Muslim and Buddhism Paper

Johnny Powers

People practice many different religions around the world. A Muslim is one who freely and willingly accepts the supreme power of God and strives to live his or her life in accord with the teachings of God. Islam is a very different religion then Buddhism. Founded in India 2,500 years ago, Buddhism remains the dominant religion of the Far East and is increasingly popular in the West. These religions are different because Buddhists believe rebirth, and Muslims believe that there is only one god to be worshiped.

One thing that makes Islam and Buddhism different is their ceremonies. Muslims pray five times a day; these five prayers are known as Fajr, Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha. Muslims ceremonies are different then some Buddhist ceremonies like Vesak. The holidays of Vesak celebrates Buddha's life and his Enlightment. Muslims don’t believe rebirth.

Another thing that makes Islam and Buddhism different is their major Symbols. The Eight-Spoked Wheel is a symbol of the Buddhist Eightfold Path. This is different from the Muslims because the muslims have a picture of a cresent moon. The star and crescent is a well-known symbol of Islam. It features on the flags of many countries in the Islamic world, notably Turkey and Pakistan. Contrary to popular belief, the symbol is not Muslim in origin. Rather, it was an icon adopted during the spread of Islam, and its use today is sometimes controversial in the Muslim world. It is important to keep in mind that Islam has few traditional symbols, and the crescent moon and star are not ones that are recognized by as traditional symbols by Muslims. The symbol is due to cultural diffusion and the spread of Islam to the Ottoman turks who ruled a large area and also put the crescent moon and star symbol on their flag. The only object that is a symbol of Islam is the prayer rug. Muslims this is the rug that Muslims pray on five times a day.

A third thing that makes Islam and Buddhism different is their background. Currently, the number of Muslims is estimated to be 1.3 billion. Muslim history began in Arabia with Muhammad's first recitations of the Qur'an in the 7th century. Islam's historical development has affected political, economic, and military trends both inside and outside the Islamic world. This is different from the Buddhists because they have a different background. The founder of Buddhism was born in the Himalayan Mountains in 563 BC. The country is now called Nepal. Today the majority of Buddhists live in Shrilanka, Loas, Thailand, and Cambodia. Buddhists make up about 6% of the world's population. The founder of the Buddhist religion was Siddhartha Guatema.

In conclusion, Islam and Buddhism are very different. They have many differences such as; Symbols, Beliefs, and History. Each has major differences separating them from being the same. There are not many things the can make the two religions the same.

Bibliography

"Islamic History." Info please. 21 May 2008 http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0760942.html.

"Islamic Symbols." Religion Facts. 21 May 2008 .