Islam: A Critical Look at Contemporary Issues

Islam
Links: Pages on Islam, Other Religions
God(s)	Atheist / Monotheist / Polytheist / Other
Adherent	Muslim
Adherents	Muslims
Texts	Qur'an and Hadiths
Afterlife	Heaven or hell
Founding
Heritage	Judaism
Area of Origin	Saudi Arabia
When	610
Founder	By Muhammad
Numbers in the UK (Census results)
2001	1.547 million	2011	2.7 million
Muslims Worldwide (Pew & WM)
World: 20.1%. Mauritania (99%), Tunisia (99%), Yemen (99%), Iran (99%), Iraq (99%), Morocco (99%), Western Sahara (99%), Afghanistan (99%), Somalia (99%), Mayotte (98.6%) 1

Islam is a monotheistic religion based on the revelations of prophet Muhammad as recorded in the Qur'an. The religion was founded in Mecca and Medina in present-day Saudi Arabia. 'Allah' is simply the Arabic word for 'God'. Islam is counted as one of the great world religions_2,3,4. Whilst Europe went through its dark ages of Christian fundamentalism, Islam went through a relatively enlightened era, retaining some scientific knowledge, translating some Greek texts and developing maths. But the colonial era saw a resurgent Europe come to rule 38 of 42 Muslim countries₅. This caused long-term resentment and Muslim cultures still retain an anti-Western outlook that is versed in anti-imperialism. Islam is going through its own dark ages; some signs are that things are continuing to get worse, whilst in some places there are signs of a creeping secularism.

1. Main Pages on Islam
2. Numbers of Muslims Around the World, by Country
3. Calendar (2024)
4. Denominations
5. Links

1. Main Pages on Islam

2. Numbers of Muslims Around the World, by Country

#religion

The population of 52 countries are half (or mostly) Muslim (2011)₁. In 2003 a different count placed the number at 44₈. Comparing those 52 country(ies) to the rest of the world:

• Muslim countries' average life expectancy at birth (69.0yrs) is close to the global average (71.3yrs).₉

• Muslim countries' average fertility rate is 3.35, compared with the global average of 2.81. Values above 2.1 cause population growth, putting further strain on the Earth's resources. See: The Population of the Earth.₁₀

• Muslim countries are poorer than the global average with an average Gross National Income (GNI; per capita) of $14 793. This compares to the global average of $20 136.₁₁

• Muslim countries' scoring on the UN's Gender Inequality Index (0.45) is worse than the global average (0.36).₁₂. See Religion Versus Womankind.

• When it comes to tolerance of homosexuality and LGBT rights, Muslims' countries are even worse than the global average, scoring -16.8 on the Social and Moral Development Index LGBT component compared with the global average of 12.6.

• One set of global figures from 2010 from the Pew Research Centre and reported by The Economist were higher: 1.6 billion Muslims in 2010 (23.4% of the world), predicted to rise to 2.2 billion by 2030 (26.4%)₁₃.

• 6% of Europe was Muslim, in 2011. Will rise to 8% in 2030₁₃.

Population growth in the world is highest amongst the poor and the uneducated. Muslims have a disproportionate share of such people₁₄, so their numbers are rising. Factors such as war and instability in the Middle East keep the reproduction rate higher. But this will not continue indefinitely. The Muslim world is slowly aging. "In 1990 Islam's share of the world's youth was 20%; in 2010, 26%. In 2030 it will be 29% (of 15-29-year-olds)". But on average, Muslims are starting to age. "The media age in Muslim-majority countries was 19 in 1990. It is 24 now, and will be 30 by 2030. (For French, Germans and Japanese the figure is 40 or over.) This suggests Muslim numbers will ultimately stop climbing, but later than the rest of the population"₁₃.

3. Calendar (2024)

#religious_calendars

4. Denominations

#afghanistan #bangladesh #egypt #india #iraq #islam #pakistan #saudi_arabia #syria

The first division in Islam was after the prophet Muhammad's death in 632CE. He left no guidance on who should succeed him₁₅, resulting in the split between Sunnis and Shias, which is still a hot and sensitive debate today; disagreements "often overlap with ethnic, cultural, and political differences, which sometimes form lines of violent sectarian conflict"₁₆. It is difficult to see how their conflict can ever be resolved; it's not a question of theology or divinity, but of human power-games.₁₇

Since then, a wide range of specific schools of thought have arose. Most were not aiming to create new movements, but were attempts to restore proper Islam and correct Islamic positions on theological, social and moral issues₁₈. Often, followers have to remain hidden because of traditionalist persecution and the 'misunderstandings' of powerful established Muslim communities₁₉.

For more, see:

• "Islamic Denominations, Schools, Movements and Groups" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).

Use the link above for full descriptions; here they are in brief:

• Sunni Islam. Founded in 632CE with the death of Muhammad. Defined by the belief that the first Rightly-Guided Caliphs after Muhammad were Abu Bakr (chosen by vote in 632CE), 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, 'Uthman ibn Affan and then finally Muhammad's cousin in 656CE, Ali abn Abi Talib₁₆; the first three were related to Muhammad by marriage, and the 4th by blood₂₀. Conflicts between the Caliphs and Muhammad's family were dealt with through assassinations, slaughter and infanticide, causing enduring schisms amongst Muslims. The Sunni line of caliphates is accepted by 85% of Muslims.

• Shia / Shi'ite Islam. Founded in 632CE with the death of Muhammad. Defined by the belief that Muhammad's rightful successor was his family, starting with his cousin-and-son-in-law, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib_16,18. Ali was finally granted the Caliph spot in 656CE, but was "tragically assassinated by a Muslim extremist in 661. [...] His rival, Muawiyyah, seized the caliphate throne, and established the more worldly Umayyad dynasty"₁₅. When there were mass protests against their exclusion from power, the Umayyad dynasty also killed Ali's son Husain and most of his family and companions₂₁. Shia's bitterly complain, quite rightly, that corrupt Sunni and Shia Muslim rulers have denied them justice₁₈.

• Kharijites. Founded in Saudi Arabia in 656CE. Defined by belief that anyone can become a Caliph (Muslim leader) if they are upstanding, and, that any sinful Caliph needs to be removed. They existed in constant conflict, and petered out by the 13th century.₂₂

• Sufi / Tasawwuf Islam. Founded in Saudi Arabia in the 7th/8th century by Hasan of Basra. Mostly Sunni, and the only primary denomination that can be described consistently as moderate and sometimes even tolerant, which has made it well-regarded outside of the Middle East₂₃. A more mystical and symbolic approach to Muhammadean spiritualism₂₄. Sufis are "numerous and very diversified. Whether Naqshbandis, Qadris, Shadhilis, or any of the many other turuq (plural of tariqa), Sufi circles are essentially orientated toward the spiritual life and mystical experience"₂₅. Sufi still has some violent extremist elements such as the Naqshbandis₂₃, and is becoming hardline in Guinea and Mali₂₆. Sufi is practised by up to 450m people across Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, who together represent perhaps one third of all Muslims₂₃ and is also influential in sub-saharan Africa, notably Senegal₂₇.

• Falsafah. Founded in the 9th-12th century. This was a train of thought that saw Greek philosophical concepts discussed and condoned in the search for "primordial, universal faith of timeless truths, which, they were convinced, had preceded the various historical religions"₁₈. It had potential to become a denomination, but was opposed increasingly strongly until it disappeared in the 12th century.

• Wahhabi. Founded in Saudi Arabia in the 18th century by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. Wahhabi is an extremist form of Islam₂₈ that is so well-funded by Saudi Arabia that not a single Muslim population goes unpressured by its organisations_29,30. It calls for Muslims "to return to a purer faith of the early centuries of Islam" and to reject any further thought and interpretation of scripture in the light of modern knowledge₃₁. They focus on a direct and literal reading of the Qur'an₂₈. "It is Wahhabism that motivated Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban"₃₁. Wahhabism is outlawed in several Muslim countries including those as different as Iraq and Montenegro₃₁. It is particularly responsible for the persecution of Sufi Islam in Saudi Arabia₂₇.

• Salafi. Founded in the 19th century. A fundamentalist puritanical Islamic movement with a literalist outlook towards the Qur'an, arising as increased literacy meant that more people than ever could read the Qur'an. They reject mediation through interpreters and juridical schools of thought. "The literalist character of this approach gives this trend an equally traditionalist character that insists of reference to the Texts but forbids any interpretive reading"₂₅. Salafist groups are "in constant communication with scholars based primarily in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, or Syria)"₂₅.

• Deobandi. Founded in Deoband, India in 1866CE by Haji Mohammad Abi. The founder of this fundamentalist₂₈ movement "established his Darul Al Ouloum (Knowledge Center) in 1866. [...] It is estimated that there are an additional 5,000 or more Deobandi schools scattered throughout the Indian subcontinent. While they insist upon an extensive knowledge of Hadith, they reject sufi practices and saints as innovation (bida'). The Deobandi is primarily concerned with the teaching and transmission of Islam through the creation of its Qu'ranic schools. The Taliban in Afghanistan took the Deobandi as their inspiration"₂₈ and Jamaat Al-Tabligh also emerged from Deobandi Islam.

• Barelvis. Founded in India in the late 19th century by Ahmed Raza. Ahmed Raza (1856-1921) founded this fundamentalist₂₈ movement to "emphasize the figure of the Prophet and [teach] that the souls of the prophet and saints act as mediators between believers and God"₂₈.

• Muslim Brotherhood. Founded in Egypt in 1927/8CE by Hassan al-Banain₃₀. Scholar Neil Kressel says "most contemporary manifestations of Islamic extremism can trace their earliest organizational roots to two movements"₃₀, one of them being Jamaat-i-Islami and the other the Muslim Brotherhood.

• Jamaat-i-Islami. Founded in India in 1941CE by Mawlana Abul Aala Mawdudi₃₀. Scholar Neil Kressel says "most contemporary manifestations of Islamic extremism can trace their earliest organizational roots to two movements"₃₀, one of them being Jamaat-i-Islami and the other the Muslim Brotherhood.

See: "Islamic Denominations, Schools, Movements and Groups" by Vexen Crabtree.