Islam

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Islam
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Origins of IslamMuslims

• Arabs are a Semitic(subdivision of largely Middle
  Eastern Afro-Asiatic languages, cultures, and
  ethnicities) people, related to the Hebrews and
  old Assyrians and Mesopotamians.
• They consider themselves descendents of the
  Biblical patriarch Abraham.
• They get little mention in history up until the
  7th century.
• Arabs followed of religions, including
  Greek-style paganism, Judaism and Christianity.

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• Then, an Arab merchant named Mohammed gave up his
  business so that he could devote himself to
  contemplating Allah, or the ONE TRUE GOD. Changes
  forever take place.
• This religion came to him in a vision of the
  angel Gabriel.
• He became a prophet, but as he gathered
  followers, his leaders in Mecca kicked him out.
  Here he becomes not only a religious leader in
  Medina, but also a lawgiver and judge.
• Mohammed then led a Muslim army out of Medina to
  conquer Mecca.

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• Before Mohammed died in 632 AD, the Muslims had
  conquered most of Arabia.
• Eventually, his successor Abu Bakr would create a
  massive Muslim empire.
• Although factionalism arose within Islam, and
  disagreements led to power struggles and war,
  there was remarkable continuity in the Arab world.

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Spreading Islam

• Arabs rose to power with swiftness and force in
  the 7th and early 8th centuries.
• Mohammed left his followers a book, the Koran, as
  the holy centerpiece of their faith and the guide
  to proper living.
• Good Muslims had to learn to read and the book
  they learned was the Koran(unlike Christians w/
  priests).

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• Eventually, in the 9th and 10th centuries, the
  Islamic Kingdoms broke up into pieces and as a
  result, broke into religious factions.
• Shiite Muslims believed that only Mohammeds
  descendents could take the religious-political
  leadership title imam
• Sunni Muslims, the majority, chose an imam by
  consensus.

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• Although Mohammeds followers united most of the
  Arabic-speaking peoples, there was some
  resistance from some that resulted in Jihad or
  holy war, to restore the faith by force.
• The Muslim warrior who waged Jihad were sure that
  if they died honorably while fighting for Allah
  they would get into paradise right away. However,
  the faith teaches obedience to the will of God
  and peace.

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• Early on, Muslims were rather tolerant toward
  other religions b/c of their kinship.(Muslims see
  Mohammed as the ultimate Prophet)
• The Crusades left bad feelings between Christians
  and Islamic peoples (Spain)(Kosovo-Serbian/Albani
  an)
• Muslim and Jewish flare-upscreating of Israel.

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Your Exit slip questions

• Discuss the origins of Islam.
• What is meant by Islam/Muslim? What is the
  difference between the two?
• What is Jihad?
• Discuss how friction arose between Islam and
  other religions.
• What are some Islamic beliefs(give at least 5)?