Muslim&nbsp;Culture

toc =Culture Represented= MUSLIM

National Symbols
The crescent moon and star is an internationally-recognized symbol of the faith of Islam. The symbol is featured on the flags of several Muslim countries,for example Turkey and Pakistan. The color green has a special place in Islam, and is often used to represent it among other world religions. One can often find it in mosques and other important places, as well as on the flag of Saudi Arabia. Green symbolizes vegetation and life.Certain words in Arabic script or characters can be regarded as visually representing Islam, such as "Allah" A Shi'ite symbol is the sword, which is identified with Iimam Ali, who they believe fought with this sword and his life for Islam.

Most Prevalent Religions
The two main groups of Muslims are the Sunnis and Shi'ite. Sunnis follow the teachings of Muhammad and his chosen successors .Shi'ite follow Husain’s father Ali who was Muhammads’s son-in-law and his descendants .Shi'ite also follow Muhammad .but they believe that Ali should have been chosen as his successor and so Islam was split into two groups .Sufism another sect is less an Islamic sect than a mystical way of approaching the Islamic faith. It has been defined as "mystical Islamic belief and practice in which Muslims seek to find the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God."

Common Themes
PRAYERS Muslims pray 5 times a day at dawn, noon, mid afternoon ,just after sunset and at night.Friday afternoon is the most important ,it is mandatory for men to go to mosque to pray on Friday midday prayers.Before entering the mosque they usually take off their shoes .They must also wash before they pray .This is called wudu.They believe that this makes them pure and fit to talk to God.

Common National Holidays
RAMADAN Celebrations could Affect School Days It lasts for a whole month .Many Muslims fast every day during Ramadan .When people fast ,they do not eat or drink from the time the sun rises to the time the sun sets each day.Families wake up before the sun rises .They eat a big breakfast to get them through the day .After sunset they gather for a big supper. This teaches them to appreciate how lucky they are to have enough to eat and drink the rest of the time .It also teaches self discipline .Not everyone fasts during Ramadan .Very old people young children and sick people usually do not fast.When the fasting ends Muslims have a day of celebration called ID UL FITR ,it is a happy occasion people wear new clothes .They give gifts to family and friends ,pray and eat a big feast. It is considered rude to eat a hearty meal in front of a person who is fasting esp if they are children who are fasting ,schools should leave libraries open to the kids who are fasting so they are not made to sit in the cafeteria where there is food being served.
 * Nature of the Holidays
 * Ways to Celebrate=Islam uses a calendar that is based on the moon .Each of the 12 mouths begins when the new moon is seen.A moon month is about 29-30 days.From year to year festivals fall at different times of the year in the everyday calendar.

CELEBRATING ID UL FITR Celebrations could Affect School Day On Id morning people get up early bathe and put on their best clothes and pray to Allah and thank him for making them strong enough to fast during Ramadan.After the prayers people wish each other Id Mubarak which means Happy Id and hug or shake hands.

LAYLAT –UL-QADR Celebration could Affect School Day Also called the night of power.This is when they remember the greatest events in Islam the first revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad .Muslims spend the entire night in the mosque praying and reading the Holy Quran .Some Muslims choose the 27th night of Ramadan as the night of worship.

ID-UL-ADHA Celebrations could Affect School Day The second great festival of the muslim year .The Arabic word Adha means sacrifice .It is known as the Greater Id because it is a more important festival than Id ul fitr .It is celebrated at the end of Hajj. The festival of sacrifice On this day Muslims remember the story of the prophet Ibrahim that is told in the Quran .Ibrahim dreamed that Allah wanted him to kill his beloved son Ismail.To show his willingness to obey Allah Ibrahim got ready to kill Ismail.Then Ibrahim heard Allah’s voice telling him to stop .Allah told Ibrahim that he had proved his love by being willing to give up his son .He gave Ibrahim a ram to sacrifice instead.This was the beginning of Id –ul- adha,the festival of sacrifice.

CELEBRATING ID-UL-ADHA Celebrations that Affect School Days It is a very happy time .Early in the morning Id prayers are held in the Mosque .To remind people of Ibrahim’ s sacrifice a sheep or goat or sometimes a camel is killed.Prayers are said for the animal so that its life is given to Allah .Some of the meat is shared among friends and family.People also exchange Id cards and gifts of sweets.

ASHURA For Shiah Muslims ,the first 10 days of the month of Muharram are a solemn time when they remember Husain’s martyrdom .Muslims keep their shops closed and do not attend to jobs or school on the 10th day.During Ashura drinks such as water and juice are served to everyone free of charge .This reminds Muslims of how Yazid stopped Husain and his followers from reaching water.

Common Figure-Heads Honored
Muslims are people who follow the religion of Islam.Muslims believe in one God named Allah.They believe that Allah created the world and sees and knows everything.In the Arabic language the word Islam means obedience .Muslims believe that Allah sent messengers ,called prophets to teach people how to live a good life .The last and greatest of the prophets was a man named Muhammad .He was born in the city of Makkah in the country we now call Saudi Arabia .The Prophet received many messages from Allah which he taught t the people around him. These messages were later collected in the Holy Quran the Muslims sacred book.

Foods
Muslims have strict dietary laws that come from Quran .Foods they are permitted to eat are referred to as halal.Islam forbids people to drink alcohol.Islam also forbids eating pork.After pronouncing God's name before starting to eat or drink, a Muslim should use his right hand for eating and drinking.Kids may not eat marshmellows, jelly beans ,jello which contains gelatin because it may be made from parts of the pig.Gelatin is a jelly-like protein by-product made from pork, skin, cattle bone, calfskin or fish skin for commercial use. The three main concerns about gelatin are: the origin of gelatin (is it from a pig or a cow or something else?), therefore some parents just tell there kids to avoid products containing gelatin unless it says kosher on the packaging.

Dance/Song/Music
Muslims listen to many kinds of music Qawwali was originally performed and written as Islamic religious music .Qawwali is usually performed in groups with one or two singers .Ghazals is a popular type of poetry often set to music.

Arts
Muslims do not illustrate the Holy Quran with pictures of people .They believe that Allah alone creates people not human artist .Instead they use beautiful writing called calligraphy and elaborate geometric patterns. The [|Taj Mahal], [|Agra]. [|Shah Jahan]'s 1648 memorial to wife [|Mumtaz Mahal], would, in 1983, be cited as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the [|world's heritage]."[|[1]] CALLIGRAPHY Calligraphy is the oldest and most common form of Islamic art. It is a fancy, flowing way of writing done in Arabic, that is looked on more as an art form then as a form of literature. In Arabic, calligraphy means literately "beautiful writing". Calligraphy is the most prominant form of Islamic art not only because images are frowned on in the Islamic world, but because the other art forms; ceramics, glass, metalworks each draw on calligraphy as their major source of embellishment. It was a common sight to see a tile or vase with calligraphy inscribed on it. The words from the Qur'an were put on very common everyday things, like plates and vases, as well as architectural decorations in mosques.
 * **Islamic Art** ||
 * || [[image:http://www.islam101.com/art/k10.jpg width="612" height="220" align="center"]]

[|The Bismillah Collection] contains a collection of the Bismillah verse (in Arabic). All Chapters except one in the Holy Quran begin with this verse. In English it means, "In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind." ||

Language(s) Spoken
,Arabic in middle eastern regions, Urdu in Pakistan ,Normally they speak the language of the region they are residing in
 * Proper Greeting+greeting when you meet someone AS-SALAAM-MALAIKUM greetings in return Waalecumus -salaam.To bid goodbye say Khudaa -hafiz Men may shake hands with one another but not with the women

Activities/Projects/Ideas
Design a islamic carpet for kids atschool.eduweb.co.uk