3. Muslim Distribution
Germany
United Kingdom
France Mongolia
Yugoslavia
Bulgaria Former U.S.S.R.
Albania
Turkey
Cyprus China
Tunisia Syria
Lebanon Iraq Afghanistan
Morocco Israel Iran
Jordan Pakistan Nepal
Algeria
Western Libya Egypt
Sahara Saudi Arabia UAE Bangladesh
India
Burma
Mauritania
Oman
Mali Niger
Senegal Chad Yemen Thailand
Gambia Upper Sudan
Djibouti
Guinea- Guinea Volta
Bissau Ivory Nigeria Ethiopia Philippines
Sierra Cent. Afr.
Coast Sri Lanka
Leone Cameroon Rep. Brunei
Malaysia
Liberia Uganda
Ghana Kenya Somalia
Togo
Benin
Indonesia
United Republic of Tanzania
Malawi
Mozambique
Population Key
89 - 100% Muslim
Madagascar 51 - 88% Muslim
South Africa 26 - 50% Muslim
2 - 25% Muslim
4. The Qur’an
Arabic for “recitation” – the very speech of God
Said to have “descended upon the prophet
Written in refined and flowing Arabic best described
as poetic prose
Revealed sporadically from A.D.610 to A.D.632 at
Muhammad’s death
A chapter is called a “surah”. The opening surah,
“Fatihah, is recited in the canonical prayer and is the
rquired minimum for all Muslims to memorize in
Arabic
5. Qur’an (cont)
Three categories:
Warnings of judgment, heaven & hell
Laws and regulations for the community
Stories of biblical figures and from Arabic lore
Jesus receives much attention
6. Principle Beliefs
Five main prophets: Adam, Moses, David, Jesus, and
Muhammad
“Five Pillars” of Islamic worship
Confession: Allah is the one God
Prayer: five times a day toward Mecca
Fasting: during the month of Ramadan
Pilgrimage: once in lifetime to Mecca
Almsgiving: to the poor
Angels: central in Islamic cosmology
Final judgment: based on works
Jihad: “striving for Islam” - not necessarily war
7. Shari’ah – Islamic Law
Provides fundamental guidance for personal and
social life
No distinction between private and public
Now mostly relegated to family and religious matters,
but a strong movement in some Arabic countries to
make it the primary law of the land
8. Sunni and Shiite
Sunni – 90% - center point of faith is the “community
of believers”
Shiite – 10% - Imams have both spiritual and
political pre-eminence. Iran is Shiite – thus the power
of the clergy to rule social and political life
“Folk Islam” – the religion of the people, varies from
place to place and involves more attention to the
power of Satan and jinn as well as the positive power
of holy people and places.
9. Judaism - Modern
Centered on the Jewish bible and commentaries
Tanakh – Torah, Nabilim, Ketubim
Midrash – commentary on the Torah
Mishnah – philosophical code
Talmud – a commentary on the Mishnah
Three branches
Orthodox – from ancient synagogue-based patterns of life
Reformed – Contextualized to its local setting – syncretized
before long
Conservative – doctrinally conservative but participating in
mainstream of local life
10. Common Jewish Practices
Sabbath observance – sundown Friday to sundown
Saturday
Food and dietary laws – “kosher”
Circumcision
Celebration of achieving adulthood
Bar-mitzvah – boys
Bat-mitzvah – girls
Worship – usually on the sabbath
11. Witnessing
Share the Jesus you know
Invite Jews to investigate the claims of Christ
Be aware that the personal impact of Judaism is
often a well-developed sense of guilt
Build strong relationships with dialogue and
exchange
