The two religions that I have selected to study are the Islam and Hinduism religions. My research, I am looking forward to gaining knowledge and a better understanding of Islam and Hinduism. I will describe the different cultures and practices and how these religious practices are in different parts of the world. The reason I selected these two religions is because I am curious about them. I have several friends that practice Islam and wanted to learn more about this religion. While researching Hinduism I thought it was a very interesting religion. The central teaching and belief of the Islam religion is there is only one God who is called Allah in Arabic. Islam is Arabic word that means ‘submission’ that derives from the root word meaning peace. This religion calls for a full admission, surrender to the teaching, will and direction of God. The groups of people that practice Islam are called Muslims. There are over one billion Muslims in many different countries that speak different languages but share a common religion or belief in Allah. Islam in the West display their religious practices and symbols by daily praying, fasting, and wearing headscarves and follow an Islamic diet. Their teachings and way of living is written in the Quran. The Quran is the heart of Islam that is the religious text written in Arabic language. It is the revelation from God to Prophet Muhammad. The Islamic culture is central to the traditions and customs that are embraced by Muslims. These cultures are unique to Arabia in the Arabian Peninsula. This region is one of the driest, hottest regions in the world, which has lots of deserts. The Islamic culture were influenced by Persian, Turkic, Mongol, Berber and Indonesian cultures as this religion started to flourish and spread around the globe. This culture is a bend of these local traditions, customs and Muslims beliefs. The religious practices or customs of Islam that I will discuss are the Five Pillars of Islam, the Islamic Diet and Jihad. The Five Pillars of Islam are the framework of Muslim life. These are the principles that Muslims follow in order to have a good life and acknowledge their devotion to their religion. The Five Pillars of Islam are:
Shahadah – This is the declaration of their faith and there is none worthy of worship but God (Allah). This declaration is achieved through the practices and teaching of messenger Prophet Muhammad.