Questions About Islam

Gabe: How many Muslims are there in the United States?

[Gabe asked a fantastic explicit question about the number of Muslims in the USA. It's hard to pinpoint the precise number of people who follow each religion. The most recent survey about religious beliefs provides an estimate of about 4 million Muslims in the United States. This equals a bit more than 1% of the country's total population.]

Nico: If the concept of jihad states that you would try to win others over to Islam by setting a good example, why did the caliphs try to spread Islam by war?

Zion: The book says "After death, Muslims believe that the deeds of every person will be weighed. People whose good deeds outweigh their bad deeds will be able to cross a narrow pathway across hellfire and safely reach Paradise." (page 71) What happens is your good deeds are equal to your bad deeds? Do you round up and go to Paradise? Is there another place you go?

Amaya: What if someone is a Muslim but chooses not to go to a mosque? How would other Muslims feel about the person?

[This is a great deep question by Amaya. It reminds me of a similar question that several students asked about Christians who choose not to attend church. 

Within every religion, people have a lot of different opinions about what is considered proper behavior or necessary behavior. Attending church (for Christians) and attending a mosque (for Muslims) is considered incredibly important by some people -- and much less important by other people.]

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Here is a helpful map that shows the percentage of Muslims in countries throughout the world: