Distribution & Contributions of Muslims

Distribution of Muslims

There are over one billion Muslims distributed in the world today. Muslims are 90% to 99% of the population in Muslim countries such as: Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, Afghanistan some African countries, and all of the Arab countries.

Muslims are also more than 55% in Malaysia. There are also great numbers of Muslims in other countries such as the European and African countries. There are for example over 50 million Muslims in the southern parts of what is now called the U.S.S.R., and over 100 million Muslims in India.

Muslims have also become the largest minority in North America and in some European countries like France. For example there are between five and eight "million Muslims in North America. They are distributed in its major cities such as New York, Detroit, Boston, Toledo, Chicago, St. Louis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Miami, Cedar Rapids (Iowa), London (Canada), Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Windsor, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and many more.

Contributions of Muslims

Muslims of the early period of the Islamic era were pioneers in medicine, chemistry, physics, navigation, arts, poetry, philosophy, mathematics, algebra, logarithms, calculus, astronomy, and social sciences. There are now 10,000 words in English whose roots are from the Arabic language. Arabic was the language of science and technology, and now it is one of the six major languages of the U.N.

Islamic scientific genius introduced the Arabic numerals and the zero without which modern science could not have been developed. The sciences of Muslims were translated into Latin and passed on to the West. The scientific books of Muslims were used as texts in various European academic institutions up to the seventeenth century of the Common Era. Cities of world enlightenment were Cordova, Timbuktu, Seville, Fez, Tunis, Cairo, Damascus, Baghdad, Makkah, Madinah, and others. The oldest academic universities in the world are Al-Azhar (Cairo), Al-Qairawdn (Tunisia), and Al-Qarawiyin (Morocco).

Muslims have already established community centers, organizations, schools, and places of worship in Europe and North America. They live in peace and harmony among themselves and among other groups of people in the society. The rate of crime among Muslims is very minimal. Muslims in North America and Europe are highly educated and have added to the success of scientific and technological fields. They have also added to the beauty of these societies and are trying to improve the status and the systems therein.

Non-Muslims

Muslims are required to be just to all people irrespective of their faith. They are also required to respect all those who are faithful and God-conscious people who received messages from Allah. After all, the prophets of the Jews and the Christians are indeed the prophets of the Muslims. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) came to the Christians, the Jews, and the pagans as well as to all mankind. Christians and Jews are asked in return to respect Muslims. Christians and Jews are called "People of the Book" in the Qur'an. Muslims are asked to call on the People of the Book for common terms, namely, to worship Allah, and to work together to solve the problems of the society.

Christians and Jews have lived peacefully with Muslims for over fourteen centuries in the Middle East and in other Asian and African countries. Christians were welcomed by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in his mosque in Madinah. A treaty of peace was signed. They prayed inside the mosque in the Christian way, while the Prophet (pbuh) and the Muslims prayed in the Muslim way. The second Caliph 'Omar, did not pray in the Church in Jerusalem so as not to give the Muslims an excuse to take it over. Christians entrusted the Muslims, and as such the key of the Church in Jerusalem is still in the hands of the Muslims. Jews fled from Spain during the Inquisition, and were welcomed by the Muslims. They settled in the heart of the Islamic Caliphate. They enjoyed positions in the Islamic State.

Crusaders invaded the Middle East and occupied it for about 200 years. This occupation was accompanied with torture and persecution to the local people. However, when Salah Ad-Din liberated the land, he treated them with respect. He gave pardon, and safe passage to his enemies. Muslims entered the city of Jerusalem for the second time without bloodshed - First time was centuries earlier, only few years after the death of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh), by the peaceful entry of the Khalifa Omar.

Throughout the Muslims world, churches, synagogues, and missionary schools were built within the Muslim neighborhoods. Such places were protected by the Muslims even during the contemporary crises in the Muslim world. Non-Muslims have flourished in the Muslim world. The mere existence of their presence in large numbers in the Muslim world today proves the justice and tolerance of Islam and Muslims. Tolerance, justice, and coexistence are among the main teachings of Islam that lead to mutual understanding and a better way of life among all people. Islam does not allow Muslims to impose their belief on others. The Qur'an states that "there is no compulsion in religion" Al-Baqarah (2:256).