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Religion
Arab Muslims
The followers of Islam are called Muslims. Muslims are not to be confused with Arabs. Muslims may be Arabs,
Turks, Persians, Indians, Pakistanis, Malaysians, Indonesians, Europeans, Africans, Americans, Chinese, or other nationalities.
An Arab could be a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew or an atheist. Any person who adopts the Arabic language is
called an Arab. However, the language of the Qur'an (the Holy Book of Islam) is Arabic. Muslims all over the world try to
learn Arabic so that they may be able to read the Qur'an and understand its meaning. They pray in the language of the Qur'an,
namely Arabic. Supplications to God could be in any language.
While there are one billion Muslims in the world there are about 200 million Arabs. Among them, approximately
ten percent are not Muslims. Thus Arab Muslims constitute only about twenty percent of the Muslim population of the world.
The religious break down of Irqis in Windsor/Essex County are of the various religous groups outlined, with
the dominate being of Islamic descent, than of Christians and other religous groups. The majority of the Chritians and
non Muslim individuals from Iraq came here to Canada as refugees escaping from the persucutions of their faith. In other
words, they seek refuge from western countries such as Canada as a result of fearing Muslim retaliations.
Some Islamic Principles
A. Oneness of God:
He is One and the Only One. He is not two in one or three in one. This means that Islam rejects the idea of trinity or such
a unity of God which implies more than one God in one.
B. Oneness of mankind:
People are created equal in front of the Law of God. There is no superiority for one race over another. God made us of different
colors, nationalities, languages and beliefs so as to test who is going to be better than others. No one can claim that he
is better than others. It is only God Who knows who is better. It depends on piety and righteousness.
C. Oneness of Messengers
and the Message: Muslims believe that God sent different messengers throughout the history of mankind. All came with the same
message and the same teachings. It was the people who misunderstood and misinterpreted them. Muslims believe in Noah, Abraham,
Isaac, Ismail, Jacob, Moses, David, Jesus, and Muhammad. The Prophets of Christianity and Judaism are indeed the Prophets
of Islam.
D. Angels and the Day
of Judgment: Muslims believe that there are unseen creatures such as angels created by God in the universe for special missions.
Muslims believe that there is a Day of Judgment when all people of the world throughout the history of mankind till the last
day of life on earth, are to be brought for accounting, reward and punishment.
E. Innocence of Man
at Birth: Muslim believe that people are born free of sin. It is only after they reach the age of puberty and it is only after
they commit sins that they are to be charged for their mistakes. No one is responsible for or can take the responsibility
for the sins of others. However, the door of forgiveness through true repentance is always open.
F. State and Religion: Muslims
believe that Islam is a total and a complete way of life. It encompasses all aspects of life. As such, the teachings of Islam
do not separate religion from politics. As a matter of fact, state and religion are under the obedience of Allah through the
teachings of Islam. Hence, economic and social transactions, as well as educational and political systems are also part of
the teachings of Islam.
Arab Christians
Today there are
14 Million Christians in the Arab world descendants of those who did not convert to nor embrace Islam. Palestine is well known
in the Bible and it is considered the cradle of Christianity. There are several other Arab countries that capture portions
of the Old and New Testaments passages namely Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq and Syria. After the advent of Islam Christianity
disappeared completely in certain countries such as Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia and the Arabian peninsula.
Most of the Arab Christians who live in the Middle East are located in the following countries:
In total about 5-6 % of the Arab countries population are Christians. It is important to note
that Arabs are not all Muslims and Muslims are not all Arabs. Some Christians who live in the Arab world refuse to
be considered as "Arabs". They take pride in their heritage and trace their roots to their ancestors who inhabited the land
before the appearance of Islam. For example, Lebanese Christians take pride in their ancient Phoenician roots. Egyptian Coptics
trace their roots to the ancient Egyptians under the Pharaohs dynasties. So the Chaldeans and the Assyrians of Iraq who consider
themselves to be the original inhabitants and dwellers of present day Iraq.
Here is an emphasis on Iraqi (an Arab nation) and its religion and people.
Iraq: Religions & People
The two large groups in Iraq are the Arabs and the Kurbs. 97% are Muslims, of which more than 50%
are Shi is, the rest are Sunnis.
Arabs and arabized people constitute about 70% of the population. Kurbs make up 25% of the population.
Other small groups are Irianian people living along the border of Iran.
there are other religious groups in Iraq, where Christians of various sects make up about 3%. Small,
but important in the understanding of history of religions, are the Yazidis with about 500,000 members, and Mandeans with
about 30, 000 adherents. There are also 2,500 Jews living in Baghdad.
Below are some definitions and or practices of some of the religious groups in Iraq.
Kurbs: Kurds speak Kurdish, a language of the western Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages.
The clear majority of Kurds are Sunni Muslims, but a small group of less than 100,000 living in Iraq (small communities scattered in Turkey, Iran, and Syria,
too) are Yazidis, the so called "devil worshipers".
Sunnis: Main group in Islam, making up 90% of the religion's adherents.
Yazidis: Yazidis are a syncretistic religious group (or a set of several groups). Many Yazidis consider
themselves to be ethnically Kurdish, although some would define themselves as both religiously and ethnically distinct from
Muslim Kurds. However, the Baath Government, without any historical basis, defined the Yazidis as Arabs. Yazidis predominately
reside in the north of the country.
Mandeans: Mandaeanism is a Middle Eastern religion with ancient Gnostic origins, though from the Gnosticism that predated Christianity. While a millennium or more ago Mandaeans were found throughout Persia and Babylonia, today they remain only in isolated pockets of Iran and Iraq. Many have fled the region during the unstable political climate since the 1990s, and ended up as refugees all
over the world. They are most often confused with Sabians by outsiders to both religions.
Jews: Originally, a Jew was a member of the state of Judah during the period of the division of Israel
into two nations: Judah and Israel. It became a common reference from the 8th century B.C. Today it is used of adherents of
the Jewish religion.
https://www.angelfire.com/nd/baptistpreacher/dictionary/dic_i-k.htm
Shi'i: The name "Shi'ism" is derived from the Arabic phase "shi'at Ali," which literally means the
partisans of party of Ali (d. 61). The cousin and son in law of the Prophet, Ali was believed by most Muslim historians
(but not all) to be the first male to embrace the Prophet's message of Islam. His partisans were those who believed
that Ali was the rightful successor of the Prophet and that Ali had been chosen by the Prophet to succeed him in his role
as the political and spiritual leader of the Muslims. This was in contrast to the belief of the Sunnis, who did not
believe the Prophet had selected Ali to serve in the role. The vast majority Shi'ites are twelve imams who live today
primarily in Iran, Iraq and Labannon
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