http://www.cair-net.org/libraryproject/ |
|
| Publications and Other Resources: | |
| "What Everyone Should Know
about Islam and Muslims" by Suzanne Haneef "Islam: A Short History" by Karen Armstrong "Islam: The Straight Path" by John Esposito "The Essential Koran" by Thomas Cleary "Islam Today" by Akbar S. Ahmed "Islam in Focus" by Hammudah Abdal-Ati |
|
| Other Web sites of Interest: | |
|
http://www.islamfaq.org http://www.islam.org (IslamiCity - Islamic Portal) www.islamicfinder.com (Islamic Finder - Find local resources) www.astrolabepictures.com (Astrolabe - Islamic Books & Videos) |
|