Muhammad's teaching raised turmoil and he abandoned the city of Mecca and left for Yathrib, which other followers had already done. This city was later changed to Medina, which meant "the city." Since that time, the Islam faith has spread and has over one billion followers worldwide. This majority of these Muslims can be found in Africa, Middle East, Indonesia, and in parts of Asia and Eastern Europe. There is well over 4 million in the United States. This religion has had an impact on the lifestyles of some Muslims. For example, there has been an influence on the peasantry section of the Muslims. Some Islamic rulers have used the hated Jaziya, or poll taxed levied on the non-believers. This caused the poorest section of the peasantry to be enslaved. Some of the non-believers converted to the religion just so they wouldn't be punished. Islam put a lot of stress on the believer's equal opportunities. The use of the Jaziya caused the higher classes about the lowest class to be even further apart from each other. (www.encarta.msn.com/text/_761579171__0/Islam.html) .
This religion has several traditions. One of the most widely viewed by everyone that sees is the veils and turbans. The women are to wear the veils and complete body coverings because their religion says they can only show their body to their immediate family, servants, and slaves. The men wear turbans, loose-fitting clothing, and they usually have a beard. There is also a very important religious tradition. This traditions includes the following: they pray five times a day, and at these times they were the required dressing, they wash their hands, face, and feet, they will unroll a prayer rug, and they pray towards the city of Mecca. They also do prayers that are ritual, and also motions that include bowing, standing, and kneeling. This religious tradition is one of the Five Pillars. (www.stutzfamily.com/mrstutz/Religions/islaminfo.