Islam and Muslims

The following educational content was compiled by the Muslim Affairs Working Group.

What is Islam?

Any simple definition will have limits, but below is a starting point. 

Islam – meaning “surrender” or “submission” in Arabic, Islam is a holistic, monotheistic Abrahamic religion with advice on legal and social structures, daily practices, and spiritual reformation.  

The main sources for the religious teachings of Islam are:

• The Quran – the name of the holy book sacred to Islam and Muslims. Muslims consider the Quran to be the final scripture from God. 
• The religious example of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, his companions, and other religious and spiritual leaders. 

An excellent short video produced by Harvard Divinity School and used in their online course called “Islam Through Its Scriptures” provides an overview of the Quran and an exploration of the diversity of Muslim societies.  

Who are the Muslims?

Muslim – the name given to an adherent of Islam, meaning someone who surrenders (to the Will of God). 

Muslims make up about 25% of the global population (1.1% of the U.S. population) across all cultures and ethnicities.  

A common misconception about Muslims is that they are predominantly Arab, when in fact the following demographics facts are true: 

• The country with the largest Muslim population is Indonesia 
• Africans make up the second-largest group of Muslims globally with the fastest growing Muslim population in Sub-Saharan Africa  
• Arabs account for about 10% of the global Muslim community 
• There are more Muslims in China than in Syria 
• 300+ million Muslims live in countries where Islam is a minority religion, roughly 200 million being in the single country of India