Christianity And Islam Similarities

Islam and Christianity are the two largest religions in the world with approximately 3.4 billion followers combined. Islam and Catholicism- the largest branch of Christianity- share many key similarities and differences. One such similarity is the belief in only one God, which can be defined as monotheism. The prayer rituals of Islam and Catholicism differ from one another; however, there are some correspondences. The cultural contexts of the two religions and the current issues facing Muslims and Catholics today are also important aspects to consider when analysing the religions. Catholicism and Islam can be compared and contrasted through Smart’s Doctrinal and Ritual and Practical dimensions, the history of the faith traditions in Australia
In Islam, Muslims are required to pray five times a day to fulfil the pillar of Salah or prayer. Catholics are required to attend mass on Sunday, however, there is no set time. In Catholicism, prayer is about the relationship with God and can be either communal or personal (Brisbane Catholic Education, 2016). In Islam it is preferred that you attend the mosque, their place of worship, to pray as it “helps Muslims to realise that all humanity is one, and all are equal in the sight of Allah” (British Broadcasting Corporation, 2009) whereas Catholic ritual prayer can be “individual or gathered, silent or spoken” (Brisbane Catholic Education, 2016). Another important distinction between the practices of prayer in Islam from the practices of prayer Catholicism is the ritual of wudhu. Muslims believe that they must cleanse themselves before presenting themselves to Allah and therefore perform a ritual washing called wudhu. Often mosques have washing facilities for this purpose. Catholics are not required to clean themselves before prayer however, they do wash their thumbs and the index finger in water on entry before making the sign of the cross. The major similarity between the religions regarding prayer is the importance and significance of performing the ritual. For Muslims, “Prayer represents the individual’s
“The first Catholics to reside in Australia arrived with the First Fleet in 1788.” During settlement, the prevailing religion was Catholicism as one tenth of the convicts that travelled to Australia were Catholics. Even though there is some evidence suggesting that Indigenous Indonesian Muslims traded with Aboriginals prior to European settlement, the main influx of Islamic people was in in the 1860s when 3000 camel drivers from Afghanistan arrived in Australia. “This group contributed to the exploration of the Australian outback, working on both the railway line between Port Augusta and Alice Springs, and the Overland Telegraph Line from Adelaide to Darwin, which connected Australia to London via India” (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2014). There have been a number of other significant Muslim migrations to Australia particularly after the Policy of Multiculturalism was introduced into Australia in the 1960s (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2014). Nevertheless, only 2.2% of the current Australian population are Muslims compared to 25% of the population constituting of