.... Lived religion is a very different thing from strict textual analysis. Very few people of any faith live their lives as literalist interpretations of scripture. Many people have little or no knowledge of scripture at all.
Many others who have more knowledge choose to interpret what they know in ways that are convenient, or that fit their own moral sense of what is good. Still others view their religion as a kind of self-accepted ethnicity, but live lives utterly divorced from any sense of faith.
[A COMMENT] Islam has the concept of Ummah, which is a supra-national brotherhood. When a Muslim sees themselves as part of the Ummah, then the geographical and cultural boundaries pale into insignificance.
In addition, there is this concept of Pan-Islamism, which "is a political movement advocating the unity of Muslims under one Islamic state – often a Caliphate". [guardian.co.uk] Read more
