• Islam is the second-largest religion in the world and will soon be the second-largest religion in America.

 

• Muslims represent a majority of the population in 57 countries. The majority of Muslims are not Arab; in fact, only 20% of the world's 1.5 billion Muslims come from Arab countries. The largest Muslim populations are found in Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India.

 

• Islam has two major branches: Sunni (85%) and Shii (15%). In addition, Islam has mystical Sufi orders.

 

• 35% of America's Muslims are African Americans.

 

• Muslims believe in prophets, not just the Prophet Muhammad, but the biblical figures Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Islam acknowledges that God’s revelation was received in the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospels, and the Quran.

 

• Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad received the final and complete revelation from God through the angel Gabriel to complete prior revelations that shaped the belief systems of Judaism and Christianity.

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Source: Esposito, John L. What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam. New York: Oxford UP, 2011.