Beliefs.
We are known as one of the three
great Abrahamic faiths. Like
Judaism and Christianity, our religion was founded by a descendant of Abraham.
We believe in Moses and Jesus, the Torah and Gospel.
We believe in the Ten Commandments.
We
believe in angels, in heaven and hell and the Day of Judgment, in the return
of Jesus, in the books and messengers of God, and in predestination and free
will.
Some
people think we have a different God because we use the Arabic language name
for God, “Allah.” Whether we are Christians, Jews or Muslims, we
all pray to the same God.
To
those of you who are Hindu, Buddhist, or any other faith, we share your love
of God and all humanity. We believe God sent a messenger to every nation with
the same message: Believe in one God and be fair to each other.
We
are taught that Islam is just the final brick in the house that God has built
through his other prophets.
One
becomes a Muslim by declaring there is only one God (thus, no one should play
God) and Mohammed is his messenger.
Duties.
We pray 5 times a day, pay a tax to help the needy, fast during the month of
Ramadan, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca if we are able.
Beginnings.
In the year 610 C.E., the angel Gabriel appeared to a descendant of Abraham
and Hagar. His name was Mohammed,
a contemplative and respected citizen of the trading metropolis of Mecca.
Mohammed
could not read or write, but he listened carefully, and the messages from God,
brought by the angel, were written down by others during the next 23 years of
his life and later put together in a book called the Koran, in Arabic
“The Reading.”
The
religion was called Islam, which, in Arabic means “submission to God,
peace, safety, purity.” Followers
were called Muslims. Both word
were derived from the stem “salam.”
The
Islamic empire spread rapidly
throughout the Middle East, all of North Africa, parts of Europe, Persia and
as far as China. Those supporting freedom of speech and religion (such as
India) joined the empire by treaties.
Islamic teachings were later voluntarily
accepted by many because they were simple and supportive of diverse
culture and science.
Muslims
led a Golden Age of local rule and pluralism supporting science and culture in
Baghdad, Cairo, Jerusalem, Damascus, and Spain for hundreds of years.
Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians and Hindus lived together in peace.
The
Crusades. This
holy war was stirred up in Europe and continued off and on for centuries. It
was sparked when the Islamic rulers of Jerusalem attacked
churches, prevented pilgrimage and persecuted Christians. The Church of
Rome spread the idea that Muslims were infidels—godless. Muslims had
violated the most fundamental Islamic principle of protection of religious
freedom.
And
when Muslims started attacking churches in Spain, a brutal Inquisition
destroyed the multicultural civilization there that had lasted for 8
centuries. Similarly, intolerant Baghdad was destroyed by Mongol invaders and
the Ottoman Empire was carved up into artificial states after WWI.
Dictatorships
followed and continue until the present day throughout the Islamic world,
sometimes supported by outside influence. Internal democracy movements are
crushed.
Many
Muslims do not understand their religion well anymore. In unfree societies,
one is not taught to think, only to hear and obey.
Still,
suicide bombings are condemned by all Muslims.
The vast majority believe that political grievances should be resolved with
demonstrations and fair fights which do not harm the innocent. Muslims see
terror as sabotage of their just causes.
Terrorists
work for political ends. Muslims do not know who they are.
They do not hang out in mosques and mix with us.
Even
Muslims who are very angry at America abhor terror and cannot be recruited
into it.
Tammam Adi Ph.D is the Director
of the Islamic Cultural Center of Eugene, Oregon, USA. Originally from Syria,
he is a computational linguist specializing in Arabic.
taadi@earthlink.net
Read other articles by Tammam
Adi here.
