3. Islam
Rapidly growing religion
Dominates in 52 countries
Total population of Islam – about
1,000,000,000 – 1/6 world population
Only 20% in middle east.
The largest Muslim country is Indonesia
5. Islam
Rapidly growing in Europe – now the second
largest religion in Europe
However, only a small percentage of
missionaries have been working with Muslims
6. Islam
Expanded from Arabia into both eastern and
western Europe for centuries
Dominated North Africa, the middle east and
Central Asia
Extended to Indonesia, Philippine Islands
7. Islam
It is tied with 7th century Arabian culture,
and is a deification of that culture.
You cannot separate the culture and the
religion – they are tied together in politics,
family structure, food, clothing, religious
rites, etc.
Ideal – live like Muhammed; make the whole
world Islamic
8. Islam – submit
Islam = submission of body and soul to Allah
Muslim = those who submit
Pre-Arabian – one who submits even knowing
that they will die (Fighting in the Alamo). The
hero dies
Difference – in Christianity, He died for us
9. Islam – submit
Terrorists in the eyes of many Muslims are true
Muslim heroes who die for their faith
Caliph = successor; but they are also Amirs, or
military leaders
10. Islam – Arabian Culture
Before Muhammad
Dr. Robert Patton
Missionary to Suriname, South America
11. Arabia ArabiaMuhammad
Land area 1/3 size of continental USA
Dry, little rain or agriculture
Nomadic life – Bedouins
Tribe run by head of families – sheik
Moved their herds – also plundered caravans
12. Pre-Islamic Arabia
No real government – and no law and order
Major restraint is fear of reprisals & vendettas
Only protection was from the tribe
Thus strong family ties
13. Arabian law
Tribe would protect their members, even when
they had committed a crime
Failure to protect was despised
‘asabyya – tribal spirit – dominated
Similar to many primarily oral cultures
14. Warfare
Ceaseless warfare – intertribal warfare
controlled the population
War was a “dangerous sport”, a chance to show
their skill at archery, the sword, riding the
horse
Heroism & glory for the tribe
15. Plundering caravans
A way of life
Often paid off for protection
Manslaughter – blood for blood. You paid back
with their blood, or occasionally with
property…
16. Code of ethics
Muru’ah – manly virtue, with duty, devotion to
what must be done
Sometimes men would join other groups for
profit or to avoid restrictions
17. Code of ethics
Conflicting statements about women –
some said they were free with minimal restrictions;
others say that they were virtual slaves
18. Arab characteristics
Many described as arrogant, conceit, boastful,
vindictive
Love of plunder
Lack of political discipline until Islam
The leader in a fight was leader only till the end
of the fight, and sharing of booty
Drunkenness common
19. Women
Sometimes buried female infants alive
Women were sex objects
If a man died, his son inherited his wives,
except for his own mother
20. Women
No limitation to number of wives
Many women were prostitutes and flew flags
over their dwellings
21. Desert life
Women were a liability financially
Infant babies were often buried alive
22. Marriage – 4 types
As now – betrothal, dowry and marriage
Nikah al-istibda Husband sends a wife to
another man, first making sure she is not
pregnant, and holds himself from her until she
is pregnant from another man. He did that to
seek a noble child.
23. Marriage – 4 types
Marriage considered raht – woman visited by
less than 10 men. She would call the men and
name the father; they could not refuse
Prostitution – she would call a person to decide
who most likely was the father; he could not
refuse
Muhammad eliminated the last 3 types