Families with Saudi Arabian Roots

1. Families with Saudi Arabian Roots The Saudi Arabian Flag is green, which is the traditional color of islam, with a large white Arabic script that may be translated as “There is no God but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God”. Below the script is a white horizontal saber.

2. The Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaAl Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah • Saudi Arabia is located in the Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, UAE, and Yemen. • Saudi Arabia is slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US and the area consists of 1,960,582 sq km of land and 0 sq km of water (excluding the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea) • The environment in Saudi Arabia is mostly harsh, dry, sandy desert with great temperature extremes, frequently have sand and dust storms, and is mostly uninhabited. The lowest point in elevation is the Persian gulf at 0 m., and the highest point is Jabal Sawda’ at 3,133 m.

3. The Saudi Arabians • Population: 24,293,844 • Religions: Muslim 100% • Language: Arabic • Ethnic Groups: Arab 90%; Afro-Asian 10% • Median Age: total: 18.8 years male: 20.9 years female: 16.8 years (2002) • Age Structure: 0-14 years: 42.3% (male 5,245,413; female 5,028,595) 15-64 years: 54.8% (male 7,700,121; female 5,622,099) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 393,173; female 304,443) (2003 est.) • Population Growth Rate: 3.27% (2003 est.) • Birth Rate: 37.2 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) • Death Rate 5.79 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) • Net Migration Rate: 1.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) • Literacy: Age 15 and over can read & write Total Population: 78.8% Male: 84.7%; Female: 70.8%

4. The Qur’an • The Qur'an is a collection of holy scriptures of Islam. It is divided into 114 Suras (chapters) of unequal length. The earliest Meccan suras are shorter, and they become longer as time goes on. The earliest suras are more similar to the Jewish style of admonishing people to reform and warning them of coming judgment. All suras are supposed to represent material dictated to Muhammad from God through the angel Gabriel. The Qur'an is thus believed to be the direct Word of God and must be obeyed without question. • The word Qur'an means "recitation," representing the fact that it is a verbally revealed set of scriptures. A few things are emphasized in the Qur'an, including strict monotheism, the duty of all believers to take care of those less fortunate, daily prayer, purification through fasting, and making a pilgrimage to Mecca. These five items make up the "Five Pillars" of Muslim faith. • While the Qur'an is regarded as the Word of God, it is strangely evolutionary. Evidently, God wasn't interested in handing down a single instruction and leaving it at that, instead, God changed his instructions over time. This shows that the Qur'an is greatly concerned with how people live their lives. It is not just a matter of moral law, but a person's daily routine. "Alif Laam Raa. A book which we have revealed to you (Muhammad) so that you may lead the people from out of the darkness into the light by their Lord's leave to the path of the All-Mighty, the Praiseworthy." [Qur'an 14:1]

5. Gestures • “Salam Alikum” (Peace be upon you) • Handshakes • Small talk • Hospitality • Touching • Body language

6. Holidays • Fridays • Ramadan • Eid-Ul-Fitr • Eid-Ul-Adha • Ashura • Muslim New Year • Laylat Ul Qadr