answers for the Islam pop quiz
For those of you who have taken my basic Islam pop quiz, the answers are here.
Answer 1. C: You are allowed to eat during the nights, but not during the days. Quite often people end up gaining weight during Ramadan, since the body starts saving up body fat which is not used after the big nightly meals.
Answer 2. D: All of the above. Pregnant (and breastfeeding) women, children, sick people, and travellers are all exempt from fasting.
Answer 3. D: Converting others. The Ramadan fast, the daily prayer, giving alms, declaring your faith, and at least once in your life going on a pilgrimage to Mekka are "pillars", duties all muslims are supposed to perform. (Not all do, of course.)
Answer 4. A: Eat the pork chops. In an emergency, the laws of haram (forbidden) and halal (allowed) food no longer apply.
Answer 5. B: The last prophet. Muslims believe in many of the biblical prophets, and that Muhammad was the last such prophet, finishing God's message to humanity.
Answer 6. C: A prophet. The Qur'an teaches that Jesus (Isa) was a prophet of love, but only human in nature, not divine. Instead of dying on the cross, he was taken directly to heaven.
Answer 7. B: His son-in-law Ali. The Sunni muslims, on the other hand, believe that Muhammad was succeeded by his father-in-law Abu Bakr, who was the first caliph. Shia muslims are only about 10% of the world's muslims, but make up the vast majority in Iran and roughly half the population of Iraq. If you think this is all splitting hairs, remember the tiny differences that caused the Catholic/Protestant Reformation.
Answer 8. D: God in general. !Allah! is the Arabic word for capital-G-God, regardless of faith. Arabic-speaking Christians also pray to Allah.
Answer 9. C: Bettering one's soul. Protecting the nation is also a form of jihad (struggle), sometimes known as the ”lesser jihad”. Attacking others and killing innocents are definite no-nos. However, terrorists know that ”jihad” is the only legitimate form of battle for muslims and will thus bend over backwards to prove that their battle is just.
Answer 10. B: Forbidden. Islam allows every man to have four wives, no more. Some countries have found a loophole in "temporary marriages" that can last a short period of time, even a few hours (thus legalizing prostitution). Even with this form of cheating, however, harems are out.
Answer 11. Edited: Originally, I had A: ordered for boys, but not girls, but this is incorrect the way the question is phrased. Circumcision for boys is considered sunnah by most muslims, but it's not technically in the Qur'an. Female circumcision is practiced in some countries of both Muslim and Christian faith, but not ordered by any religion (though some people in such areas might claim otherwise, just like how some Christians might claim that Jesus forbade dancing).
Answer 12. E: None of the above. A is a hijab, B a chador, C a niqab. A burqa covers the entire body and face, with the cloth over the face and eyes coarse enough to see through. You'll very rarely see one in most Western countries, which makes the people ranting about "forbidding burqas" seem particularly asinine. All the pictures were taken from this site, where you can also see burqas and other types of headdresses.
And the answer to the bonus question is that they were Christians, part of the small Laestadian Lutheran Church. Might be worth remembering sometimes...
Answer 1. C: You are allowed to eat during the nights, but not during the days. Quite often people end up gaining weight during Ramadan, since the body starts saving up body fat which is not used after the big nightly meals.
Answer 2. D: All of the above. Pregnant (and breastfeeding) women, children, sick people, and travellers are all exempt from fasting.
Answer 3. D: Converting others. The Ramadan fast, the daily prayer, giving alms, declaring your faith, and at least once in your life going on a pilgrimage to Mekka are "pillars", duties all muslims are supposed to perform. (Not all do, of course.)
Answer 4. A: Eat the pork chops. In an emergency, the laws of haram (forbidden) and halal (allowed) food no longer apply.
Answer 5. B: The last prophet. Muslims believe in many of the biblical prophets, and that Muhammad was the last such prophet, finishing God's message to humanity.
Answer 6. C: A prophet. The Qur'an teaches that Jesus (Isa) was a prophet of love, but only human in nature, not divine. Instead of dying on the cross, he was taken directly to heaven.
Answer 7. B: His son-in-law Ali. The Sunni muslims, on the other hand, believe that Muhammad was succeeded by his father-in-law Abu Bakr, who was the first caliph. Shia muslims are only about 10% of the world's muslims, but make up the vast majority in Iran and roughly half the population of Iraq. If you think this is all splitting hairs, remember the tiny differences that caused the Catholic/Protestant Reformation.
Answer 8. D: God in general. !Allah! is the Arabic word for capital-G-God, regardless of faith. Arabic-speaking Christians also pray to Allah.
Answer 9. C: Bettering one's soul. Protecting the nation is also a form of jihad (struggle), sometimes known as the ”lesser jihad”. Attacking others and killing innocents are definite no-nos. However, terrorists know that ”jihad” is the only legitimate form of battle for muslims and will thus bend over backwards to prove that their battle is just.
Answer 10. B: Forbidden. Islam allows every man to have four wives, no more. Some countries have found a loophole in "temporary marriages" that can last a short period of time, even a few hours (thus legalizing prostitution). Even with this form of cheating, however, harems are out.
Answer 11. Edited: Originally, I had A: ordered for boys, but not girls, but this is incorrect the way the question is phrased. Circumcision for boys is considered sunnah by most muslims, but it's not technically in the Qur'an. Female circumcision is practiced in some countries of both Muslim and Christian faith, but not ordered by any religion (though some people in such areas might claim otherwise, just like how some Christians might claim that Jesus forbade dancing).
Answer 12. E: None of the above. A is a hijab, B a chador, C a niqab. A burqa covers the entire body and face, with the cloth over the face and eyes coarse enough to see through. You'll very rarely see one in most Western countries, which makes the people ranting about "forbidding burqas" seem particularly asinine. All the pictures were taken from this site, where you can also see burqas and other types of headdresses.
And the answer to the bonus question is that they were Christians, part of the small Laestadian Lutheran Church. Might be worth remembering sometimes...