Since the time of Christopher Columbus, maybe even earlier, Muslim Americans have been on United States soil. As odd as that may sound to some, Muslims have been here since the beginning. Even to this day Muslim Americans still have a huge role to play in society every single day. Those who practice the Islamic faith are doctors, teachers, even the most ordinary individuals on the streets. Islam is a religion of respect and unity that has been clouded by extremists with poor ideas that do not represent Islam in any way. There are many things to be said about Islam, let us observe a few. The Islam religion is a practice of faith that is highly misunderstood. Even though so many people are misinformed it is still one of the fastest growing
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Throughout the community there are two groups of people who interpret who may be the successor of the Prophet. One group, called Sunni, makes up about 85 percent of the Muslim population. Sunnis believe that the successor can be chosen by the leaders of the Muslim community and they only view the one who is elected as a leader, not a religious figure. However, the other 15 percent is called the Shiites. Shiites believe that the only successors are those who were born from Muhammad’s daughter and son-in-law, and they should be seen as a religious authority, not simply just a leader (Smith, 1999). Regardless of what either believes, they all follow the same set of rules. These rules are highly important and are called “The Five …show more content…
Muslims started to begin worshiping inside of a renter hall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in the 1920s (“American Muslims in…”, 2016). The first mosque that was built in Ross, North Dakota in 1929. Eventually, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa there was a mosque built in 1934 that is still the oldest mosque that is standing to this day (Tweed, 2004). Muslim communities and mosques started to be formed in the 1940s and 1950s (“Feature Islam in…”, n.d.). By the time of the 1990s there were more than 600 mosques established throughout the United States (“American Muslims in…”,
Throughout the community there are two groups of people who interpret who may be the successor of the Prophet. One group, called Sunni, makes up about 85 percent of the Muslim population. Sunnis believe that the successor can be chosen by the leaders of the Muslim community and they only view the one who is elected as a leader, not a religious figure. However, the other 15 percent is called the Shiites. Shiites believe that the only successors are those who were born from Muhammad’s daughter and son-in-law, and they should be seen as a religious authority, not simply just a leader (Smith, 1999). Regardless of what either believes, they all follow the same set of rules. These rules are highly important and are called “The Five …show more content…
Muslims started to begin worshiping inside of a renter hall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in the 1920s (“American Muslims in…”, 2016). The first mosque that was built in Ross, North Dakota in 1929. Eventually, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa there was a mosque built in 1934 that is still the oldest mosque that is standing to this day (Tweed, 2004). Muslim communities and mosques started to be formed in the 1940s and 1950s (“Feature Islam in…”, n.d.). By the time of the 1990s there were more than 600 mosques established throughout the United States (“American Muslims in…”,