The muslims inherited much from Greece, Rome, and India. Muslims tolerated other cultures and because of that were so advanced in scholarship, the medical field, and many others areas at the highest level at that period of time. The muslims achievements will always have a lasting impact on our world.…
In her book The Butterfly Mosque, Willow Wilson aims to convey her own experience of the Muslim culture. Because her family was not religious and she converted to Islam willingly in her adulthood, she is able to present both internal and external sides of this religion. This work is not a propaganda, for Wilson mentions both positive and negative facets of her conversion as she describes her early attempts to harmonize Western and Eastern norms in her personal worldview.…
In the article Muslim in America authors Jeffrey Sheler and Michael Betzold describe the hardships of being a Muslim in modern American society, they also give us in depth look at the normality of these American citizens and how they do not differ from any other ethnic group, how they yearn for acceptance, and how they're adapting to American life. "Muslims feel very much at home in Middle America"(655).…
When studying Islam, it is important to understand the essential elements of the faith, how they are practiced, and the distinctions among the three branches: Shiite Islam, Sunni Islam, and Sufism.…
In, “The truth of Islam”, Andrew Mack points out that Islam is not a violent religion nor peacefully, yet both. He states that the reason why Non-Muslims views Muslims as “negative” or “terrorist” is, because of ISIS doings, al-Qaida, and the other ultra-violent Islamist groups. However, close to 1.8 billion Muslims remain peaceful societies, as the country were not involved in WWII (Mack). Also, Mack said to determine where violence stands, there are two factors: homicide/ murder rate, and “conflict years” to examine on. He used statistical facts to attest this point.…
The Muslims and Islam, to build their own culture, used other countries as examples such as Rome, India, and Greece, as well as the countries that they conquered. They used these examples and the different teachings of these countries to advance them to the highest level that they had ever been. The documents show different views and help explain what the achievements are, how they came to be, and also their lasting impact on the rest of the world. The first set of documents talk about what the achievements are and the way that they helped to better the Muslims in Islam. The second group of documents give evidence and explain how the Muslims accomplished these achievements and what they improved on from other countries to make theirs the best…
A. “In 632 CE the prophet Muhammad visited his native city of Mecca from his home in exile at Medina, and in doing so he set an example that devout Muslims have sought to emulate ever since” (B&Z 355). Each year hundreds of thousands of Muslims travel to Mecca by land, sea, and air to make the hajj (“the holy pilgrimage to Mecca”) and visit the holy sites of Islam. As years went by the pilgrims decrease, but in the 9th c. it had become so popular that Muslim rulers went to the extent to meet the needs of travelers passing through their lands. When the pilgrimage season was nearing, crowds would gather at major trading centers such as Baghdad, Damascus, and Cairo. There the…
When dealing with racial tensions between Americans and Muslims after such a catastrophic event such as September 11th, the outlook on Muslims from an American’s standpoint may forever be tarnished. Much like the way Americans viewed Japanese following the attack on Pearl Harbor, although the Japanese people who we may come in contact with in the U.S. had nothing to do with the attack because they are Japanese, after the attack was not the best of times for them. All over the world following September 11th you would hear reports of violence towards Muslims by American citizens who in their own mind thought they were standing up for their country and in a way “getting back” at the Muslim…
Sunni, Shiite, and Sufi are three branches of Islam. The Shiite and Sunni’s were the first really major division of the Islamic religion. This division was the result of a political argument over who should precede Muhammed. Sunni’s name means tradition and they believed the legitimacy of the Orthodox caliphates, and based everything off those beliefs. Sunni’s believe that Muhammad did not designate a successor. Now Shiite’s get their name from the word Shia, which means faction. They believe that Muhammad did leave a successor and it was the son-in-law and cousin of Muhammad named, Ali. They do not believe the same thing as Sunnis and disagree and do not get along with them. Now Sufi’s are” a contemplative school of Islam that aims to develop an individual 's consciousness of God though chanting, recitation of litanies, music and physical movement (SCRUGGS, 2010, para. )” Sufis find the importance by approaching the inner meaning of god through mysticism. They want to find the hidden meanings of the world they do not read or follow the Qur’an as strictly and as a result have closer relationships to other religions (SCRUGGS,…
Historically, the presence and contributions of Muslims in the United States have been unrecognized. In his book, Muslims in America: A Short History, Edward Curtis provides countless examples that prove that Muslims are neither new nor foreign to the United States. Essentially, the book depicts how the lives of Muslim Americans have been negatively impacted by significant historical events in the United States. As noted by Curtis (2009), the transatlantic slave trade in eighteenth century marked the beginning of Muslims in America. The transatlantic slave produced the first largest migration wave of African Muslims into the United States. Job Ben Salomon’s story, the first slave to be traded to North America, perfectly illustrates the past…
Trading contacts and conversion- Islam spread through peaceful contacts and voluntary conversion were more important than conquest…
When studying Islam, it is important to understand the essential elements of the faith, how they are practiced, and the distinctions among the three branches: Shiite Islam, Sunni Islam, and Sufism.…
Islam is practiced by 1.57 billion people worldwide. According to the 2011 Australian census, 470,000 Australians listed Islam as their main religion. This is the fourth largest religious belief in Australia behind Christianity, Irreligion and Buddhism respectively.…
Since September 11, 2001, considerable attention has been devoted to the study of terrorism. Terrorism is the unlawful use of violence, especially against civilians. Many things are associated with terrorism but the one thing everyone ties it back to is Islam. Many terrorist attacks have been carried out by radical Muslims, who believe they are doing the right thing under the rule of jihad. Jihad a word commonly mistaken for holy war is as described by the Quran and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w), "jihad" has many meanings. It can refer to internal as well as external efforts to be a good Muslims or believer, as well as working to inform people about the faith of Islam. This research paper is about is Islam a threat to the United States of America or if Islam is even a threat at all. The questions are what is Islam, why is it perceived as a threat, have these attacks been…
I have been a member of the Catholic Church my entire life. Although I have often taken time to reflect on my faith, never once have I made an attempt to explore a religion aside from my own. Recently, I stepped outside of my comfort zone and was fortunate enough to visit a mosque. A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam, or one who is Muslim. There are a multitude of services I could have visited to experience a new religion, each with their own identity. The reason I ultimately chose to visit a mosque is because Muslims believe all life begins and ends with God, as do I. However, unlike Catholics, the Islamic religion does not believe Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, nor that he was crucified on the cross. My goal was to gain a better understanding of the beliefs Catholics and Muslims share, how they differ, and why. The experience was refreshing, and I feel as though I left the mosque with solid answers to my questions, and a new outlook on my own faith.…