Islam

The following pictures are not all positive images or ideas. You should google Islam images and see both positive and negative images. You could also do this for Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, etc. Religion is a touchy subject and one that both creates cultures, promotes culture, and at its extreme seeks to control cultures.

Basic Beliefs of Islam

1. Allah, is the only God, and Muhammad is his prophet.
2. Prophets and Messengers: While Muhammad is the sole prophet in Islam, the religion recognizes many of the prophets from Judaism and Christianity, such as Noah, Moses, Abraham, Jesus, and others. Whereas Jesus is thought to be the final prophet for Christianity, Muhammad is God's last prophet according to Islam. As most prophets, Muhammad is chosen by Allah to deliver his message to humankind.
3. The Guidance from Allah & the Qur'an: Muhammad left behind the Word of Allah, the Qur'an, and his teachings, Hadith, were collected by his companions (similar to Christianity's disciples). The Qur'an and the Hadith are the textual sources of Islamic teachings. The Qur'an (or Koran) is equivalent in importance to the Christian Bible or the Jewish Talmud.
4. The Angels: Thought to be beings of purity and light, the angels do Allah's bidding. Taken from Judaism and Christianity, the angel Gabriel or Jibrail, was responsible for guiding Muhammad to Allah in the form of visions.
5. The Last Day: Similar to the other religions of the Book, everything Allah has created will eventually end in some sort of cataclysmic "rapture". The last day for each human being is the day of his/her death, as there is a last day for life on earth. On the last day of the earth, "there will be earthquakes, mountains will either be rendered to sand or will float in space like carded wool, water of the oceans will either be sucked into the earth or will boil away and the valleys thus created will be filled with earth or rocks. The earth will become smooth without mountains or valleys with no life on it. However, this is not the end of human beings. There is life hereafter or the after life."
6. Life After Death (Eschatology): At the day of Judgement, Muslims believe that their previous actions will be weighed and they will either go to Heaven or Hell.
7. Al Qadr (Measure, Destiny, Decree): Allah created humans but humans have limited freedom and choices. Only Allah (like the Gods in Christianity and Judaism) is omnipotent. The belief of this is called Qadr, only Allah has perfect knowledge and power over humans.

Five Rites (Acts) of Worship

1. Shahadah, Witnessing: "La Ilaha illa-Allah wa Muhammadur-Rasool-Allah" meaning there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger.
2. Salah, Prescribed Prayers: Muslims are required to pray five times a day. It is customary to face Mecca while praying.
3. Zakah, Wealth Cleansing Tax: A certain amount of money is tithed to the Islamic religion. This tithe is supposed to be spent to help the poor or needy.
4. Sawm, Fasting in the Month of Ramadan: Ramadan is the ninth month of Islamic lunar calendar. During this month Muslims are required to fast from dawn to dusk, meaning not to eat, drink, smoke or indulge in sex. After sunset all lawful food, drink and sex are allowed.
5. Hajj, Pilgrimage to Mecca: A Muslim must perform Hajj once in a life time. The Hajj lasts for five days from the 8th to 12th of Dhul Hijjah. Approximately two million people perform Hajj every year.

Human duties fall under four categories:

1. Duty to Allah
2. Duty to Other Human Beings
3. Community, familial or Duty to one's country
4. Duty to Manage the Earth

Lawful (Halal) and Unlawful (Haram)

This is a part of Islamic Shari'ah, civil and criminal law. The unlawful things fall under four categories.

1. Food and Drink: There are a number of things which have been forbidden as food and drink, such as, flesh of pigs, blood, anything offered in the name of anyone other than Allah, flesh of dead animals, carnivorous animals, birds of prey, all intoxicants including alcoholic liquor and drugs of abuse and anything poisonous to humans.
2. Sources of Income: Any business involving production, distribution or sale of unlawful food or drinks is unlawful. In addition, all trades of exploitation or taking others rights away are unlawful, such as, prostitution, gambling, usury or interest, stealing, robbery, embezzlement, monopolizing and hoarding to raise prices and others.
3. Spending the Wealth: Spending money on unlawful food and drinks to serve others or gambling is an example of unlawful spending.
4. Sexual Relations: A simple principle is no sex without marriage. An engagement is a social custom not a religious rite. A person closest in blood relation is lawful to marry a first cousin. Multiple wives is permissible, but not encouraged. There is no permission for homosexuality in Islam.

Women: Islam is often misunderstood regarding their view of women. Some basic beliefs are as follows:

1. Women as young as nine years old can get married, often to older men.
2. Women are to obey their husbands, but women are seen as one part of the whole relationship between a man and a woman. Husbands are encouraged to treat their wives well, as the wife is to obey the husband.
3. Muslim women are expected to only marry Muslim men.
4. Polygamy is allowed, but not excessive (the male must provide for all his wives).
5. Widows customarily receive 1/4 their husband's inheritance. If there are children, this is traditionally dropped to 1/8.
6. Abortion is illegal in Islam. The woman's body is the property of the husband (and Allah).
7. A woman who has sex outside of marriage can be jailed for up to 6 months. In the past (or in some cultures) she may be put to death in severe circumstances.
8. Women can file for divorce.
9. Women need their husband's permission to travel.
10. Hijab is the concept that Islamic men and women should wear modest clothes. The woman's clothing should not dress to arouse males. Sartorial hijab (the veil) is often seen by Western culture as oppressive, but many Muslim women are "fine" wearing the "veil."
11. There is a definite separation between men and women in Muslim culture. Men stay with men, women with women, particularly while praying or when attending social events. Otherwise, women are often escorted in public, not allowed to be alone.
12. Women in the modern Muslim world can be educated or get jobs, but this is not always permissible, depending on the culture.
13. There are other details about women and men in Islam. You should read about them, since the above is only a general overview. The issue is much more complex.

Islam began to form and emerge in the 7th century. It had a golden age (a renaissance of art, music, poetry, mathematics, science, etc.) called the Abbassid dynasty, the span of time begins around the mid 8th century and lasts until the Mongol invasion of 1258. The European Crusades (11th - 13th centuries) brought much of this science, medicine, mathematics, art, architecture, and so on back to Europe, allowing the West to begin their own Renaissance. It is curious to note that the interaction of cultures often bring about new outlooks, viewpoints, philosophy, and an uptick in the Arts.