What is Islam and who are Muslims?
22 September 2005
Islam means to achieve peace – with God, within oneself and peace with the creations of God – through willingly submission to God and accepting His guidance. One who follows this is a Muslim.
Islam is not a new faith, but a continuation of the truth God revealed through all His prophets to people. For nearly 1.5 billion Muslims all over the world, Islam is not only a religion, but a way of life.
Muslims come from all races, nationalities and cultures across the globe. They have varied languages, food, dress and customs; even the way they practice Islam may differ. Yet they all consider themselves to be Muslims.
Islam is a qualitative term – the quality of accepting God’s supreme authority over one’s own. As such being a Muslim does not mean giving up one’s culture or traditions; rather it means adopting the simple and logical principles of Islam to better one’s life and attain peace.
Less than 15% of Muslims are from the Arab world; 20% are from sub-Saharan Africa and 30% are from the Indian subcontinent. Substantial parts of Central Asia and the Far East are Muslim and significant minorities are found in Europe, North and South America, Russia and China.