Muslim world
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| - | In the [[Muslim world]] today, most of the focus on the relation between '''[[Islam]]''' and '''[[science]]''' involves [[Qur'an and science|scientific interpretations of the Quran]] (and sometimes the [[Sunnah|Sunna]]) that claim to show that these sources make prescient statements about the nature of the [[universe]], biological development and other phenomena later confirmed by scientific research, thus demonstrating proof of the divine origin of the Qur'an (and sometimes the [[Sunnah|Sunna]]). This effort has been criticized by scientists and philosophers as containing logical fallacies, being unscientific, likely to be contradicted by evolving scientific theories. | + | The term '''Muslim world''', also known as '''[[Islamic]] world''', has different meanings. In a religious sense, the Islamic ''[[Ummah]]'' refers to those who adhere to the teachings of [[Islam]], referred to as [[Muslim]]s. In a cultural sense, the Muslim Ummah refers to Islamic civilization, exclusive of non-Muslims living in that civilization. In a modern [[geopolitics|geopolitical]] sense, the term "Islamic Nation" usually refers collectively to [[Islam by country|Muslim-majority countries]], states, districts, or towns. |
| - | In the [[Muslim world]], many believe that modern science was first developed in the Muslim world rather than in [[Europe]] and [[Western world|Western]] countries, that "all the wealth of knowledge in the world has actually emanated from [[Islamic Golden Age|Muslim civilization]]," and what people call "the [[scientific method]]", is actually "the Islamic method." Muslims often cite verse 239 from [[Surah]] [[Al-Baqara]] —- ''He has taught you what you did not know.'' —- in support of their view that the Qur'an promotes the acquisition of new knowledge. [[Theoretical physics|Theoretical]] [[physicist]] [[Jim Al-Khalili]] believes the modern [[scientific method]] was pioneered by [[Ibn Al-Haytham]] (known in the [[Western world]] as "[[Alhazen]]"), whose contributions he likened to those of [[Isaac Newton]]. [[Robert Briffault]], in ''The Making of Humanity'', asserts that the very existence of science, as it is understood in the modern sense, is rooted in the scientific thought and knowledge that emerged in Islamic civilizations during this time. | + | Although Islamic lifestyles emphasize unity and defense of fellow Muslims, [[Islamic schools and branches|schools and branches]] (see [[Shia–Sunni relations]], for example) exist. In the past, both [[Pan-Islamism]] and nationalist currents have influenced the status of the Greater Middle East. |
| - | In contrast, some people worry that the contemporary Muslim world suffers from a "profound lack of scientific understanding," and lament that, for example, in countries like [[Pakistan]] post-graduate physics students have been known to blame [[earthquakes]] on "sinfulness, moral laxity, deviation from the Islamic true path," while "only a couple of muffled voices supported the scientific view that earthquakes are a natural phenomenon unaffected by human activity." | + | As of 2015, over 1.7 billion or about 23.4% of the world population are Muslims. By the percentage of the total population in a region considering themselves Muslim, 24.8% in [[Islam in Asia|Asia]]-[[Islam in Oceania|Oceania]] do, 91.2% in the [[Religion in the Middle East|Middle East]]-[[Islam in Africa|North Africa]], 29.6% in [[Islam in Africa|Sub-Saharan Africa]], around 6.0% in [[Islam in Europe|Europe]], and 0.6% in [[Islam in the Americas|the Americas]]. |
| + | ==Majority Muslim nations== | ||
| + | As of 2018, there were fifty-one countries in the world in which more than 50% of the population identify as Muslims. These countries spread from [[North Africa]], to the [[Middle East]], to the [[Balkans]] and [[Central Asia]], to [[Southeast Asia]]. While many nations contain a strong Muslim presence, majority Muslim nations, by definition, have more Muslims as citizens than non-Muslims. Not all majority Muslim states, however, have Islam as their established religion. Turkey, for example, is a prominent Muslim country in which 99% of the population follows some form of Islam. However, there is no official religion. The state is secular. Nigeria is also a majority Muslim country which is officially secular. | ||
| - | As with all other branches of human knowledge, science, from an Islamic standpoint, is the study of [[nature]] as stemming from ''[[Tawhid]]'', the Islamic [[Conceptions of God|conception of]] the "Oneness" of [[God in Islam|God]]. In Islam, nature is not seen as something separate but as an integral part of a [[Holism|holistic]] outlook on God, humanity, the world and the cosmos. These links imply a sacred aspect to Muslims' pursuit of scientific knowledge, as nature itself is viewed in the Qur'an as a compilation of signs pointing to the Divine. It was with this understanding that the pursuit of science, especially prior to the colonization of the Muslim world, was respected in Islamic civilizations. | + | Most majority Muslim nations, however, recognize Islam as the official state religion. Furthermore, many states identify a specific derivative of the Islamic faith as their official religion. For example, [[sunni]] Islam is the official state religion of: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Jordan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Somalia, and the United Arab Emirates. [[Shia]] Islam is the official religion of Iran, which is a theocracy. Some minority Islamic sects are official state religions as well.[[Ibadi]], a minority school within Islam, is the official religion of Oman. |
| - | Muslim scientists and scholars have subsequently developed a spectrum of viewpoints on the place of scientific learning within the context of Islam, none of which are universally accepted. However, most maintain the view that the acquisition of knowledge and scientific pursuit in general is not in disaccord with Islamic thought and religious belief. | + | Not all states in the [[Muslim World]] institutionalize a distinction between the sects of Islam. In Pakistan and Iraq, Islam as a faith, is recognized as the official religion. All sects or schools are included. In Egypt, freedom of religion is extended to the [[Abrahamic religions]] even though Sunni Islam is the state-sponsored religion. Similarly, Indonesia, which is the world's largest Muslim country, guarantees freedom of religion but only recognizes six official religions. Islam is one of and the most prominent of the six. Despite a common religion, majority Muslim nations are quite disparate in terms of size, population, demographic composition, and the legal framework of religion. |
| - | == See also == | + | |
| - | *[[Qur'an and miracles]] | + | |
| - | *[[Relationship between religion and science]] | + | |
| - | *[[Religious interpretations of the Big Bang theory]] | + | |
| - | *[[Scientific foreknowledge in sacred texts]] | + | |
| - | *[[Ahmadiyya views of evolution]] | + | |
| - | *[[Bahá'í Faith and science]] | + | |
| - | *[[Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine and Sciences]] | + | |
| - | *[[Spread of Islam]] | + | |
| + | ==See also== | ||
| + | *[[Spread of Islam]] | ||
| + | *[[Islam by country]] | ||
| + | *[[Islamic studies]] | ||
| + | *[[Islam and other religions]] | ||
| + | *[[Religious nationalism]] | ||
| + | *[[Liberalism and progressivism in the Muslim world]] | ||
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The term Muslim world, also known as Islamic world, has different meanings. In a religious sense, the Islamic Ummah refers to those who adhere to the teachings of Islam, referred to as Muslims. In a cultural sense, the Muslim Ummah refers to Islamic civilization, exclusive of non-Muslims living in that civilization. In a modern geopolitical sense, the term "Islamic Nation" usually refers collectively to Muslim-majority countries, states, districts, or towns.
Although Islamic lifestyles emphasize unity and defense of fellow Muslims, schools and branches (see Shia–Sunni relations, for example) exist. In the past, both Pan-Islamism and nationalist currents have influenced the status of the Greater Middle East.
As of 2015, over 1.7 billion or about 23.4% of the world population are Muslims. By the percentage of the total population in a region considering themselves Muslim, 24.8% in Asia-Oceania do, 91.2% in the Middle East-North Africa, 29.6% in Sub-Saharan Africa, around 6.0% in Europe, and 0.6% in the Americas.
Majority Muslim nations
As of 2018, there were fifty-one countries in the world in which more than 50% of the population identify as Muslims. These countries spread from North Africa, to the Middle East, to the Balkans and Central Asia, to Southeast Asia. While many nations contain a strong Muslim presence, majority Muslim nations, by definition, have more Muslims as citizens than non-Muslims. Not all majority Muslim states, however, have Islam as their established religion. Turkey, for example, is a prominent Muslim country in which 99% of the population follows some form of Islam. However, there is no official religion. The state is secular. Nigeria is also a majority Muslim country which is officially secular.
Most majority Muslim nations, however, recognize Islam as the official state religion. Furthermore, many states identify a specific derivative of the Islamic faith as their official religion. For example, sunni Islam is the official state religion of: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Jordan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Somalia, and the United Arab Emirates. Shia Islam is the official religion of Iran, which is a theocracy. Some minority Islamic sects are official state religions as well.Ibadi, a minority school within Islam, is the official religion of Oman.
Not all states in the Muslim World institutionalize a distinction between the sects of Islam. In Pakistan and Iraq, Islam as a faith, is recognized as the official religion. All sects or schools are included. In Egypt, freedom of religion is extended to the Abrahamic religions even though Sunni Islam is the state-sponsored religion. Similarly, Indonesia, which is the world's largest Muslim country, guarantees freedom of religion but only recognizes six official religions. Islam is one of and the most prominent of the six. Despite a common religion, majority Muslim nations are quite disparate in terms of size, population, demographic composition, and the legal framework of religion.
See also
- Spread of Islam
- Islam by country
- Islamic studies
- Islam and other religions
- Religious nationalism
- Liberalism and progressivism in the Muslim world
