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Perhaps the most important factor in understanding the experiences of Muslims in America is a greater knowledge of the religion of Islam itself. In this
selection from his book American Islam: Growing Up Muslim in America, Richard Wormser provides a brief overview of the life of the prophet
Muhammad, the birth of Islam in the seventh century a.d., and the teachings of the Koran. In addition, he explains the five fundamental tenets of the
faith, the primary holy days, and the basic differences between the Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam. To put these ancient Islamic traditions in a
modern and personal context, Wormser illustrates his explanations with comments from young American Muslims, some of whom requested that only
their first names be given. Wormser is a reporter, author, and filmmaker based in New York City.
"No one," says Ahmad Hassan, an Egyptian student, "can understand what Islam means to us without having some understanding of what we believe
and the importance of the prophet Muhammad in our lives. Yet, despite the differences, there are many points of contact between us and Judaism and
Christianity. There's a lot of things we share which could unite us rather than separate us."
Islamlike Judaism and Christianitywas born in the harsh, desert lands of the Middle East. In Egypt, Moses led the Jewish people out of bondage. In
Nazareth, Jesus Christ was born, and in Jerusalem, he was crucified. Near Mecca, in the Arabian peninsula, the prophet Muhammad gave the Arabian
people Islam. These three holy menwho had much in commonfounded the faiths and ideals that almost two billion people believe today.
example deals with wudu, or washing before prayer. The Quran requires a Muslim to wash before prayer, but it does not specify every detail. Early
Muslims observed how the Prophet washed himself before he prayed and then imitated him. This practice is considered the Sunna of the Prophet.
The Quran, the Sharia, and the Sunna define the basic practices and beliefs of Islam despite some cultural and theological differences among Muslim
communities. Selwaan Mahmoud, a Missouri college student, explains that all Muslims must practice the five basic tenets, or pillars, of Islam: a public
declaration of faith (shahada), prayer, tithes (zakat), fasting (saum), and pilgrimage (haj). Says Selwaan: "Imagine a house supported by a pillar on
each side and one in the center. The five tenets of Islam are like those pillars. If you take away one of them, the house will collapse."
At the completion of the last prayer, the worshipers affirm their beliefs in the oneness of Allah and in Muhammad as his prophet and then look over first
their right shoulder and then their left, saying each time they look, "Peace be on you and the mercy of Allah." This is similar to the Christian practice of
shaking hands and saying, "Peace be with you."
While it is permissible for Muslims to pray in a foreign language, they are encouraged to learn Arabic in order to say the prayers in the language in
which the Quran was originally revealed to Muhammad.
Most Muslims feel learning Arabic is an essential part of their religion. Ibrahim Sidicki says that all thirteen of his grandfather's children were learning
Arabic by the time they were seven and that "the older generation spent a lot more time on religious matters than our generation. We have so many
other things to dowork, go to schoolthat we can't always follow their traditions. There are many young people today who can read the Quran only
in English."
I continued to fast even though I had stopped praying and stopped going to the mosque. Fasting was such a part of me that it was almost impossible to
give it up. When people saw that I wasn't eating lunch, they would ask me why and I'd say, "Oh, I'm dieting." But the truth was that it was a part of my
religion that I wouldn't let go.