Introduction Islam means “submission” to God and its followers “Muslims” are those “who surrender” or “submit.” Its holy book the Qur’an shares many features with the Jewish Torah and the Christian Bible, but also many differences (Malloy, 2010). These differences and the historic interactions between the three religions explain a large part of the present antagonism that exists between followers of each in some nations. These antagonisms are not universal, as the interrelationships between these faiths have varied from place to place. Also Islam is not a single, unified religion. There are different branches of Islam the main two being the Sunni and the Shia. Antagonism toward and interest in Islam have risen in the United States and other Western nations since the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York by al-Qa'ida, a group that follows a violent interpretation of Islam’s meaning that is rejected by most Muslims. Because many non-Muslims do not understand the religion but see only the actions of violent terrorists, antagonism has increased in recent years. This antagonism has been further increased by the immigration of many Muslims to Europe and the United States. Teachings …show more content…
The most fundamental of these principles is the belief that there is a single, all-powerful God. Since God is beyond the comprehension of mankind, his word can only be understood through his messengers or prophets. These messengers brought word of how to worship. These “divine’ revelations reveal the “Oneness of God” and affirm that “God alone” should be worshipped. While Islam shares these fundamental beliefs with Judaism and Christianity it differs in many respects in detail as well as history (Abdulsalam,