Hello there.
It's Sunday, so here I am back in the Squiz Kids vault.
And the holy month of Ramadan kicked off this week, so it felt like the perfect time to pull out one of our most popular shortcuts.
This is our Squiz Kids shortcut to Islam.
Did you know that more than 2 billion people around the world are practicing Muslims?
That's almost one quarter of all the folk who walk the earth.
And here in Australia, despite what some politicians might try to tell us, Muslims live side by side in perfect harmony with people from all other different religions.
It is, after all, what makes Australia so great.
Difference, diversity, and above all, respect and tolerance for one another.
So, settle in and wrap your ears around the remarkable religion of Islam.
This is a Squiz Kids podcast.
Your fresh take on what's happening in the world around you.
It's the second biggest religion in the world and the fastest growing.
And for the next month, many believers won't be eating when the sun is up.
This is your Squeeze Kids Shortcut to Islam.
The podcast where we dive into the who what when where, why and how of the big news stories.
I'm Amanda Bower.
And I'm Bryce Corbett.
Bryce, what you're hearing there is a Muslim call to prayer.
There are five daily prayers that are a core part of the Islamic religion.
But for the next month there's another special prayer called Taraweeh.
That is especially for the month of Ramadan which, in 2023, starts on March 22nd and goes until April 20.
Today, we'll take you through what Islam is, how Ramadan is celebrated and why Mecca is so important.
Listen carefully.
There's a squeeze at the end.
What?
Bryce, the first thing we need to do is cover off the basics.
So the name of the religion we're talking about is Islam, and the people who follow Islam are called Muslims.
Okay.
It's the second biggest religion in the world and the fastest growing.
There are about 1.8 billion Muslims in the world.
Wow.
I've popped a link in your episode's notes to a map that shows where the world's Muslim majority countries are, meaning that more than 50 of the people who live there are Muslim.
Take a look, Bryce.
Oh, well, would you look at that?
North Africa, the Middle East, Indonesia, Malaysia.
Yeah, and then there's this second link I've put in to Muslim populations for the whole world, where you can see that we have 650000 Aussie Muslims.
That's a lot of people.
It sure is, which means it's a good idea to learn more.
Let's do it.
Yeah.
Islam is called a monotheistic religion.
Any ideas what that might mean, Bryce?
Monotheistic?
Mono makes me think of monopoly.
Great connection.
Mono is a Greek root word that means one.
So you know, if you're playing Monopoly, you're trying to be the one person who controls all the money and the houses and the hotels.
Yep.
And theism is a belief that a god or gods created the universe.
Aha!
So a monotheistic religion is one that believes that there is only one god.
Exactly.
And that's one of the big things that Islam has in common with Christianity and Judaism.
All three are monotheistic religions and they all believe in the same god.
They also have a lot of the same story.
So Islam's holy book, the Quran, also talks about Jesus, who is called Isa in Arabic.
Muslims believe that Jesus, as well as Noah, Abraham and Moses all names that Jews and Christians will be familiar with were prophets of God.
In islam, god's name is allah, which is an arabic word.
Ah, so i'm guessing that islam started in an arabic-speaking country.
Nailed it.
Islam started in the 7th century in the city of mecca, which is in modern-day saudi arabia, so it was there.
They say that allah's word was revealed to the prophet muhammad through the angel Gabriel.
So Muslims believe that Muhammad was the last of God's prophets.
And for many Muslims.
Every time they say or write Muhammad's name, they also say peace be upon him, as a sign of their respect and devotion.
And I realize you can't summarize an entire religion in a few sentences.
But what do Muslims mostly believe and do?
Okay, so there are five main pillars of Islam.
There's shahada, that is to declare one's faith in God and your belief in Muhammad.
So observant Muslims will say this several times a day.
There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger.
Right.
So that's number one.
Number two is called salat.
It's to pray five times a day.
Muslims can go to pray at a mosque, which is the name given to their house of worship, like Christians go to church and Jewish people go to synagogue, or they can actually also just pray at home.
The third pillar is zakat, to give to those in need.
The fourth pillar is som, to fast during Ramadan.
And the fifth is Hajj to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during your lifetime, if you're able.
Wow.
I'm glad you mentioned Ramadan, because some Muslim friends of mine have invited me to a Ramadan dinner.
Tell me more about how it's celebrated.
How?
For the hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world who observe the month of Ramadan, it's a time to focus on their faith and also perform generous acts.
So Muslims believe that this is the month that the first verses of their holy book, the Quran, were revealed to Muhammad.
And during Ramadan, people raise money and donate supplies to help others in need.
And they fast to remind themselves about those in the world who don't have enough to eat.
And by fast, I'm guessing you don't mean being quick or speedy.
You mean that they don't eat fast.
Yeah, that's right.
So we actually use that word every day when we talk about breakfast.
It means break fast, meaning that you're putting a stop to the fasting you did overnight while you were sleeping.
Oh, that's cool.
That's a pretty easy thing to do fast while you're asleep.
But when are Muslims fasting during Ramadan?
Yeah, basically the opposite of that.
The entire time that the sun is in the sky, Muslims observing Ramadan are not allowed to eat.
So they'll get up before sunrise and have breakfast, and then they won't eat or drink again until after the sun has set.
Yeah.
During Ramadan, they'll often organise big evening meals with family and friends, like the one you're going to be invited to.
And after the last day of Ramadan, there's a three-day festival called Eid.
And people gather together to eat.
Sometimes they'll decorate their houses.
They'll exchange gifts.
Cool.
And what about kids?
Do they have to fast too?
No.
So young kids, pregnant women, people travelling long distances, they're all excused from fasting.
It's the same as that last pillar of Islam I mentioned, the Hajj.
Muslims are expected to make a pilgrimage to Mecca if they're able.
So if you're able to do these things.
Yeah, sure.
And Mecca is a really important place to the Islamic religion, isn't it?
Tell me more about why it's important.
Why?
So Bryce, when I type Mecca into Google, the first result I get is the Mecca makeup and beauty shop.
That's up the road from my house.
I'm guessing that's not the same one.
That's not the same one.
No, the real Mecca, as I said earlier, is in Saudi Arabia.
It's where the Prophet Muhammad was born and it's considered the holiest city in Islam.
When Muslims pray, they always make sure that they're facing the great mosque of Mecca called the Masjid al-Haram.
There are actually phone apps you can get that will show you what direction Mecca is when you're ready to pray.
Wow.
And every year about 2 million people make what's called a pilgrimage to Mecca.
That's right.
It's a pretty incredible site.
I'll pop a link in your episode notes.
Every Muslim adult who can afford it and is physically able to make the journey is expected to do so at least once in their lifetime.
And during the week of Hajj, each person must do a number of rituals, including walking seven times around a cube-shaped building called the Kaaba.
Throwing stones at three pillars that symbolise the devil, and either shaving their head or having a haircut.
Oh, why a haircut?
Well, it symbolises a clean start, a rebirth.
So Bryce, over time the word Mecca has come to mean the centre or most important place for a certain group of people.
So, you know, Mecca is Mecca for Muslims.
And then you might say that the MCG is Mecca for cricket fans or the Eiffel Tower is a Mecca for tourists.
And that make-up shop I mentioned.
Well, it wants to be the most important destination for make-up lovers.
Fair enough.
I wonder what Mohammed would have thought of that.
Time for the...
This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you've been listening.
Question number one.
What is the name of the month-long period when Muslims fast?
That's right.
It's called Ramadan.
Question number two.
Which direction must Muslims face when they pray?
Yep, that's right.
They have to point themselves towards Mecca.
Question number three.
Here's a tricky one.
What's the word to describe a religion that believes in one God?
That's right.
Well done.
It's monotheistic.
That's all we have time for today.
Thanks for joining us as we explored the who, what, how, where, when and why of Islam.
Now get out there and have a most excellent day.
Over and out.
