A Journey to The Middle East

1
A Journey to The Middle East

• Perceptions of Islam

2
True or False There are more Muslims worldwide
than Catholics.

• A) True
• B) False

• Answer
• A) True
• There are 1.3 billion Muslims worldwide and only
  1.115 billion Catholics. However, there are
  currently over 2 billion Christians who represent
  the worlds largest religious group.
• http//www.catholicculture.org/news/features/index
  .cfm?recnum57525

3
Islam can best be defined as

• A) monotheistic
• B) polytheistic
• C) atheistic
• D) pagan

Answer A) monotheistic Muslims believe that
Allah is the one and only God, and is indivisible.
4
True or False The Quran teaches that war (or
jihad) must be fought in order to bring Islam,
the pure religion, to the world.

• A) True
• B) False

Answer B) False The Quran teaches that war
should be fought only in self-defense and within
strict limits.
5
What is the actual meaning of the word Jihad?

• A) to strive C) to conquer
• B) obligation D) heavenly

Answer A) The word Jihad stems from the Arabic
root word J-H-D, which means "strive." Other
words derived from this root include "effort,"
"labor," and "fatigue." Essentially Jihad is an
effort to practice religion in the face of
oppression and persecution. The effort may come
in fighting the evil in your own heart, or in
standing up to a dictator. Military effort is
included as an option, but as a last resort and
not "to spread Islam by the sword" as the
stereotype would have one believe.
6
True or False Muslims believe that Jesus was a
prophet.

• A) True
• B) False

• Answer
• A) True. Muslims respect and revere Jesus, upon
  him be peace, and await his Second Coming.

7
People of the Book

• Muslims believe that God had previously revealed
  Himself to the earlier prophets of the Jews and
  Christians, such as Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.
  Muslims therefore accept the teachings of both
  the Jewish Torah and the Christian Gospels. They
  believe that Islam is the perfection of the
  religion revealed first to Abraham (who is
  considered the first Muslim) and later to other
  prophets. Muslims believe that Jews and
  Christians have strayed from God's true faith but
  hold them in higher esteem than pagans and
  unbelievers. They call Jews and Christians the
  "People of the Book" and allow them to practice
  their own religions. Muslims believe that
  Muhammad is the "seal of the prophecy," by which
  they mean that he is the last in the series of
  prophets God sent to mankind.

8
True or False Muslims worship Muhammad as the
founder of Islam.

• A) True
• B) False

• Answer B) False. While Muhammad was chosen to
  deliver the message, he is not considered the
  "founder" of Islam Muslims believe all the
  prophets from Adam, Noah, Moses, Jesus etc. were
  sent with divine guidance for their peoples.
  Every prophet was sent to his own people, but
  Muhammad was sent to all of mankind. Muhammad is
  the last and final messenger sent to deliver the
  message of Islam. Muslims revere and honor him
  for all he went through, but they do not worship
  him.

9
What is the meaning of the name of the religion,
Islam?

• A) Allah is almighty
• B) We will be saved
• C) Peace and submission
• D) We will prevail

• Answer
• C) Peace and submission. Islam teaches that one
  can only find peace in one's life by submitting
  to Almighty God (Allah) in heart, soul and deed.

10
True or False Islam teaches that men and women
are equal in the eyes of Allah.

• A) True or B) False

• Answer
• A) True. The Quran clearly teaches that a woman
  is a full-person under the law, and is the
  spiritual equal of a male.

11
More on Islam and Women

• Violence of any kind towards women and forcing
  them against their will for anything is not
  allowed.
• Polygamy is neither mandatory, nor encouraged,
  but merely permitted.
• Once the man and woman are married, the man is
  required to clothe, feed, shelter and educate her
  (or allow her to be educated) in the same manner
  as he does himself.

http//www.submission.info/perspectives/women/equa
lity.html
12
What is the estimated year when Islam will become
the most widely practiced world religion?

• A) 2016
• B) 2023
• C) 2035
• D) 2048

Answer B) 2023 (a little over 10 years from
right now!!!)