The Shahadah, or testimony, is the first of the five pillars of Islam. To officially convert to Islam, you must recite the Shahadah three times: "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God." This has been a practice within the Islamic faith for hundreds of years. Yet even within the Islamic faith there are divergent versions. Those who practice Shia Islam add: "and Ali is the friend of God" at the end of the Shahadah. This, among many other practices, is an example of the religious plurality that exists in the Islamic world. The Islamic world is home to a large and diverse religious community that, on the surface, appears homogeneous in its religious practices. But many religious schools of jurisprudence, schools of theology and other religious movements exist under the umbrella of Islam, these schools bring religious diversity into Islam which seek to satisfy the diverse needs and desires of the religious market of the Islamic world. Although the United States is often used as an example to describe religious pluralism, there are many examples in the Islamic world that can even rival the plurality of the American religious market. The Muslim Brotherhood is a great example of an Islamic organization that has become deeply rooted in society. Through extensive use of social services and extreme religious power, the Muslim Brotherhood has been able to enjoy a large membership base, devoted to its cause and devoted to its principles. Every year, many Muslims embrace Sufi Islamic practices into their lives. The Islamic world is not an exception to the model of religious economies and is, in fact, a very religiously diverse region of the world. The religious economies model argues that...... middle of paper... a pluralistic market. necessary to establish and maintain a high percentage of religious participation within a population. The Muslim Brotherhood provides many social welfare services and benefits that have permeated throughout the Islamic world. This has led many to embrace the Brotherhood's religious extremism and social programs, despite increasing violence by the state against the Brotherhood's leadership and organizations. Sufism, furthermore, represented a much more diverse interpretation of Sunni Islamic practices and proved to be an example of conversion that closely follows the lines of religious familiarity. Even comparing the Islamic world to that of the United States, it was clear that diversity exists in the religious market and that social movements and religious schools of thought create a supply and demand environment to win over voters..