MUSLIM CULTURE AND

ISLAM RELIGION
By: Nicole Fleischmann

L O C AT I O N A N D P O PU L AT I O N
Pakistan covers 307,374 square miles and is the size of the states of both Texas and Oklahoma combined.
Islamabad is the Capital of Pakistan which is a mostly flat country.
Indus River Valley is where most people live. This runs through the center of the country.
Territory is Pakistan is divided between Northern Areas, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and four
provinces (Punjab, Sind, Baluchistan, and the Khyber Pakhtonkhawa).
Kashmir the area of the border between Pakistan and Northern India is disputed.
Both Pakistan and India have control of parts of Kashmir. Pakistan's portion is called Azad Kashmir
which is one-third of Kashmir.
The Line of Control: A de facto border divide.
Population: 190,291,129.

CULTURE

About 95% of Pakistanis are Muslim.

75% Sunni Muslims.
20% Shii Muslims.
Pashtans and Baluchis
Family life is the center of social and life support.
Common for a father, mother, their sons and the sons families
to live together in the same household.
If the pay is sufficient for the son, he can move out of the
families home with his wife.

CLOTHING
A shalwar qameez is the type of clothing people in Pakistan
wear.
Mens attire

Womens attire

LANGUAGE
English is an official language in Pakistan
Urdu is the other official language
Encouraged as a replacement for English and is
the nations unifying language.
8% of the population speaks Urdu as native
tongue.
Major languages correlate with the ethnic groups
Punjab, Baluchi, Pashtu, etc.

RELIGION
The Islam religion is what unites the people of Pakistan.
Small Hindu and Christian communities in Pakistan also.
Islam is the second largest of religious traditions in the world.
Monotheistic
Islam- submission.
Has over one billion adherents.
Follow the Quran.
Believe in Allah. (God)
Emphasize practice over belief.
Provides the Shariah

FIVE PILLARS
1. The confession of faith.
2. Worship.
3.

Almsgiving.

4.

Fasting.

5.

Pilgrimage to Mecca.

GREETINGS
A Handshake is the most common type of greeting.
Close friends embrace if meeting for a long time.
Men cannot shake hands with or touch a women who is not a relative of
his.
May greet a mans wife verbally without directly looking at her.
Verbal Greetings
Lengthy inquiries about ones family and health.
Men may place their right hand over their hear during this greeting.
Al-salam: May peace be upon you and Wa alaykum al-salam: And
peace also upon you.

GESTURES
Not proper to point ones foot or shoe at another.
People squat or sit with both feet on the ground.
Items are passed with the right hand OR both hands.
To beckon: wave all fingers of the hand with the palm
facing down.
Using individual fingers is impolite.
Male friends may walk hand in hand or with their
arms over each others shoulders.
It is inappropriate for members of the opposite sex to
touch each other in public.

FOOD
Whenever it is possible, the family eats together.
Poor families eat from the same platter eating
from the part that is directly in front of them.
Mainstay of the Pakistani diet is Chapati, also
called Roti.
Pakistani food is generally hot and spicy.
Curry is one of the most popular dishes.

DATING AND
MARRIAGE
Young men and women have little contact with each other
and usually go to different schools.
Arranged Marriage
The marriages are not always arranged because if a man
and a women work together and begin to have feelings
towards one another the parents of both the male and
the female meet each other to see if they agree.
Men usually get married between the ages of 28 and 35.
Women usually get married between 16 and 25.

TABOOS
Food Taboos
Pork is forbidden to Muslims.
Other meats, including beef, and chicken are also taboo if they are not slaughtered
according to Islamic standards making them Halal or permissible for consumption.
Foods containing blood, birds of prey, and animals that consume meat are also not
allowed.
Alcohol
Strictly taboo in Islam and considered a great sin in the Quran.
This is because they are required to pray while sober and many times each day.
Sex
When between unmarried men and women.
Not to wash before saying prayers after intercourse.

EDUCATION
Public spending on education in Pakistan is among the lowest in the region.
2% of the gross domestic product is spent on education.

Literacy rates are especially low.

Lack of facilities.
Primary, middle, secondary, higher secondary, degree college, university
levels.

Primary school has a very high drop-out rate.

Private schools teach in English and require a very high amount of tuition to
be paid. (Mostly for the elite- high class)

Madrassahs provide free, Islamic education.

They are funded by donations and government grants.

Given in the Urdu language

WHAT TO DO
For these children in schools, teachers need to
learn about the culture and religion in order to
understand their needs.
Should have culture day so that every child in
the class can learn about each others cultures and
not judge or bully children.
Have extra help readily available.

REFERENCES
Engel, H. The taboos of islam. (2008-2015). Retrieved from
www.people.opposingviews.com/taboos-islam-2577.html .
Esposito, J.L. Introduction: The islamic tradition. (2015).
Retrieved from
www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/ecumenical-and-interreligi
ous/interreligious/islam/introduction-the-islamic-tradition.cf
m
.
Islamic places: The Muslim world. (2004-2015). Retrieved
from www.religionfacts.com/islam/places.htm .
Islamic republic of Pakistan. CultureGrams world edition.
(2013). Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.molloy.idm.oclc.org/docview/132
7852467?accountid=28076
.