Islam…
Some additional
information…
The 5 pillars…
The 'Five Pillars' of Islam are the foundation of Muslim life:

DECLARATION OF FAITH: there is no god except Allah and
Muhammad is His messenger. This declaration of faith is called
the Shahada and is the first pillar of Islam.

PRAYER - Salat is the name for the obligatory prayers which are
performed five times a day (facing the direction of Mecca & the
Kaaba), and are a direct link between the worshipper and God.

CHARITY – “ZAKAT” One of the most important principles of
Islam is that all things belong to God, and that wealth is therefore
held by human beings in trust. The word zakat means both
'purification' and 'growth'.
5 Pillars continued…

FASTING - Sawm - Every year in the month of Ramadan, all
Muslims fast from first light until sundown, abstaining from food/
drink.

PILGRIMAGE (HAJJ) The annual pilgrimage to Mecca - the Hajj is an obligation only for those who are physically and financially
able to perform it.

http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/pillars.sht
ml
Muslim Sects…
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At Muhammad's death in 632, Abu Bakr, a close
companion of the Prophet, became his successor, or
caliph. Most Muslims agreed that the most able and
pious of the Prophet's followers should be his
caliphs. Their followers would come to be known as
the orthodox branch of Islam, or Sunnis.
A few Muslims disagreed, arguing for a line of
succession based on bloodlines. To those
dissenters, the succession should have immediately
gone to Ali, the fourth caliph -- who was
Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law. Followers of Ali
would eventually form Shiite Islam.
Other sect differences…
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Sunnis accept that the first four Caliphs, including Ali, were the
rightful followers of Muhammad. However--they don't grant the
kind of divinely inspired status to their clerics that Shiites do
with their imams. Shiites believe imams are descendants of the
Prophet.
Islam has no codified laws per se. It has various schools of law.
While Sunni doctrine is more rigidly aligned in accordance with
those various schools, its hierarchical structure is looser and
often falls under state, rather than clerical, control. The opposite
is true in Shiitism: The doctrine is somewhat more open to
interpretation but the clerical hierarchy is more defined and, as
in Iran, the ultimate authority is the imam, not the state.
Sect demographics…

http://middleeast.about.com/od/religionsectar
ianism/a/me070907sunnis.htm
Islamic Fundamentalism…
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Defining Islamic fundamentalism is tough
to do…see your text glossary – p. 640.
Additionally – it is a movement that has
gained momentum in recent decades within
several Muslim nations. Islamic
fundamentalists oppose the infiltration of
secular and Westernizing influences and
seek to institute Islamic law, including strict
codes of behavior (esp. for women).
Islamic law…
What is “Sharia?”
 Literally, it means "path". In its religious sense, it means “God's
law” or the body of commands that, if followed, will provide the
path to salvation. According to Islamic teaching, sharia is
revealed in divine signs that must be interpreted by humans. The
law is derived from four main sources:
 1- the Quran, Islam's holy book, considered the literal word of
God;
 2- the hadith, or record of the actions and sayings of the Prophet
Mohammed, whose life is to be emulated;
 3- ijma, the consensus of Islamic scholars; and
 4-qiyas, a kind of reasoning that uses analogies to apply
precedents established by the holy texts to problems not covered
by them..