Muslim communities

major part of people’s lives all around the world today. Religion means something different to each individual. Whether it’s an escape from reality, a reason to live, or simply the feeling of belonging to a community, religion has a significant influence over people and their actions. The Muslims in the Middle East are especially impressive when it comes to their devotion to Allah. But there is a question of one thing in regards to women of the Islamic faith living overseas. Does the…

surprise, that Muslims’ stances and beliefs are questioned. The issue of whether all Muslims are potential terrorists or not is controversial, as a lot of governments around the world have been discussing how to deal with ISIS, and whether they should ban Muslims from entering their countries, or not. By this point, everybody in the world has his own distinct opinion. ISIS has caused the whole world to stand in shock and awe. Some think that Islam is a peaceful religion, and that most Muslims…

Australia’s perceptions of Islam and how Muslim discrimination is at an all-time high. 1 in 4 Australians were born overseas, this means that we have one of the most diverse populations in the world. Yet, cultural and religious discrimination are prevalent issues facing Australia right now. People of the Islamic religion are experiencing discrimination daily in Australia. Western Sydney University recently completed a survey of almost 600 Australian Muslims. The results found that 57% had…

separate branches of Islam: the Sunnis and the Shiites. Of the 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, eighty-five to ninety percent of them are Sunnis. Sunnis believe that the rightful successor to Muhammad is Abu Bakr. Since none of Muhammad’s sons survived into adulthood, genetic male succession was not a viable option. So Umar ibn al-Khattab, a well-known friend of Muhammad’s nominated Abu Bakr. The Muslim community gave their support and he was elected the first caliph. The first four…

hear the word Muslim. Is it a towel wrapped, goat loving terrorist, holding an AK-47? This way of thinking, this unfair hatred of people we don’t even know, is called Islamophobia, and it’s very common in the US. Islamophobia isn’t only a way of thinking, it’s a disease, and just like any other disease, people need to recognize that this is a problem, then look at the causes, side-effects, and possible cures. Islamophobia is defined on Dictionary.com as the “hatred or fear of Muslims or of…

In 2001 the twin towers had been attacked by terrorist who were muslims, they had hijacked 3 planes and two of them hit twin towers causing them to be destroyed killing near to about 3,000 people.Many were outraged americans were outraged and turned to the fact that all Muslims where terrorist and had to be gone because, they had been the reason for 9/11.People had been stereotyping them calling them “dirty” or “evil”.They wanted them gone they wanted no part in their them or their beliefs and…

UNDERSTANDING JIHAD IN THE CONTEXT OF HINDU-MUSLIM CONFLICTS In order to understand the concept of “Jihad”, let us first understand the culture it comes from, i.e., Islam. As the Quran states, “The word Islam means, “surrender” to the will of God (Allah in Arabic). Since there is only one God and mankind is one species, the religion that God has ordained for human beings is one.’’ Islam also preaches that God in His mercy had sent messengers to convey His message, to different…

The act of veiling, for many women, is a Muslim practice consisting of women covering their heads with a head scarf, for others it's a personal choice to portray modesty. While there are various reasons as to why women may veil themselves, there are also various misunderstandings about the veil and what it may or may not represent. Misunderstanding the representation of this religious practice has led to discrimination towards the women who choose to veil. Although the hijab is a symbol of…

inappropriate to label a global religion of 1.6 billion people with the nonsensical term ‘Islamic terrorist.’” She said it’s evidenced by the equally nonsensical terms ‘Christian terrorist’ or ‘Jewish terrorist. Perhaps the greatest misperception about Muslims is a single word shrouded by confusion and fear — jihadism. Widely used, though inaccurately, by politicians, mass media as well as the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. Diane Morgan’s book, “Essential Islam: A Comprehensive Guide to Belief…

SHIA & SUNNI MUSLIMS. Sunni Islam and Shia Islam are the two major denominations of Islam. Their division traces back to a Sunni–Shiaschism following the death of the Islamic prophetMuhammad in the year 632AD. A dispute over succession to Prophet Muhammed, as a caliph of the Islamic community spread across various parts of the world, which led to the Battle of Jamal and Battle of Siffin. The dispute intensified greatly after the Battle of Karbala, in which Hussein ibn Ali and his household…