| A | B |
|---|
| monotheism | belief in one (1) God |
| Allah | the name for God in Islam |
| mosque | where Muslims pray |
| Moslems, Muslims | two (2) names for followers of Islam |
| Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem | the holy sites / centers of Islam |
| Koran, Qur'an | the holy book of Islam |
| Sharia | Islamic law |
| Mohammed | the founder of Islam |
| Jesus | a prophet according to Islam |
| Shia (Shiites) | conservative (traditional) followers of Islam .. they want a theocratic govt. |
| Sunni | another branch of Islam - they allow government & religion to be separate |
| hegira | Mohammed's journey from Mecca to Medina .. it marks the beginning of the Islamic religion |
| hajd, hajj | a religious (Islamic) pilgrimage |
| jihad | to reform,to change .. by force if necessary (holy war) |
| secular | worldly .. separation of government & religion |
| theocracy .. theocratic | when religion exerts very strong influence on government |
| Ramadan | an Islamic religious observance ... lasts 28 days .. fasting .. marks when Mohammed received the Koran (Qur'an) from Allah |
| Five Pillars of Islam | guidelines all Muslims, Moslems must follow .. i.e. praying 5 times each day facing Mecca |
| Islamic Fundamentalism | very conservative Islam .. people want a theocracy .. return to basic Islam .. women have few rights |
