Islam

I am currently taking some religion classes and recently was required to listen to a speech concerning the Islamic religion. Islam is the largest religion in the world and the fastest growing. Five times a day Muslims are called to prayer and a quarter of the worlds population bows to their knees on behalf of a religion that most Americans know nothing about. When Americans hear the word "Muslim" or "Islam" they think of terrorists or whatever crazy story they last heard on the news from the middle-east. All that we think of the Islamic culture is very untrue to the religion itself and the teachings of Muhammad. He was an orphan and felt like an outsider his whole life so his early teachings were focused on messages of social justice and equality. There are many aspects of the modern Islamic culture, such as female circumcision, that have no direct correlation with the teachings of the Qur'an. Instead of forming opinions of different religions and cultures based on what is shown in the media I encourage everyone to form their opinions based on research and taking the time to learn about them on their own time.