This paper explores the foundational teachings of Islam, including the Five Pillars and core doctrinal beliefs, and examines how Muslims practice their faith in non-Muslim countries where cultural and institutional barriers exist. The essay compares Islamic theology and practice with Christianity and Judaism, identifying both significant differences and shared principles such as monotheism, charity, and pilgrimage. It addresses misconceptions about Islam in Western media and discusses the complexity of Muslim-non-Muslim interactions, emphasizing the need for interfaith understanding and freedom of worship to reduce stereotyping and promote social cohesion.
Islam developed in the 7th century in the Middle East as a monotheistic religious tradition. The word Islam literally means "submit" or "surrender," and the faith is founded upon the teachings of Prophet Muhammad as an expression of submitting to Allah's will. Muslims believe that Allah is the sustainer and creator of the world, and the sacred text of Islam is the Quran, which contains teachings revealed to Prophet Muhammad from Allah. Central to Islamic faith is the belief that Allah is the only true God, with no partner or equal.
The Five Pillars of Islam are the religion's unifying and fundamental practices. These pillars are ritual prayer, ritual profession of faith (shahada), fasting during Ramadan, zakat (charity), and hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). The majority of Muslims are characterized by their daily prayer rituals performed five times each day. The primacy of sacred places such as Mecca, Jerusalem, and Medina form defining characteristics of Islam. Muslims gather together in mosques to worship Allah, study scriptures, and pray.
A Muslim's life has no distinction between secular and religious aspects. Islamic life is oriented entirely toward serving Allah, whether in religious or daily activities, making Islam a total way of life. Islamic culture emphasizes the development of good character through constant prayer, remembering God, meditation, and other spiritual activities. These practices are intended to change a person's heart and bring them closer to God. Islam originated in the Arabian Peninsula and has expanded to Africa, Asia, Europe, and America, becoming the world's second largest religion. Although Islam originated in the Middle East, the majority of Muslims today are found in Indonesia. Muslims are now neighbors, fellow citizens, and colleagues in communities worldwide.
The majority of citizens in non-Muslim countries do not fully understand Islamic practice and belief. While many are able to practice their faith, non-Muslim countries often do not recognize Muslim holidays, making it difficult for Muslims to celebrate as Christians and Jews do. Every Friday, Muslims must attend congregational prayers and need to take breaks during working hours to perform salat (prayer). Accommodating these requirements proves very difficult in societies with no designated time for religious observance.
A significant challenge arises from financial systems in non-Muslim states, which do not conform to Islamic teachings. The banking practices of conventional financial institutions create particular hardship for Muslims. Normal banks borrow from savers and lend to individuals and enterprises, generating profit margins from the differences between lending and borrowing rates. However, Islamic teachings prohibit charging interest on any loan. This means a Muslim using conventional banks will neither receive interest on savings nor be charged interest on loans, creating a fundamental conflict (Rice, 1999). This prohibition has historically limited Muslim access to conventional financing and thus constrained their financial growth and development.
To address this barrier, financial institutions adhering to Shariah law have been established in recent decades. These Islamic banks are deposit-taking institutions that provide standard banking services—excluding lending and borrowing for the purpose of earning interest—thereby allowing Muslims to participate fully in modern financial systems while remaining faithful to their religious teachings.
Islamic teachings require Muslims to be sincere, responsible, and meaningful in all interactions with others. Muslims should behave in a straightforward and open manner, conscious of their duties and obligations to society. Islam prohibits discrimination based on religion, race, color, nationality, or sex. However, in non-Muslim countries, the dominant culture often conflicts directly with Islamic values, and Muslims may be pressured to adapt to secular norms that contradict their faith.
Prayer presents a particularly acute challenge. Muslims must pray at least five times daily, a basic Islamic characteristic (Haniffa & Hudaib, 2007). Working Muslims must find their own time to pray, as companies typically do not recognize this religious need. School-age children face similar difficulties, as school schedules make no provision for Islamic prayer times. Attempts to accommodate Muslim students in some American schools have faced criticism, with detractors arguing that such accommodations grant special treatment and violate the constitutional separation of church and state.
Islam is often poorly understood by other cultures and perceived as a violent religion. Media portrayals consistently depict Islam negatively, associating it with terrorism and violence. Following the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, Muslims were initially blamed, and mosques and Muslim homes were burned as a result. The media portrayed Muslims as the guilty parties, and all Muslims were perceived to be part of a broader conspiracy. When it was later discovered that the bombing had been perpetrated by a white Christian, no formal apology was issued to the Muslim community, leaving deep scars of injustice and misrepresentation.
Islam means submission to Allah's will, and Muslims are required to submit willfully and actively obey God by living in accordance with His message. Christianity, by contrast, does not teach absolute submission to God but rather emphasizes that all human beings are sinful and cannot inherit eternal life because of the original sin of humanity's first parents. According to Christian theology, God sent Jesus Christ to earth to die and suffer in order to forgive the sins of those who accept Him as savior.
Muslims believe that Abraham, Moses, Noah, Jesus, and Muhammad all carried the same pure monotheistic message from God. In Islam, Muhammad was the last Prophet, and Islam was not presented as a new religion but as a continuation of the monotheistic tradition. The Quran is believed to be the last book sent by God to humanity, and Muslims hold that God personally guards it against any human tampering, ensuring it remains completely intact until the Day of Judgment.
Christianity, traditionally founded by Jesus, accepts the Bible as the word of God. Christians believe God is Lord and Savior. The disagreement between Islam and Christianity is quite clear in several key areas. Islam believes in and accepts the holiness of Jesus but denies His divinity. From Islamic teachings, Jesus is not united with God and therefore is not God. Christians, conversely, view Jesus as God and structure their lives accordingly. Islam teaches that since God is supreme, He cannot have children, and Jesus is not His son (Mortimer, 1991). Christians believe Jesus is the son of God who died on the cross for humanity's sins. Islam, by contrast, denies that Jesus was crucified, instead holding that Jesus only made people believe he died while God saved Him.
Despite these significant theological differences, both Islam and Christianity share important commonalities. Both religions believe in only one God. Since Christians believe in the Trinity, Muslims consider this a form of associating attributes with God, which contradicts monotheism. Both acknowledge being descendants of Abraham, and the Quran contains names of people and events also referenced in the Bible. Both religions believe the world will end and judgment will be rendered according to a person's earthly actions. Depending on this judgment, a person will live eternally in heaven or be condemned to hell. In both religions, prayer serves as a means of communicating with God, and both assign spiritual reward to charitable giving and helping others.
Judaism and Islam are often viewed as conflicting religions, perceived to be in perpetual conflict and turmoil. However, the significant similarities between these two faiths are not widely recognized. While there are important distinctions, both religions share beliefs and principles through writings, practices, and their implementation. Key areas of agreement include the personification of God, pilgrimage, charitable giving, and belief in one God only.
Both religions reject the concept of the Holy Trinity on the grounds that no human can possess God's traits; therefore, no triad can exist. Neither Judaism nor Islam permits prayer directed to an individual or belief in physical shrine representations of religious stories and accounts. Both traditions cherish their prayer spaces and their beauty. The Muslim pilgrimage is more widely known than the Jewish pilgrimage; however, in both religions, it is mandatory to make a holy journey at least once in a lifetime to the holy land. While the Jewish pilgrimage is not practiced as frequently as the Islamic pilgrimage, the principle remains central to both faiths.
Both religions place strong emphasis on charity. Jews call charitable giving Tzedakah, while Muslims use the term Sadaqat. Jews are required to help those in need and assist family and friends. Muslims likewise must donate to the needy and help family and friends. In Judaism, charity is a necessity; in Islam, charitable acts are rewarded by God (Katsh, 1963). Both religions view charity as one of the paths to drawing closer to God.
However, important differences exist regarding prophets and marriage. Muslims believe Jesus will return, while Jews do not. Jews recognize only the prophets Moses and those mentioned in the Tanach (Hebrew Bible), whereas Muslims believe in Moses, Abraham, Noah, and Jesus. In Islam, Jesus is recognized as a prophet, but Jews do not recognize Him in this role. Marriage practices also differ: in Judaism, marriage is between one man and one woman and may be either arranged or based on love. A Muslim man, by contrast, may marry up to four wives.
Extremists exist in all religions, yet the Muslim faith is often uniquely categorized as inherently terrorist. Misinformation regarding Muslims has resulted in their being portrayed as stereotypes in media representations. This has led to widespread discrimination and violent acts against Muslims nationwide. Muslims have been stereotyped despite their religion requiring sincere and just conduct in all undertakings (Achrati, 2006). People struggle to understand how someone holding these ethical beliefs could engage in violence while claiming religious justification, leading to perceptions of hypocrisy.
Currently, all Muslims are viewed by many as violent and feared by a significant portion of the population. The media has amplified this perception by continuously portraying negative actions and reinforcing associations with prior violent incidents. Such representations create a self-perpetuating cycle of fear and misunderstanding.
Conversely, some Muslims consider Christians to be followers of false teaching because Christians believe in the Holy Trinity. This belief sometimes leads Muslims to discriminate against Christians. Through their interactions, some Muslims demonstrate a sense of religious superiority. Some Muslim cab drivers, for example, refuse to carry passengers who are carrying alcohol, arguing that Islamic faith forbids the consumption of substances that cause intoxication or loss of focus. However, since the cab driver is not drinking and thus cannot violate their own religious principles, this refusal appears to extend Islamic law beyond its intended application and creates unnecessary tension. Non-Muslims often resent what they perceive as special religious treatment and see such actions as evidence of Muslim superiority, widening the gap between communities and reinforcing mutual prejudice.
Islam is a widespread religion, and all people should strive to understand it before criticizing its followers. Many misconceptions about Islam persist, but the fundamental issue is that Islam is not well understood; therefore, people tend to associate it with harmful deeds. Muslims are frequently stereotyped as potential terrorists, and the actions of Islamic extremists have made it considerably harder for the religion to be accepted worldwide.
Wide differences exist between Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, yet one principle is common to all three: each believes in a supernatural being referred to as God. These religions share many practices and principles, and each has much to gain from understanding the others. Accepting religious differences and allowing genuine freedom of worship can help eliminate the stereotyping that currently surrounds Islam. Building interfaith dialogue and education is essential to creating more cohesive and just communities in which Muslims and non-Muslims can live together with mutual respect and understanding.
You’re 99% through this paper. Sign up to read the full paper.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.