Module 19: Islam in Muslim-Majority Countries

Islam is a major force in the modern world. Muslim-majority countries are shaped by population growth, migration, technology, modernization, and global politics. At the same time, Islam is also being shaped by these modern changes.

Muslim-majority countries vary widely in how they handle rights, freedoms, and religious expression. Some are relatively open and pluralistic, allowing different religions to practice publicly, women to participate broadly in education and work, and citizens to debate political and religious ideas. Others are much more restrictive, limiting religious minorities, punishing criticism of Islam, controlling women’s public lives, or treating religious identity as part of state loyalty.

Islam is a global religion, but it is not lived out in exactly the same way everywhere. A Muslim in Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey, Nigeria, Pakistan, or Morocco may share core beliefs with other Muslims, such as belief in one God, reverence for the Qur’an, and the importance of prayer, fasting, charity, and pilgrimage. But the way Islam appears in public life, family life, clothing, holidays, politics, education, and social customs can vary greatly from region to region.

Module 19 explains that Islam in Muslim-majority countries is both unified and diverse. Muslims around the world share core beliefs and practices, but Islam is expressed differently across regions because it is shaped by local culture, language, history, politics, and social customs. The module emphasizes that Muslim-majority societies are not all the same: some are more secular, some are more religiously conservative, and some blend Islam with national, cultural, and legal traditions in very different ways.