What is Islam??
The Basics:
- There are more than 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide
- The Holy Book of Islam is called the Qu'ran. Although it is most often found in the original Arabic, it has been translated into many languages over the years.
- Islam was established about 1400 years ago by the Prophet Muhammad, who is considered the last Prophet in the line of Abraham by Muslims (Abraham - a prophet for Christianity and Judaism too!)
- Muslims are forbidden from eating pork or drinking alcohol.
The Five Pillars of Islam:
- Testimony: Where a Muslim accepts that there is no God but God alone and that Muhammad is his prophet
- Prayer: Ritual prayer that all Muslims are required to perform five times a day
- Alms giving: All Muslims are required to give 1/40th of their annual income to the needy or poor each year
- Fasting: Muslims are required to fast from sunup to sundown during the holy month of Ramadan
- Pilgrimage: All Muslims who can physically and financially afford to are required to perform a journey to the holy land at least once in their lifetime
Source: https://www.voicesintoaction.ca/Learn/Unit3/Chapter3/
Read the article provided to you. With your group, find and highlight all the unfamiliar words, phrases or concepts. Define those terms.
Determine the perspective of the author (supports Islam or fears it).
Find at least 2 examples of extremist groups that use Islam as a reason for its actions. Can you consider them prejudiced and discriminatory? Or is it the rest of the world that is prejudiced and discriminatory?
Find at least one example and write it on the article for how Canada has shown fear of Islam.
Discuss and write the answer to this question: Is fear of Islam justified? To what extent?