I have known for some time that Islam was connected to Judaism and Christianity, and found that very interesting. It wasn't until class however that I got a clear picture of what it was that united these religions, and caused a lot of the conflicts between them that we see today.
All three of these religions are united through Abraham. They all claim the inheritance that God promised Abraham and his children, including the Holy Land and Jerusalem. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all worship one God. Actually, they all worship the same God. Islam is however the youngest of these three religions, beginning approximately 610 CE.
The Islamic tradition teaches that the Koran is the purest form of God's word since it never went through a period of oral tradition, unlike the scriptures of Judaism and Christianity. Although all three are connected to Abraham, Islam follows the path of Ishmael and Hagar instead of that of Issac and Sarah. There are five acts that are supposed to be carried out by devout Muslims which constitute the Five Pillars of Islam. These acts are (in general terms) to pray their profession of faith when they wake in the morning and before going to sleep at night, a ritual prayer five (specific) times a day facing Mecca, fasting during the month of Ramadan, acts of charity, and (if able) a pilgrimage to Mecca to perform the Hajj.
I feel that it is important in today's society to understand the driving principles behind Islam. It is easy for those ignorant of the religion to be misled by the actions of the few extremists. This is especially true in areas, such as rural Iowa/Nebraska/South Dakota, where the Muslim population is very small and there are no other examples of the religion to look to. Understanding is a crucial part of tolerance, which is something that our world today greatly needs.
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I definitely agree with you that understanding other religions is very important. The majority of people in general do not probably know a whole lot about Islam. It's very odd for me to think Islam, Judaism, and Christianity are all connected through Abraham. In my years of Sunday School, I never once heard it mentioned that Abraham wasn't just important to Christians! I really think that the things we have been learning in class are things that every person in the US should know. Perhaps it could even be integrated into a class in high school that everyone is required to take before graduating. There are so many negative stories in the news that it distorts our view of the people in that part of the world. I think that understanding their culture is something we should all strive to do.
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