The Islamic Resource Group (www.irgmn.org) works to build bridges of understanding between Minnesota Muslims and the broader Minnesota community through education. Members believe a deeper understanding of different religions and cultures contributes to peace and harmony in the world. "As with Christianity, Islamic religion and culture are two different things, and it is important to understand both," said John Emery, left, who started his path to Islam when he served as a translator in the Armed Forces. Also pictured: Bill Montgomery.
John Emery, Islamic Resource Group
John Emery learned Arabic after enrolling in the Armed Forces, where he was trained as a translator. Arabic is the official language of Islam; Muslims believe it is the language of resolution. After an honorable discharge in late 2003, John, who was raised Catholic in Apple Valley, Minnesota, converted to Islam. John pointed out that the didn’t convert to Islam because he was dissatisfied with Catholicism; he converted because he felt called to Islam.
The Islamic Resource Group www.irgmn.org works to build bridges of understanding between Minnesota Muslims and the broader Minnesota community through education. They believe that a deeper understanding of different religions and cultures contributes to peace and harmony in the world. John stressed that as with Christianity, Islamic religion and culture are two different things, and it is important to understand both.
Muslims have been in North America since 1528; it is estimated that 1/3 of the slaves brought to America in the 18th and 19th centuries were Muslim. Muslims are now about 1% of the US population (3.3M). More than half of Muslims in the US are first generation Americans. In Minnesota, Muslim immigration and growth is largely through its large Somali refugee population. Muslims consider themselves part of the Judeo-Christian tradition; they trace similar roots back to the Old Testament and the Prophet Abraham. John stressed that there is nothing about Islam that is inherently in conflict with the US Constitution.
“As-salamu alykum” is the Arabic expression that Muslims around the world use to greet one another; it means “Peace be upon you.” The response is always “Wa alaykum as-salam,” “And peace be with you, too.” John pointed out that the Islamic word for peace, salam, is very similar to the Hebrew word “Shalom.”
Islam is the name of the religion that Muslims follow; the root of the word Islam actually means “peace,” and Muslims embrace peace through submission to God’s will. Islam is a way of life; a Muslim is “one who submits to God’s will” or, in John’s words, “a person who is seeking peace by submitting to God’s will.”
Islam is monotheistic, a belief in one God. Muslims believe that there is only one God, and that this is the same God worshipped by Jews and Christians. Muslims believe in God, angels, prophets, holy books, a day of judgment, and divine decree – principles similar to Jews and Christians. A big difference is that Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet (not the son of God), and they add Muhammad as another – and very significant – prophet. There are Five Pillars in Islam – five things you must do if you are a Muslim. These include prayer, fasting during Ramadan, and a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Worldwide, about a quarter of the world’s population is Islamic, about 1.8 billion people. While we tend to think of the Muslim majority countries in the Middle East when we think about Islam, the reality is that the countries with the highest number of Muslims are Indonesia, Pakistan, India and Bangledash. John pointed out that all four of these countries have, or have had in recent history, female leaders.