During the last 20 years, the number of Muslims in the world has been increasing steadily. Statistics for the year 1973 indicate that the world population of Muslims was 500 million; now, it has reached 1.5 billion. Today, every fourth person is a Muslim. It is probable that the Muslim population will continue to increase and that Islaam will become the world's largest religion. The reason for this steady rise is not only the increasing population in Muslim countries, but also the growing numbers of people who are turning to Islaam, a phenomenon that has gained momentum, especially after the attack on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001 (hereinafter referred to as 9/11).
God declares in the ’Qura~n that He has created mankind according to a certain disposition in the verse: “So set you your face steadily and truly to the Faith: (establish) God’s handiwork according to the pattern on which He has made mankind.” (The Holy ’Qura~n [T.M.Q.], chapter of Arroom, verse 30)
We are living in an era in which the world is desperately in need of peace, friendship, and solidarity. The tensions and conflicts that so defined the twentieth century continue in this new century, and innocent people all around the world continue to suffer from them.
