What is religion? To many people religion is fate to god, but there are some people that don’t believe in god, this is known as atheism. Religion is, “a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.”In most of the countries they don’t have freedom of religion, but America was built on that. In the U.S constitution the first amendment in the bill of rights it guarantees to all freedom of speech, Press, Assembly, and most important RELIGION.
I come from a family whose origins start in Parwan, Kabul which is located in the capital of Afghanistan. Everybody including my family believes in Islam which believes in one god. To be a Muslim you have to fallow the five pillars of being a Muslim which is The Profession of Faith, The Five Daily Prayers, Almsgiving, Fasting, and Pilgrimage to Mecca.
The Profession of Faith is the absolute focus of Islamic piety is Allah, the supreme, all knowing, all-powerful, and above all, all-merciful God. The Arabic word Allah means "the God and this God is understood to be the God who brought the world into being and sustains it to its end. By obeying God's commands, human beings express their recognition of and gratitude for the wisdom of creation, and live in harmony with the universe. We pray "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is his prophet."
The Five Daily Prayers is the second pillar of Islam which is the religious duty to perform five prescribed daily prayers or salat. All adult Muslims are supposed to perform five prayers, preceded by ritual cleansing or purification of the body at different intervals of the day. The Qur'anic references also mention the acts of standing, bowing, and prostrating during prayers and facing a set direction, known as qibla. The Muslims were first required to face Jerusalem during prayer, but already during Muhammad's lifetime they were commanded to face the Kaaba, an ancient shrine in the city of Mecca. The Qur'an also refers to the recitation of parts of the Qur'an as a form of prayer. However, even with its numerous references, the Qur'an alone does not give exact instructions for this central ritual of prayer. They pray at certain times of day: dawn (fajr or subh), noon (zuhr), midafternoon (asr), sunset (maghrib), and evening (isha).
The third pillar of Islam is zakat, or almsgiving. A religious obligation, zakat is considered an expression of devotion to God. It represents the attempt to provide for the poorer sectors of society, and it offers a means for a Muslim to purify his or her wealth and attain salvation. The Qur'an, together with other Islamic traditions, strongly encourages charity and constantly reminds Muslims of their moral obligation to the poor, orphans, and widows; however, it distinguishes between general, voluntary charity (sadaqa) and zakat, the latter being an obligatory charge on the money or produce of Muslims. While the meaning of terms has been open to different interpretations, the These specific uses include spending zakat on the poor and the needy, on those who collect and distribute zakat, on those whom Muslims hope to win over and convert to Islam, on travelers, on the ransom of captives, to relieve those who are burdened with debts, and on the cause of God.
The fourth pillar of Islam is sawm, or fasting. Clear Qur'anic references to fasting account for the early introduction of this ritual practice. The Qur'an prescribes fasting during the month of Ramadan, the 9th month of the 12-month Islamic lunar year. The month of Ramadan is sacred because the first revelation of the Qur'an is said to have occurred during this month. By tradition the month starts with the sighting of the new moon by at least two Muslims. For the entire month, Muslims must fast from daybreak to sunset by refraining from eating, drinking, and sexual intercourse. Menstruating women, travelers, and sick people are exempted from fasting but have to make up the days they miss at a later date.
The fifth pillar requires that Muslims who have the physical and financial ability should perform the pilgrimage, or hajj, to Mecca at least once in a lifetime. The ritual of pilgrimage was practiced by Arabs before the rise of Islam and continues from the early days of Islam. The hajj is distinct from other pilgrimages. It must take place during the 12th lunar month of the year, known as Dhu al-Hijja, and it involves a set and detailed sequence of rituals that are practiced over the span of several days. All of the pilgrimage rituals take place in the city of Mecca and its surroundings, and the primary focus of these rituals is a cubical structure called the Kaaba
I hope that has helped you understand Islam better. So the terrorist ran planes into the world trade center and nine years from then the Islamic community wants to build Musk. The Americans are getting angry and making a big deal about it. They took it to as far as some guy saying that he will blow it up. And now there is Reverand Terry Jones who wants to burn Qurans on 9/11 to who knows what he is trying to prove.
After a lot of argument the leader of a small U.S. Christian church says he has called off his plan to burn copies of the Quran on Saturday. The Reverand Terry Jones said Thursday he called off his protest because he had reached an agreement with Muslim leaders to move the controversial location of a planned Islamic cultural center and mosque in New York. He said the mosque would be moved away from the site of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
I just don’t think that everything that is going on is right but racism I guess will always be there. I wonder when the world is going to actually change even though United States thinks that they are not.
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/US-Church-Cancels-Quran-Burning-102571464.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Pillars_of_Islam
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