Islam

Islam is an Abrahamic religion which follows the teachings of the prophet known as Muhammad, who lived from 570 to 632 AD. A follower of Islam is known as a Muslim.

Unlike christianity (but like Judaism) Islam has an active Legal component known as Sharia, based around the muslim holy book (the Koran), various sayings of the prophet (the Hadith) and accumulated judgements by various islamic jurists to fill in gaps (Ijtihad).

Islamic denominations

There are two main strains of Islam, based around the line of sucsession after Muhammed's death.

• Sunni
• Shia

Islamic Fundamentalism

While many Muslims blend in effortlessly and peacefully with other cultures and faiths, not all are so eager to coexist. A significant amount of Muslims hold a hatred for "Western" culture and religion, and organize to express this hatred in excessively violent ways. The most well-known example of this is the terrorist group Al Qaeda, responsible for the September 11 airplane hijackings and suicide bombings that cost thousands of civilian lives.

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