Islam

Islam is the worlds second most popular religion. There is an estimated 1 billion members who practice Islam. Islam is not a sub-category of Christianity, but follows its own set of beliefs based off of the prophet Muhammad whose life was documented in the Qur'an. Muslims believe that the Qur'an is a direct interpretation of gods word and was revealed by the prophet Muhammad and the Angel Gabriel. Muslims believe that humans were created with free will, and are expected to use that free will to serve god, and fully commit to Islam. The greatest sin according to Islamic beliefs is pride. "In pride humans attempt to partner themselves with God, and thereby damage the unity of god".


According to Islam all humans die and remain dead in their graves waiting for the return of Allah, and at that time they will be judged and sentenced to heaven or hell. The only exception to being judged is if you are an enemy of Allah then you go straight to hell, or if you die fighting for Allah then you go straight to heaven.


General attitude towards homosexuality, and same sex marriage:


Homosexuality according to Islam is considered sinful. Being homosexual is not necessarily considered a sin, but acting on any homosexual tendencies is considered a sin. According to Islamic law there is no definite condemnation of homosexuality if it is not in public. Also lesbians are considered less sinful because there is no penetration. Although Islamic law, and Islam is not overly concerned with homosexuality or same sex marriage there are many Muslim nations where homosexual actions can result in a public death penalty. The death penalty for homosexual actions are rare, and normally individuals are fined or whipped, unless they are seen as pushing gay rights. Experimentation in homosexuality in Islamic communities is somewhat common because of strict rules preventing interaction between men and women. 


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