Defining Muslims

It is generally believed that all Muslims practise the same aspects of Islamic culture – names, dress codes and eating and drinking habits – and that they are a distinct non-Christian cultural group, separate from the mainstream American population. Yet Muslims in the United States (and elsewhere) are ethnically diverse and heterogeneous in language, skin colour and culture. The only element they have in common is their religion and even that has some variations. Nevertheless, most Muslims feel a strong affiliation with the broader Islamic community (ummah) and have a constant desire for greater Islamic political unity within the ‘Abode of Islam’ (dar-al-Islam). The centrepiece of unity among Muslims is the Quran – the very word of Allah (God). The Quran provides the same message for all Muslims, although interpretations of that message differ across the various Muslim groups and because of the different levels of textual meaning. Muslims' devotional practice rests on what are known as the five pillars of Islam:

1. Kalima (or shahada). Kalima is an open declaration of faith. It has to be said in Arabic, ‘La ilaha il-lal-lahu, Muhammadur Rasu-lul-lah’, and means: ‘I testify (confess) that there is no Allah but the one Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.’[…]