Islam+and+Hinduism+in+South+America

Hinduism and Buddhism, both major religions, became known in ancient India thousand of years ago. What really shaped Indian civilization was the holy and moral messages both religions showed.
 * Hinduism and Buddhism **

Hinduism doesn’t express a single founder and has no single sacred text. Alternately, it expanded out of the overlapping beliefs of the various groups who have recently settled in India. This process supposably lead off when the Aryans added the gods of the Indus civilization to their own. Afterward, beliefs, gods, and practices were brought in and because of that, one of the world’s most complicated religions became to be Hinduism. This religion had many gods and goddesses along with a diversity of worshiping. In spite of this mixture, all Hindus share particular fundamental beliefs.
 * The Beliefs of Hinduism Develop **

**One Force Underlies Everything** The Hindu’s believe in the brahman, which is the belief that everything is part of the unchanging, all-powerful spiritual force. Hindus worship many gods that give visible forms to brahman. Vishnu, the Preserver; Brahma, the Creator; and Shiva, the Destroyer, all are the most important gods of Hinduism. The three gods can take many forms, such as animal or human, that symbolize the various features of brahman. The strong goddess, Shakti: which is cruel and kindhearted at the same time and a creator and a destroyer, is worshiped in many forms by some Hindus.

**Sacred Texts Reveal Hindu Beliefs** Hindu teachings were written down in the sacred texts of the Vedas, over many hundreds of years. A part of the Vedas that addresses spiritual questions directed to Hinduism is the Upanishads. These texts display detailed images to inspect complicated ideas about the human soul and the attachment of all life.

Many disciples, or followers, were attracted to Buddha. They traveled with him as he preached throughout northern India. Monasteries and convents for study and meditation were set up by numerous men and women who acknowledged the Buddha’s teachings. Even some Buddhist monasteries developed into significant centers of learning.
 * Buddhism Spreads Beyond India **

**Collecting the Buddha's Teachings** The Buddha ate spoiled food, at the age of 80. He tells his disciples, before he dies, “Decay is inherent in all things. Work out your own salvation with diligence.” His followers gathered the Duddha’s teachings into the Tripitaka, or “Three Baskets of Wisdom,” after his death. One of the “baskets” reflects the Hindu stress on duty: “Let a man, after he has discerned his own duty, be always attentive to his duty.” Additional Buddha sayings include their edition of the golden rule: “Overcome anger by not growing angry. Overcome evil with good. Overcome the liar by truth.”

**Buddhism Spreads and Divides** Buddhism was spread across India to various parts of Asia by Missionaries and traders. Buddhism was eventually divided into two major subgroups, or sects, which included Mahayana Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism.

Making Buddhism easier for ordinary people to follow was the Mahayana sect. Mahayana Buddhists imagined Buddha and other holy figures as sympathetic, even though he disallowed his followers to worship him. In order to achieve salvation and resolve daily problems, people turned to these gods for help. Mahayana Buddhists pronounced that their would an afterlife that had many heavens and hells. Mahayana Buddhism stretch out to Tibet, China, Japan, and Korea.

Closely obeying the Buddha’s native teachings was Theravada Buddhism, which required a life committed to difficult spiritual labor. Only the nuns and monks could expect to reach nirvana. This Theravada sect managed to spread to Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka.

**Buddhism Declines in India** While Buddhism was firmly in place across Asia, in India, it was slowly declining. Buddhist ideas after some time were absorbed by Hinduism and they made room for Buddha as another Hindu god. Until the 1100s, not many Buddhist centers survived, which was when they fell to Muslim armies that conquered India.

Muhammad’s death caused his followers to fall into dejection. Both a pious man and a strong leader, the Prophet was able to unify numerous Arab tribes.
 * Building a Muslim Empire **

When Muhammad died, Muslims had came across a obstacle because he had not announced a successor to lead the community. Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s father-in-law and an early Islam, was chosen to be the first successor to Muhammad. Abu Bakr stated, “If you worship Muhammad, Muhammad is dead. If you worship God, God is alive.”
 * Early Challenges to Islam **

**Arabs Unite Under Islam** A crisis haunted Abu Bakr. Muhammad’s personal command was so powerful that some Arab tribal leaders became loyal to his word so they rejected to follow Abu Bakr and give away their loyalty to Islam. Abu Bakr did manage to reunite the Muslims, after various battles with the wavering tribes. Several military campaigns were arranged by the Muslims after they reunited. The prevailing Arab tribes started to get converted to Islam, which ended conflict between Arabs and ultimately merged them under one leader.

 **Early Victories** Arab Muslims was able to accomplish victory after victory up against the two greatest empires, under the first four Muslim rulers. Showing competition between each other, the Byzantines and Persians debated over jurisdiction of lands in the Middle East. The Arabs surprised their neighbors by taking over the Persians in whole and seizing great pieces of the Byzantine empire. In order to accomplish this, first, from the Byzantines, they took the territories of Palestine and Syria, which included the cities of Jerusalem and Damascus. Next, they moved into Byzantine Egypt and conquered the already dwindling Persian empire.




 * India's Muslim Empires **


 * Muslims and Hindus Clash **

**Hindu-Muslim Differences** Two different religious groups were brought face to face by the Muslim advance: Hindus and Muslims. Hindus worshiped various gods, while Muslims prayed to only a single god. Islam encouraged equality, while Hindus acknowledged the caste system.

 **A Blending of Cultures** Slowly, the cultures mixed. Hindus were permitted to practice their religion, while some rajahs, or local Hindu rulers, proceeded governing. Because it rejected the caste system, various Hindus converted to Islam. Some of the Hindus ideas and customs were followed with Muslims. Arabic, Hindi, and Persian were all blended to form a new language called Urdu. Hindu and Muslim beliefs blended to form a new religion called Sikhism.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">** Diverse Cultures of Southeast Asia **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">** Geography of Southeast Asia ** Southeast Asia is made up of two regions: mainland Southeast Asia and island Southeast Asia. Mainland Southeast Asia incmedia type="file" key="Regional Overview of Southeast Asia & the Pacific.m4v" align="right" width="396" height="396"ludes Thailand, present-day Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Island Southeast Asia is composed of more than 20,000 islands, which include present-day nations of Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, and the Philippines.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">**Separated by Mountains** The mainland is set apart from the rest of Asia by high plateaus and mountains. Invaders and traders still managed to advance their way into the region.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">**Trade Routes in the Southern Seas** Sea trade linking China and India had to pass through the Malacca or Sunda straits, so the island that were in charge of these straits were tactically significant. In the southern seas, the monsoons played a big role in trading patterns. While waiting for the winds to change, between seasons, merchants docked their ships in Southeast Asian ports, which grew into vital centers of culture and trade. This resulted in an international trade network linking Southeast Asia, China, and India to the Middle East and East Africa.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">**Early Traditions** Southeast Asia people formed their own cultures before Chinese or Indian influences shaped the region. Diverse ethnic groups speaking various languages colonized in Southeast Asia over the centuries. Taking part in the spice trade were women, which had greater egalitarianism there than they did somewhere else in Asia. A recognized custom in this region was Matrilineal descent, or heritage through the mother.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">** Indian Culture Spreads to Southeast Asia **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">**Indian Influence Reaches Its Peak** Hindu priest and Indian merchants gradually spread their culture through Southeast Asia in the early centuries A.D. In time, monks presented Theravada Buddhism. Prosperity started to show up due to trade with India. Merchants exchanged jewels and cloth, as well as perfume for spices, timber, and gold. Between 500 and 1000, Indian influence reached its peak.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">**Indians Bring Islam** By the 1200s, Muslims ruled northern India. From there, traders spread Muslim culture and Islamic beliefs throughout the island of Indonesia. Islam was brought to Indonesia by Indian traders, and as far east as the Philippines.