Islam 101
Who or what is Allah?
Who or what is Allah?
Allah is the Arabic word for God, like how Dios is the Spanish word for God. Muslims commonly believe in the same God that many Jews and Christians believe in.
What is Islamophobia?
What is Islamophobia?
Islamophobia is propaganda used to instill fear and hate towards Islam and its practitioners (Muslims), or to those who “appear” to be Muslim. Islamophobia is rooted in anti-Blackness and xenophobia.
Islamophobes are the people who push such fear and hatred. Oftentimes, Islamophobes also push propaganda to dehumanize immigrants and refugees. Many victims of Islamophobic hate crimes are non-Muslim, but are believed to be Muslim by the perpetrator. Sikh men wear turbans as a religious practice, and are often misidentified by perpetrators as Muslim, and are attacked. What is Shariah?
What is Shariah?
The Arabic word Shariah can be translated as "religious law." Shariah are the principles and practices that Muslims generally follow based on the Qur'an (holy book of Islam), and the practices and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). There are four primary schools of thought in Islam, and each school has its own different interpretations of Qur'anic verses, and religious practices and teachings based on time period, culture, and knowledge.
Muslims generally regard Islam to be not just a religion, but a way of life. Individuals emulate the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) in order to be the best Muslim that they can be. For example, when the Prophet (PBUH) drank water, he sat down and used his right hand to hold the cup, and supported the bottom of the cup with his left hand. Many Muslims drink water in this same manner. This is considered a practice under Shariah. Shariah is an incredibly nuanced subject, which Islamophobes commonly misconstrue to stoke fear and disinformation about Islam and Muslims. Islamophobic propaganda uses the phrase to "Shariah law" to refer to a set of laws used to kill and punish people. Islamophobes often refer to dictatorial countries who claim to use Shariah to stone people to death, or kill people who leave the religion of Islam (known as apostates). Punishments that involved stoning or beheading were used when Islam first began, similar to punishments used in Medieval Europe during the same timeframe, or certain punishments described in the Bible. Many Muslims in Muslim-majority countries support having Shariah as the law of the land—but Islamophobes twist this, and frame it as the majority of Muslims worldwide, such as those in the US, want Shariah law (and by extension, killing all people who leave Islam). This is gross generalization. A 2019 ISPU poll shows that half of Muslim respondents say their religion should not be a source of American law. Generally, modern Islamic interpretation considers certain Shariah practices to be outdated and inhumane, and these are no longer used in the majority of countries with majority-Muslim populations. Only four apostasy executions are known to have occurred in such countries recently, from 1985 to 1998. Read more about Shariah: Pew Research Center Religion & Public Life: Muslim Beliefs About Sharia |
Who are Muslims and what do they practice?
Who are Muslims and what do they practice?
Muslims are practitioners of Islam. There are 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide on every continent, and of all sorts of ethnicities and nationalities. People can be Muslim in religious, spiritual, and/or cultural ways, and can range from identifying as very observant to not observant.
Most Muslims identify as Sunni or Shia, but many do not identify with a particular sect and view themselves as “just Muslim.” A 2012 Pew Research Survey found that at least 1-in-5 Muslims in 22 of 38 countries where the question was asked, identify themselves as nonsectarian. Muslims commonly observe the Five Pillars of Islam, core principals that are considered obligatory for those who are able to perform them and who have the means to do so. Practices such as fasting or regular prayer are not required of disabled or ill people who are not able to do them, and charity and pilgrimage are not required of poor people. Five Pillars of Islam
Shahada (Testimony)
Compare & Contrast Islam and Christianity
Compare & Contrast Islam and Christianity
Muslims commonly believe:
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Immigration 101
Who are refugees? What is the refugee resettlement process?
Who are refugees? What is the refugee resettlement process?
Refugees are people who can't return to their home countries because they have suffered persecution or fear persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership to a particular social group.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), determines the refugee process. To be designated a refugee, one must have fled Country A to Country B and entered a UNHCR-designated area (usually a refugee camp). If granted refugee status, the UNHCR places someone on a list to determine if they can be resettled into a third country (Country C). This is called resettlement. Approximately 1% of the world’s designated refugee population is resettled. UNHCR Figures at a Glance on Refugees and Forcibly Displaced People UNHCR Frequently Asked Questions about Refugee Resettlement What is asylum?
What is asylum?
Asylum is a form of protection which allows people to remain in the US, instead of being deported to a country where they fear or have suffered persecution or harm. Asylum seekers, or asylees, fit the definition of a refugee (can't return to their home countries because they have suffered persecution or fear persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership to a particular social group), but they are not officially designated as refugees. This is because asylum seekers request protection, or asylum, from within the United States or at its borders, versus from a UNHCR-designated area.
Understanding the refugee process, there is no process for someone from Central America, South America, or Canada to be designated as a refugee. For people fleeing violence, persecution, or war, the legal process as defined by international law and U.S. law is to enter the border of the United States and request asylum. National Immigration Forum Fact Sheet on U.S. Asylum Process |
Are there sanctuary cities in South Dakota?
Are there sanctuary cities in South Dakota?
There are no sanctuary cities in South Dakota. Sanctuary city refers to how city, county, and state governments will not use resources to assist the federal government in enforcing immigration laws. Cities and police departments across the country have declared they will not work with federal entities to enforce immigration laws.
Find sanctuary areas in the United States Who are undocumented immigrants? Do they have access to public benefits?
Who are undocumented immigrants? Do they have access to public benefits?
Undocumented immigrants do not have proper paperwork to show they are lawfully present in the US. The majority of undocumented immigrants are visa overstays—people who have lawfully entered the country but did not leave when they were supposed to.
Undocumented immigrants do not have access to federal or state public benefits. But every child in the US, regardless of immigration status, has the right to K-12 public education, and every person in the US, regardless of immigration status, has the right to medical care in an emergency room. Undocumented immigrations are ineligible for medical benefits (insurance), so they must pay for medical costs themselves. It is a federal crime for undocumented immigrants to apply for public benefits, and to use unlawfully obtained public benefits. |