Islam means submission to the will of God. Islam teaches belief in only one God, the Day of Judgment and individual accountability for actions. Islam greatly values peace; in fact the traditional Muslim greeting is Salaam which means peace.

The basic teachings of Islam are similar to those of Christianity and Judaism. Islam teaches the belief in one God, the Angels, the Day of Judgment, Heaven and Hell, Adam and Eve, Prophets, Prayer, and Equality.
There are five Pillars in Islam:
1. Faith: Believe in one God (Allah) and Prophet Mu­hammad (peace be upon him) as his last messenger
2. Prayer:Pray towards Mecca five times each day to remember God and thank him for his grace
3. Charity:Donate a portion of your wealth to the poor
4. Fasting:Go without food and drink from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan to empathize with the poor and learn self-discipline
5. Pilgrimage:Visit Mecca and perform the Hajj once in a lifetime, if you are able and have the means to do so.

These pillars are built on the Articles of Faith:
• God: There is only one God with no associate or partner. All that happened in the past, is happening now and is going to happen in the future is by the will of God.
• The Angels of God; Angels can do only good and serve God
• The Books of God: This includes the Torah, the Psalms given to David, The Bible and gospels revealed to Jesus (peace be upon them) and recorded by his disci­ples, and the Quran - the final book revealed to mankind.
• Prophets of God:Muslims believe that there were thousands of prophets who preached God’s message. Muslims believe in all of the prophets mentioned in the Torah and the Bible including Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them). Muslims also believe that Muhammad was the last prophet for all humanity and completed the message of God started by Adam (peace be upon him).
• Day of Resurrection or Judgment Day: Muslims be­lieve that all mankind will be raised back to life and judged by God. Those whose good deeds outweigh their bad deeds will be rewarded and those whose bad deeds outweigh their good deeds will be dealt with according to God’s judgment.
• Power of doing Good or Evil:Humans are given in­telligence and the knowledge of right and wrong actions. The free will and conscience of each individual is their guide.
• Life after Death:  The eternal life in heaven where one will be rewarded for living a righteous life on Earth, or the fire of hell where one will be punished for the evil that one committed.

Contrary to popular belief, Islam was not started by Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the 7th century. Muslims, the followers of Islam, believe that Islam was first followed by Adam, then by all of the prophets there­after. Muslims believe that the same basic message of belief in one God was communicated through many prophets including Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them) over time.

A Muslim is one who follows Islam and submits to the will of God.

There are currently 1.4 billion Muslims in the world, with 350,000 subsiding in Australia. Contrary to popular perception, only 20% of Muslims are Arabs and live in the Middle East. The countries with the largest Muslim populations are India and Indonesia with about 175 mil­lion Muslims each.

Allah is simply the Arabic word for God, the same God worshiped by Christians and Jews. It is the God of Abra­ham and Moses, not a different God. Christian Arabs also refer to God as Allah.

The Quran is the holy book of Islam. Muslims believe that the Quran was divinely revealed and is the last tes­tament of God. The Quran is preserved in its original Arabic form and has never been changed or altered.

Yes, Muslims respect and revere Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him), and await his Second Coming. They consider him one of the greatest of God’s messengers to mankind. Muslims believe in the miraculous birth of Christ and his ability to perform miracles.
The Quran also cites Christ’s mission was to reaffirm the message of the worship of the one God brought down by earlier Prophets and quotes him as saying he was sent:
“To attest the Torah which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was forbidden unto you; I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, so fear God and obey me.” (Quran, 3:50).
The Prophet Muhammad said “Whoever believes that there is no god but Allah, alone without partners, that Muhammad is His messenger, that Jesus is the servant and messenger of God, His word breathed into Mary and a spirit emanating from Him, and that Paradise and Hell are true, Allah will make him enter Paradise.”

Islam teaches that Christians, Jews and Muslims are all descended from Abraham and are people of the book. By that it means that the three religions share the same basic beliefs articulated through their holy books. Mus­lims hold Jesus and Moses (peace be upon them) in high regard and believe that they were prophets blessed with the power of miracles to show the glory of God.

Like Christianity, Islam permits fighting in self-defence, in defence of religion, or on the part of those who have been expelled forcibly from their homes. It lays down strict rules of combat that include prohibitions against harming civilians and against destroying crops, trees and livestock. As Muslims see it, injustice would be triumphant in the world if good people were not prepared to risk their lives in a righteous cause. One reads in the Quran:

"Fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but do not transgress limits. God does not love transgressors." (Quran 2:190)

"If they seek peace, then you seek peace. And trust in God for He is the One that hears and knows all things." (Quran 8:61)
War is therefore a last resort, and is subject to the rigorous conditions laid down by the sacred law.

Islam does not support terrorism under any condition or circumstances. Terrorism goes against every principle of Islam. If a Muslim engages in terrorism they are not following the religion. They may be wrongly using the name of Islam for political or financial gain.

Islam states that life is a gift from God and must be cherished. Suicide is a major sin in Islam and not permitted or justifiable under any circumstances.

CoJihad does not mean "holy war". Jihad in Arabic means to strive, struggle and exert effort. It is a central and broad Islamic concept that includes struggle against evil inclinations within oneself, struggle to improve the quality of life in society, for self-defence or fighting against tyranny or oppression.

Islam views women as equal to but different from men. Islam teaches that women must be respected and protected. Islam does not condone oppression of women but to the contrary provides many rights to women. In some Middle Eastern countries, women may be limited in certain rights. This is not due to Islam but due to the culture of that area.

The messenger of God said: "The most perfect in faith amongst believers is he who is best in manner and kindest to his wife." According to the Qur'an, men and women are equal before God; women are not blamed for violating the "forbidden tree," nor is their suffering in pregnancy and childbirth a punishment for that act. Islam sees a woman, whether single or married, as an individual in her own right, with the right to own and dispose of her property and earnings. A marital gift is given by the groom to the bride for her own personal use, and she may keep her own family name rather than adopting her husband's. Roles of men and women are complementary and collaborative. Rights and responsibilities of both sexes are equitable and balanced in their totality.