Article thirteen:
Islam & Muslims: An American Stylebooklet
Today, more than ever, Islam and Muslims are appearing frequently in our media. Besides this, we have over five million Muslims in the U.S.. This stylebooklet will help fulfill some of the needs of the media and may become the precursor of a comprehensive stylebook that could serve as a ready tool for reporters, writers and researchers who are writing about Islam and Muslims. The authors of the first seven chapters have expanded this stylebooklet somewhat to overcome some of the deficits inherent in a work of this brief size.
Some Islamic Phrases
Alhamdulillah - "praise be to God" - said anytime a Muslim expresses thanks to God. It is not confined as a thanks for good things, but even uttered when an apparent misfortune occurs.
Allahu akbar - "God is great" - used to express happiness or enthusiasm. Also a part of the call to prayer. Not the Muslim "war cry."
Assalamu alaykum - "peace be upon you" - The standard Islamic greeting.
Bismillah - "in the name of God" - an invocation uttered by Muslims before doing anything, even an act as simple as eating food, or starting a speech. It signifies the Muslim's belief that everything emanates from God.
Terms and Concepts
There are 5 million Muslims in America and some 1 billion worldwide. They represent a diversity of opinion on politics, family life, social and any other issues encountered in modern life. However, there are certain terms and concepts shared by the vast majority of Muslims around the world.
Islam
The word "Islam" means "submission" to the will of God. It is also the faith revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) between 610 and 632 A.D.. Demographers say Islam is currently the world's fastest growing religion. Every country in the world has at least a small Muslim community.
Muslim
A "Muslim' is a member of the Islamic faith. In 1990, the Associated Press altered its stylebook to drop the highly offensive and misleading spelling Moslem, and replaced it with the acceptable and phonetically correct spelling "Muslim." The New York Times and The Washington Post, among others, are using this spelling. The use of the term "Muhammadan" - a usage initiated by some early Orientalist- is highly misleading because it implies the worship of Muhammad, a concept totally alien to the Muslim belief.
Muhammad
The Prophet Muhammad is revered but not worshiped by Muslims. He is not the "founder" of the Islamic faith. His role was that of "transmitter" for the words of God as revealed to him and compiled in the Qur'an. Muhammad was born in the city of Mecca in 570 A.D.. He began to receive the message of Islam (which was compiled later into the Qur'an) in the fortieth year of his life.
Muslims believe him to be the final Messenger of Allah. His message is a universal one and is the culmination of the teaching of all earlier prophet such as Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Jacob, Isaac and David.
The Qur'an
The Qur'an, or `recitation' was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad over a period of 22 years. It is regarded by Muslims as the direct word of God speaking in the first person. The usage of "Koran" like "Moslem" is not favored by Muslims. The Qur'an is not the Muslim "Bible," because the Bible is seen as a secondary text while the Qur'an is a primary source of revelation. The Qur'an is a seal and purifier of all the previous scriptures. It speaks of distortions that crept into earlier texts and gives the message that all prophets and messengers brought in a pure and unadulterated form.
Allah
"Allah" is the Arabic word for "the one God." It is the same word Arab-speaking Christians use when referring to God. Allah is not "the Muslim God," but the same God worshiped by Christians and Jews.
Arabic names referring to God
Many Muslims have names which contain an attribute of God, such as "Abd al-Wahid," "servant of the One." On second reference, these names must be used in full. If, as in this example, the reporter's second reference was "al-Wahid," the person would be taking on an attribute of God, something a Muslim would abhor.
Jihad
This word is derived from the Arabic root juhd, and is more accurately translated as "effort," not "holy war." The Prophet Muhammad said the highest form of jihad is the personal struggle to make oneself a better Muslim.
Shi'ism or Shi'a
Shi'ism is a branch of Islam comprising about 10 percent of the total Muslim population. The word "Shi'a" derives from "Shi'at Ali" the "party of Ali." Shi'as are not members of a 'sect' of Islam. They are Muslims who have different perspectives on certain issues that are subject to difference in interpretation.
Sunni
The word "Sunni" is taken from sunnah, "the practice of the Prophet Muhammad." While there is no provision in Islam for labeling groups, the term Sunni has come into popular usage and is widely applied for the main body of Muslims- over 90 percent.
Black Muslims
The term "Black Muslim," first used to describe the followers of the late Elijah Muhammad. This term was coined by C. Eric Lincoln (author of Black Muslims in America) and was not used by the followers of Elijah Muhammad to describe themselves. However, it is no longer accurate to use this term when describing African American Muslims. Since the death of Elijah Muhammad, the vast majority of his followers discarded the non-Islamic teachings of the Nation of Islam and entered main-stream Islam.
Muslim/Arab
Not all Muslims are Arabs, just as not all Arabs are Muslims. In fact, Arabs are a minority within the Islamic world. There are Christian Arabs and Jewish Arabs. According to modern usage, the term "Arab" is a linguistic, not an ethnic, designation. Anyone who speaks Arabic as his/her mother tongue is an "Arab."
Women's Rights
Under Islamic law, women have always had the right to own property, receive an education, and otherwise take part in community life. The restrictions placed on women concerning dress and social mixing apply equally to men. If a particular society oppresses women, it is in spite of Islam, not because of it. (The first person to accept the Prophet's message was his wife. The first martyr of Islam was a woman.)
Muslims and Jews
Until the advent of Zionism in the late 19th century, relations between Muslims and Jews were quite peaceful. Muslims regard Jews as "People of the Book," meaning they believe in an earlier form of God's revelation. Despite the usual problems associated with being a minority, Jews prospered under Islamic rule. There are no Islamic parallels to the European "pogroms" against Jews.
Fundamentalism
The term "Islamic fundamentalism" is foreign to Muslims. Islam sets out clear guidelines for life. A Muslim who follows these guidelines is merely obeying God. The word "fundamentalism" like "moderate" and "fanatic" is perceived as an attempt to stereotype Muslims.
Shariah (Islamic Law)
Islamic law is a flexible and sophisticated system of justice based on the Qur'an, Hadith- the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad and Ijtihad- the opinions of Islamic scholars. Its provisions for punishment are viewed by Muslims as more equitable than those in the West. Shura- consultation is an integral part of Islam, where the leader is advised to consult his followers in matters of common concern.
Representation
When writing or reporting about Islam or Muslims, the tendency is to quote so-called "experts" on the subject. While some of these are knowledgeable, many have an ax to grind. Almost all large cities have Islamic groups capable of responding to a reporter's inquiries. Look in the Yellow Pages under Mosques, Islamic Centers or Muslim Student Associations.
The "Five Pillars" of Islam
1) Shahadah: the Declaration of Faith. A person becomes a Muslim by saying and believing the shahadah: There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
2) Salah: Prayer. A Muslim prays five times a day: at dawn, midday, afternoon, sunset and during the night. The prayers take about 5-10 minutes and can be performed on any clean surface. Muslims pray communally at noon on Friday. Friday is not the Islamic "Sabbath." Prayers are oriented in the direction of Mecca as a symbol of unity. Muslims pray to God: they do not pray "to" Mecca or to the "East."
3) Zakat: Poor-due. A Tax on income which is gathered by the community and distributed according to need. It is generally 2 1/2 percent of savings.
4) Saum: Fasting. Muslims abstain from food, drink and sexual activity from dawn to sunset during the lunar month of Ramadhan. Eid prayers mark the end of the month.
5) Hajj: Pilgrimage. A Muslim must make the hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once in his or her lifetime if physically and financially able. It symbolizes unity and equality. Muslims of different races, wealth, status, and gender, gather in Mecca for hajj, and all are equal in the eye of Allah.
Beliefs of Muslims
1) Tawhid: Oneness of God. He has no partners nor associates.
2) Nabiun: Prophets. All prophets come with message to worship Allah. Only their laws (Shariah) differ due to the circumstances under which they had to deliver their message. The Prophet Muhammad is the seal of Prophets and is the last Messenger.
3) Kitabun: Books. Belief in the Qur'an and previous Scriptures such as the Torah, Psalms, Gospels, Avesta, Suhuf and others not named.
4) Malikah: Angels.
5) Yawm al-Qiyamah: Day of Judgement. This also includes a belief in Heaven and Hell and Life after death.
6) Qadr: Predestination.
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