Islam Worldwide

Founded in the 7th century AD, Islam is the youngest of the 3 great monotheistic religions of the world. In 1990, there were an estimated 1 billion+ Muslims worldwide, yet only one quarter of whom were considered "Arab". Not all Arabs are Muslim, and not all Muslims are of Arabian descent. In following, Islam is recognized as the principal religion of the Asian continent; including such states as Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population. Along with Indonesia, Islam is also considered the principle religion of Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Turkey, and the former Soviet Muslim republics of; Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. India and China, the world's two most populous nations, also have sizable Muslim populations. In Africa, Islam is predominant in Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Sudan, Tunisia, Somalia, Djibouti, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritana, Morocco, Niger and Senegal, with sizable populations in Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Tanzania and Nigeria. In the West, Muslims now constitute a formidable force both in Europe and in the United States. More Muslims live in America today than all Presbyterians and Episcopalians put together. Significant Muslim communities now constitute a significant minority in France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Globally, wherever one looks, Islam is on the move. As the people of many societies find themselves rootless, disconnected, poor and oppressed, they are increasingly finding ideological and spiritual comfort in the refuge of Islam. In a world of increasing violence, alienation, widening inequality, political corruption and war, many are massing behind the green flag of Islam. It is essentially a populist movement, a rising force for truth and justice, and a march of the distressed, dis-possessed and oppressed worldwide. On a global level, it is the very heart of Islam in action.