With the ongoing ISIS experience in Syria and Iraq, American commentary at times focuses on the religion of Islam. Whether implied or explicitly stated, the thinking is that ISIS is the manifestation of all that is wrong with Arab-Islamic culture. In other words, ISIS is carrying out unspeakable acts of brutality because Arab-Islamic culture is inherently violent. The message is clear enough: they lack our moral virtue and refinement (that, and instances of violence carried out by Jewish and Christian extremists aren't deemed representative of those religions, correctly). The us-them polarity serves well to remove history from consideration, a necessity if the narrative of self-congratulation is to endure.
Because there is a tendency in some of the commentary to conflate "Arab" and "Muslim"—and then proceed with generalizations —I chose ten points I feel are important to keep in mind as we watch the current developments in the Middle East. And it is always worth mentioning that Islam is a prophetic faith, and like all faiths, is practiced and interpreted in a multitude of ways.
1. There are 1.6 billion Muslims, almost one in four people worldwide. Of the 1.6 billion, 80 percent are not Arab.
2. Most Muslims live in South and Southeast Asia. The countries with the most Muslims are, in order: Indonesia, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh.
3. There are 49 countries with Muslim majorities.
4. Muslims worship the same God as Jews and Christians. Allah is Arabic for "the God."
5. Jews and Christians are esteemed in Islam as "People of the Book." (Jesus is considered a prophet in Islam and appears throughout Islam's holy book, the Quran, as does Mary.)
6. The concept of jihad refers to one's "struggle" as a Muslim, namely, to be a better Muslim. Reducing jihad to "holy war" is a distortion. Moreover, a common Western misunderstanding is that "holy war" is a general Islamic mandate to kill nonbelievers, which does not exist. Jihad does include armed self-defense.
7. Sharia, or Islamic law, is a broad category that addresses and governs many, if not all, aspects of Muslim life, including food, dress, marriage and divorce, contracts, and so on. Sharia includes punishment for crimes, but the specifics vary and are open to interpretation.
8. The two major Islamic denominations are Sunni Islam and Shiite Islam. Though there are certain theological differences between the two, they have not been in perpetual confrontation. Intermarriage between Sunnis and Shiites is not uncommon in the Middle East. While sectarian conflict does exist, much of the Sunni-Shiite tensions one sees in the news are the product of regional politics and foreign intervention. (See link 3 below.)
9. Women's rights is a serious issue in many Middle Eastern countries. However, this is a cultural and political phenomenon, not a religious one.
10. The Prophet Muhammad was a reformer and endeavored to promote better treatment of women, orphans, and the poor. (For more on Muhammad, see my Jan. 3, 2014, blog post.)
LINKS
[1] Handy, easy-to-browse primer on Islam by the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam
[2] Rational analysis of the oft-quoted passage in the Quran (5:51) supposedly prohibiting Muslims from cultivating friendships with Jews and Christians:
http://seekersguidance.org/ans-blog/2009/09/07/friendship-with-non-muslims-explaining-verse-551
[3] Informative piece on the myth of Sunni-Shiite tensions:
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/07/2013719220768151.html
