First Congregational Church

Sikhism and Islam October 17, 2017

Comparative Religions

Review !Which one of the following statements is false?

A. K’ung Fu-tzu would maintain that it is far better to be of noble character than of noble status.

B. Neither the Confucians nor the Taoists had much concern for reforming the institutions of their time.

C. Taoism places elevated status on the virtues of non-contending, humility, and simplicity.

D. The Chinese never heard the name “Confucius” until the 16th-century.

Review !Which one of the following statements is false?

A. Although the Mandate of Heaven was articulated by Confucius and adhered to by some rulers, the transition from one dynasty to another was conducted militarily.

B. Confucianism teaches that values such as benevolence and filial piety are first learned in the family.

C. Both Communists and Nationals in 20th-century China embraced the teachings of Confucianism.

D. Both Confucius and Lao Tzu held that human beings were inherently good.

!Sikhism

n  The word Sikh means �disciple� in Punjabi

n  A revealed religionn  A syncretic religion in

that it borrows from both Hinduism and Islam

What does Sikhism borrow from Hinduism and Islam to give it its syncretic character?

Notions of karma, samsara, guru, maya from Hinduism

Idea of monotheism from Islam

Sikhism1. There are over 24 million Sikhs worldwide and over 90% of them live in India (mostly in the Punjab region)2. There are twice as many Sikhs as there are Jews worldwide.3. There is an estimated Sikh population in the U.S. of about 500,000 (mostly California)*, over 250,000 in Canada (mostly British Columbia), and over 300,000 in the UK (mostly London area)

*The Sikh Coalition

Adi Granth!�Original Holy Book�

Granth Sahib (�Book of the Lord�)

Central object of worship in a Sikh gurdwara

Recited by Arjun Dev in 1604 to Bhai Gurdas who wrote everything down in Punjabi language

A “universal scripture” because it contains hymns of some Hindu and Muslim saints.

About 6,000 hymns (line compositions set to music)

Oh, God, Beautiful!

Guru Nanak (1469-1538)n  Born into the Vaishya

class

There is no Hindu; there is no Muslim.*

There is no class distinction.

* Story of Nanak’s death

Nanak�s Teachings On the Divine

n  There is one God although he in known by many other names such as Brahman,

Allah, and Jehovah

n  God is omnipresent; there is no place where God is not

n  God is a creator God

How might we come to know God according to Sikh teachings?

n  Sikhism rejects many practices found in most religions. God cannot be discovered

through the following:n  ritualism (Nanak story)

n  asceticismn  Pilgrimages (Nanak story)

n  accumulating great wisdomn  long hours of meditation

How, then, might we come to �know� this God?

n  �Knowing� God means being absorbed in God; salvation in the Sikh sense means absorption in the divine (i.e., God)

n  Nam Marga à Sikh vehicle for salvation (i.e., release from samsara); a personal relationship with God through one’s heart

Sikh EthicsCharacter training and discipline; Sikhs

must overcome the five vices of anger, lust, greed, pride, and attachment to worldly possessions; Sikhs seek to cultivate self-

control, forgiveness, love of God, humility, and contentment

A religious person is one who:n  is pure in motive and actionn  prefers the virtuousn  seeks brotherhood with high or low regardless of class or

casten  loves his wife/husband and renounces all other

women/menn  avoids quarrelsome topicsn  is not arrogantn  does not trample on othersn  forsakes evil company

The coming of Sikhism to America

Like Hinduism and Buddhism, Sikhism came to America by means of immigration;

not missionary efforts

There may be as many as 500,000 Sikhs in the United States

Islam!Five Pillars of Faith and Practice

Islam = �submission� or �peace� (a peace that

comes from surrendering one’s life

to God)

Muslim = �one who submits to God��

Islam

There are about 1.3 billion Muslims worldwide - about 20% of the world’s population

Islam is the state religion in 25 countries

By 2050, there will be an estimated 2.5 billion Muslims worldwide.

Three Traditions in IslamLike Buddhism and Christianity, Islam has

three distinct traditions:

Sunni, Shi’ite (Shi’a), Sufi

Newer Forms of IslamConservative – seeks to purify Islam from

secularism and Western influences

Secular – seeks to revitalize Muslim life by separating the religious from the secular

Modernist – seeks to reform Islam by rejecting unnecessary social customs and

reaffirming basic Muslim values

Conservative Islam

Wahhabi – Formed in Saudi ArabiaMuslim Brotherhood – Formed in Egypt

Hamas –Formed in the Palestinian TerritoriesTaliban – Formed in Afghanistan

Al-Qaeda – Formed in AfghanistanBoko Haram – Formed in NigeriaAl-Shabab – Formed in Somalia

!Secular Islam!

Mustafa Kamal (Ataturk) (1881-1938)

Separation of religion from politics

Secular legal code

Full political rights for women

Modernist IslamJamal al-Din Afghani (1839-1897)

Movements arose in Egypt and India during the 19th-century

Customs such as segregating men and women are cultural and not part of Islamic

teachings

What common misconceptions do Americans have of Islam?

!The majority of Muslims live in the

Arab world?!

69% of all Muslims live in Asia – Indonesia has the largest population of Muslims in the world. (India has the second largest population, Pakistan the third, Bangladesh is fourth, and Nigeria is fifth).

There’s not even an Arab-speaking country in the top ten of most populated Muslim countries!

!Jihad means �holy war�?!

The concept of jihad is the most distorted and misunderstood term in Islam.

“Jihad” in Arabic means “to struggle” or “to strive” as in striving to love God or striving to do

good and avoid evil. It’s a spiritual struggle.

It does not refer to a struggle to force people into converting to Islam.

Islam teaches that women are subordinate to men?

n  Islam honors women and advocates equal rights for them.

n  In the Muslim world, women are usually active in politics and in education.

NOTE: Culture and traditions often interfere with what a religion actually

teaches!

Muslim Women in Politicsn  Since 1988,

Bangladesh, Mali, Pakistan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Senegal, Turkey have all been led by a Muslim woman president or prime minister at some time.

!Most African-American Muslims

belong to the Nation of Islam?!

Muslims view the Nation of Islam as non-Islamic!

The majority of of Arab Americans are Muslim?

n  The majority of Arab Americans are Christian! 78% are:

1. Catholic (42%)2. Protestant (12%)3. Eastern Orthodox (23%)

n  Source: Time Magazine: Special Edition on World Religions (2004)

Islamic Art

Does Islam prohibit depictions of the prophet Muhammad or other prophets?

Gabriel and Muhammad!History of the World by Rashid al-Din (1307)

Portrait in a book - Persian

Muhammad in Heaven

Flight from Mecca to Medina

This portrait of Muhammad preaching his last sermon appears in the The Remaning Signs of Past Centuries (a 1489 manuscript on astronomy) by al Biruni !

The Qur�an !�Recitation�

n  Revelations by Allah through the angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad.

n  Principal source of faith and practice

n  Not an historical or chronological text.

n  Arranged in 114 chapters called suras

n  NOTE: Entire chapter devoted to Mary (Jesus’ mother)

What do Muslims think about Mary, the mother of Jesus?

n  Did you know that Mary comes from the family of Imran - a descendent of Aaron?

n  Did you know that Aaron was a brother of Moses?

n  Did you know that Mary grew up in the care of the Priest Zechariah?

n  Did you know that Zechariah was the father of John the Baptist

See Qur�an 19, and Luke 1:5-66Miriam in Arabic

Islam and Christianity !Sister Religions

Abraham-HagarIshmael → Muhammad

See Genesis 16:1-16 and Genesis 21:9-21 for the stories about Hagar and Ishmael

Abraham-SarahIsaac → Jesus

See Matthew 1:1-17 for the genealogy of Jesus

What do Muslims believe?One, Unique, Incomparable, Merciful, and Creator God

(Allah)

Allah�s revelations were brought to humankind through prophets such as Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and

Muhammad

Humans are accountable for their actions; a Day of Judgment

Allah�s complete authority over destiny (be it good or bad)

The Five Pillars of Faithn  Divine Unity - Oneness of Godn  Prophecy - God uses prophets to communicate with

human beings n  Revelation - God uses prophets to reveal scriptures to

human culturesn  Angelic Agency - Angels exist and are used by God to

perform his will. n  Judgment and Afterlife - The world will eventually come

to an end and humans will be judged and awarded or punished in the afterlife according to their deeds on earth.

The Five Pillars of PracticeShahadah - Declaration of Faith; “There isno God but Allah and Muhammad is hisProphet.”Salah – Prayer; pray five times dailyZakah – Almsgiving; give to charitySawm – Fasting; fast during the monthof RamadanHajj – Pilgrimage; travel to Mecca if capable

Critical Thinking

Although Christianity and Islam are considered “sister” religions and have much

in common, they do have significant differences. What elements in Christianity

are rejected by Muslims?

Christian elements rejected by Muslims

n  The Doctrine of Original Sin; Muslims believe all people are born sinless

n  The doctrine of the Trinity; Muslims equate the concept of the Trinity with polytheism

n  The idea that Jesus was the “Son of God”; Muslims believe that these terms are misused or misinterpreted(i.e., Jesus was not somehow part of God)

Islam in Europe Which European nation has the highest percentage of Muslims in its population?

A. SpainB. BulgariaC. AlbaniaD. France

Islam in the United StatesWhich one of the following urban areas in the United States has the greatest concentration of Muslims?

A. Los AngelesB. DetroitC. New YorkD. Chicago

Islam in the United StatesWhich one of the following ethnic groups makes up the largest portion of Muslims in the United

States?A. Asian-AmericansB. Arab-AmericansC. African-AmericansD. European-Americans

Islam in AmericaWhich one of the following best represents the number of Muslims living in the United States?

A. 6 millionB. 14 millionC. 2 millionD. 10 million

Islam in American  First Muslims arrived as explorers from West

Africa and traded with native American groups (before Columbus).

n  The second wave of Muslims to arrive in the United States were African slaves brought here to work on the plantations in the South.

n  After the 1965 Immigration reform, many Muslims arrived in the United States to find employment.

Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, MI!Largest Mosque in North America

Questions/Answers

Next Week = Christianity