...ON ISLAM and INEQUALITY Introduction Fish (2011) in his book named “Are Muslims Distinctive: A Look at the Evidence.” discusses whether Muslims show any systematic differences on individual and country levels in various issues such as democracy, large scale violence, corruption, tolerance and social inequality. In terms of inequality, Fish compares Muslim and non- Muslim countries in relation to gender and income inequality. As a result of his data analyses he concludes: “On gender based inequality Muslims lag; on income inequality they lead” (Fish, 2011: 228). I consider the finding about income inequality as an unexpected one because in the income inequality literature, religion in general and Islam in specific are not commonly considered as potential determinants. Fish`s proposed causal mechanism makes his study even more suspicious because his references are anecdotal and his reasoning is culturalist. This is why, I decided to investigate his findings deeper and conduct a test on his claims that Muslims are culturally more egalitarian than Christians. The plan of this paper works in the following way: I will start with a literature review and continue with a brief summary of Fish`s data analysis and his major claims about the causal mechanism behind the relationship between Muslim culture and egalitarian state policies. Afterwards, I will continue with my alternative replication of Fish`s regression analysis with a different dataset which measures inequality in an...
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...the beliefs of other religious groups. Unlike many of the world’s major religions, indigenous religions often centers their spirituality within the context of the natural world and on particular geographic features, including bodies of water, trees, mountains, animals and everything is perceived as being alive with sacred existence. The word indigenous means originated in, and thus the term indigenous religion means the original religion of a place. Indigenous religions in the majority include those not considered to be 'world religions', such as Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism, but instead are often rural in nature, do not seek converts, and identify with specific ethnic groups. One aspect of indigenous religions that exists in a similar form in a traditional mainstream religion is African indigenous tradition is conceived as continuum, that follows the process of birth, death and rebirth, the same as Christians, we are born, we die and we have eternal life with Christ Jesus. Religion has been the basic foundation of life, saturating all aspects of human existence. The definition of religion would be the belief of a higher power that is in control of all things and knows all things. Religion is useful in society because religious beliefs contribute to moral beliefs. Religion also inoculates...
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...characterize modern Europe and Western society. Politically, the Enlightenment had a direct impact on some rulers--in eastern and central Europe—whose policies came to be known as enlightened absolutism. Section One: Formative Influences of the Enlightenment Section Overview Chief factors that fostered the ideas of the Enlightenment The Newtonian worldview the political stability and commercial prosperity in Great Britain after 1688 the need for administrative and economic reform after the wars of Louis XIV the consolidation of what is known as a print culture Ideas of Newton and Locke Isaac Newton The achievements in science from Copernicus to Newton convinced European thinkers that both the ancient and medieval Christian worlds were incorrect and confused...
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...Religions and Politics (Prof. Mondonga M. Mokoli, Ph.D.) According to the scientific theory of evolution, life on Earth evolved naturally over time. Evolutionary theory was proposed by Charles Darwin in the 19th century and it was affirmed by the 20th century biologists and geneticists. Thus, this theory has achieved scientific consensus as the origin of human humankind. In contrast, supporters of intelligent design believe that all life on the Earth was created deliberately. Intelligent design theory proposes that the overwhelming complexity of the universe suggests a rational, omnipotent designer, be it God, an alien, or some other source. Thus, intelligent design theory was developed as an alternative not only to Darwin’s evolutionism but also to religious creationism which argues that God is the only creator of life, universe and their contents. The Purpose of this Chapter • Our purpose in this chapter is not to show the truth or falsehood of any of these perspectives nor the doctrines of any particular faith. Rather, it is: - To describe the nature of religion and the general character of certain major religions of the past and the present; - To give some attention to the role that religion has played in the development of human societies, that is; o not only to integrate and stabilize them but also, o at times, to create conflicts; - To consider the present-day influence of social change on religion and, - conversely, the influence of religion...
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...three main causes of this pathetic reality. Firstly, some religions that allow existence of child brides can encourage their followers or their followers’ daughters to get married before eighteen. What’s more, developing countries and many rural areas where poverty widely existed contribute a great part to this growing tendency. Last but not least, lack of education also changes those 1 2 3 4 5 A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle. The Phrase Finder. Web. 9 May 2014. Child marriages: 39 000 every day. World Health Organization. Web. 1 May 2014. Nilanjana Bhowmick. India Criticized For Not Co-Sponsoring U.N. Child-Bride Resolution. Time.com. 18 May, 2014. Child Marriage Facts and Figures. International Center for Research on Women. Web. 20 April 2014. About Child Marriage. Girlsnotbrides....
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...Third Gender – Equality and Truth http://caissg.org/third-gender-equality-truth/ It is a brave and honest person who can stand apart from the masses and openly challenge its most treasured beliefs. ~ Donna Evans As humans, we understand a little about our complex bodies even with the greatest medical science. It is what it is. Then why lie? Secrecy and stigma are worse than the condition itself. Without truth and transparency, it is difficult to pass laws, provide equal rights, offer support and help for all. We need to have an environment which encourages truth, tolerance, and respect for all. Are there only two genders or is there a third gender?Regardless of which side of the issue you are on, we can all agree thattruth is always the right option and secrecy and lying have no place for a long-term solution in a civilized society. There are several issues withsecrecy and lying. First it is wrong. Second it does not take into account the feelings and trauma of the person being lied to. Third it could lead to criminal acts such as if lying is a crime under oath. What are the bioethics for disclosure to spouses? It is NOT about gender identity or it is NOT about the sexual identity, it is about the HUMAN identity which is to say the truth. As a human being, everyone deserves a feeling of “belonging”, understanding and acceptance. Without recognition of the truth, how will an intersex person marry legally or how can an intersex couple (who are infertile) adopt a child legally...
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...[pic] FIRST ARMY EQUAL OPPORTUNITY REPRESENTATIVE COURSE STUDENT GUIDE TO CULTURAL AWARENESS INDEX LESSON TITLE PAGE 1 Philosophical Aspects of Culture SG- 3 C1 Native American Experience SG- 4 C2 White American Experience SG- 23 C3 Arab American Experience SG- 43 C4 Hispanic American Experience SG- 53 C5 Black American Experience SG- 76 C6 Asian American Experience SG-109 C7 Jewish American Experience SG-126 C8 Women in the Military SG-150 C9 Extremist Organizations/Gangs SG-167 STUDENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR BEING FAMILIARIZED WITH ALL CLASS MATERIAL PRIOR TO CLASS. INFORMATION PAPER ON THE PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECTS OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCE Developed by Edwin J. Nichols, Ph.D. |Ethnic Groups/ |Axiology |Epistemology |Logic |Process | |World Views | | | | | |European |Member-Object |Cognitive |Dichotomous |Technology | |Euro-American |The highest value lies in the object |One knows through counting |Either/Or...
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...978-983-44372-3-7 (pbk.) 1. Islamic religious education--Southeast Asia. 2. Islam--Education--Southeast Asia. I. Kamaruzzaman Bustamam-Ahmad. II. Jory, Patrick. 297.77 First Printed 2011 © 2011 Kamaruzzaman Bustamam-Ahmad & Patrick Jory Publisher: Yayasan Ilmuwan D-0-3A, Setiawangsa Business Suites, Taman Setiawangsa, 54200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means – for example, electronic, photocopy, recording – without prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed review. The opinions expressed in this publication is the personal views of the authors, and do not necessary reflect the opinion of the publisher. Layout and cover design: Font: Font size: Printer: Hafizuldin bin Satar Goudy Old Style 11 pt Gemilang Press Sdn Bhd iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS T his book grew out of a three-day workshop jointly held by the Regional Studies Program, Walailak University, and the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, Copenhagen University, in Nakhon Si Thammarat, southern Thailand, in 2006. The theme of the workshop was, “Voices of Islam in Europe and Southeast Asia”. Its aim was to gather leading scholars in the fields of Islamic Studies from diverse disciplinary backgrounds to discuss contemporary developments in the study of Islam and Muslim societies in...
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...Interlink Consulting Services, Inc., www.interlinkconsulting.com, Dr. Culture, www.drculture.com Dr. Culture Country & Cultural Sketch: KUWAIT Kuwait is slightly smaller than New Jersey covering nearly 7,000 sq. miles. It is the worlds 157th largest country. The capital, Kuwait city, lies on the southern shore of Kuwait Bay. Oil, no surprise, is Kuwait’s only major natural resource and dominates the economy. Water, on the other hand, is so scarce, the majority of water must be imported or processed at one of their several desalinization facilities. Kuwait “Snapshot” (CIA World Fact Book 2010 & Others As Indicated) Population .......2,692,526 (NOTE: This includes 1,291,354 non-nationals) Population Growth rate:........................................................3.5% Annually Percentage Living in Urban Areas:.......................................................98% DEVELOPMENT DATA Human Dev. Index* rank ..............................................31 of 177 countries (UN Human Development Report 2008-09) Per Capita GDP ............................................................................$54,100 (#7 World Ranking) Adult literacy rate ..............................................94% (male); 91% (female) Infant mortality rate ................................................ 18.97 per 1,000 births Life expectancy ..................................................77.7 (male); 78.9 (female) Meteorologically speaking, it surprises many that there are four...
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...PAPER 28 THE HISTORY OF THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT FROM THE LATE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY TO THE PRESENT DAY READING LIST: 2012-13 C. A. Bayly cab1002@cam.ac.uk 1 The History of The Indian Subcontinent From The Late Eighteenth Century To The Present Day A fifth of the world's population lives in the Indian subcontinent. While today the region’s place in the global world order is widely recognised, this is in fact only the most recent chapter in a longer history. This paper offers an understanding of the part played by the Indian subcontinent role and its people in the making of the modern world. From the decline of the great empire of the Mughals and the rise of British hegemony, to the rise of nationalism, the coming of independence and partition, the consolidation of new nation states despite regional wars and conflicts, and the emergence of India as the largest democracy in the world, this paper is a comprehensive and analytical survey of the subcontinent's modern history. The dynamic and complex relationships between changing forms of political power and religious identities, economic transformations, and social and cultural change are studied in the period from 1757 to 2007. In normal circumstances students will be given 6 supervisions in groups of 1 or 2. Key themes and brief overview: The paper begins by examining the rise of British power in the context of economic developments indigenous to southern Asia; it analyses the role played by Indian polities and social groups...
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...Saturday, June 16, 2007 Concubinage Meaning: Commonly refers to a relationship between a man (usually of higher social status) and a woman, where the man has an “official” wife, and possibly more than one concubine. Concubines had limited rights though any children are acknowledged, though their status is second to that of children born unto the “official” wife. Concubinage was usually an “exclusive” arrangement between two parties. Biblical: With the tolerance of polygamy, a concubine was only defined in terms of her disparity in position or rank with the principal wife. A legitimate spouse, of an inferior social grade or a bondwoman, is often given the appellation of concubine. This term did not invalidate her marriage, it did, however, indicate that she was not equal to her husband in rank, nor did she share in her husband’s property or in the administration of his household. From Genesis 21:9-14, we see that the dismissal of a concubine and of her children was permissible. Ancient Greece: Concubines were permitted in ancient Greece and their children were legitimate if recognized by their fathers. Roman Empire: A concubine was recognized by law in the absence of a legal wife. She was usually from a lower social rank than her husband, and her children, though not considered the equals of those of the legal wife (uxor) were nevertheless termed natural (naturales) to distinguish them from spurious offsprings (spurii). The father of these children was required...
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... The Forces for Change is a framework to help you understand today’s radically changing world and synthesize the breadth of complex, fast changing, interdependent factors Are all changes bad? Change can be uncomfortable and awkward but it can also be positive. FORCES OF CHANGE AND THEIR ACCOMPANYING VALUES FORCES OF CHANGE & ACCOMPANYING VALUES Turbulence Intellectual capital, Intellectual propert, ,information sharing Networking, innovation, R&D INFORMATION AGE K-Economy GLOBALIZATION DEVELOPMENT Autonomy, Pride, Dignity Independence, Indigenization “CultureBound” Customer Focus; Speed, Responsiveness; Continuous Learning; Accurate & Up-To-Date Information Quality; Value Added; Cost Effectiveness; Humanization; Ecological Specialisation; Objectivity; Materialism; SystemsOrientation MODERNIZATION WESTERNIZATION Individualism; Secularism; Freedom Of Expression; Consumerism INDUSTRIALIZATION Mechanization; Rational Thinking; Bureaucracy; Efficiency; Productivity; Mobility; Discipline; Mechanical Time Orientation; Reliability Stable 1800 AGRICULTURAL Revolution Time line Simple division of labor, labor intensive, Collectivism, sharing 2000 FORCES OF CHANGE & ACCOMPANYING VALUES Turbulence Intellectual capital, Intellectual propert, ,information sharing Networking, innovation, R&D INFORMATION AGE K-Economy GLOBALIZATION DEVELOPMENT Autonomy, Pride, Dignity Independence, Indigenization “CultureBound” Customer Focus; Speed...
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...INTRODUCTION 1: PREFACE. All praise be to Allah. We praise Him and seek His help, forgiveness and guidance. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil of our own selves and from our evil deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can lead astray, and whosoever He sends astray none can guide. I bear witness that there is no God but Allah alone, with no partner or associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger. The following study is conducted due to the presence of one important economic instrument which has different system of management hence to show the similarities and differences between these instruments. Islamic and conventional banks are all banks but having different system of managements, aspects, history, products and even acceptance according to laws. The research will discuss these aspects and more to make people aware of these instruments so as to remove the confusion on them and make them choose the best with the best reasons. This study will be divided in to three chapters. Chapter one will be all about Islamic and Conventional banks, theirs nature, history, products offered and many more. Chapter two will discuss and show the similarities and differences of these banks. Chapter three as the final chapter will discuss the case study of Islamic banks in Tanzania. I pray to Allah to make this study be the sources of awareness about these banks especially in Tanzania where by people haven’t got exactly meaning and differences of these banks...
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...HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2004 Cultural Liberty in Today’s Diverse World Accommodating people’s growing demands for their inclusion in society, for respect of their ethnicity, religion, and language, takes more than democracy and equitable growth. Also needed are multicultural policies that recognize differences, champion diversity and promote cultural freedoms, so that all people can choose to speak their language, practice their religion, and participate in shaping their culture— so that all people can choose to be who they are. 65 108 166 55 34 82 3 14 91 51 40 138 29 62 6 99 161 134 114 66 128 72 33 56 175 173 130 141 4 105 169 167 43 94 73 136 144 168 45 163 48 52 30 32 Albania Algeria Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, Dem. Rep. of the Costa Rica Côte d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic 17 154 95 98 100 120 103 109 156 36 170 81 13 16 122 155 97 19 131 24 93 121 160 172 104 153 115 23 38 7 127 111 101 10 22 21 79 9 90 78 148 28 44 110 135 50 80 Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland France Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea...
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...Understanding Society – SOSC 1850 Notes Lecture 1 Common Question Answers 1) Britain and US highest teenage pregnancy 2) 36% of US believe in Aliens 3) Suicides highest number of deaths 4) 60% of gun related were suicides 5) False not double stress of US that results in higher rates of suicide 6) Over 65 most suicides 7) Canada and Australia have highest kidnapping rates 8) Sweden highest rape rate 9) ¾ steal in office 10) False couples live tgt more satisfied 11) True, Womens brain are smaller 12) 11 women in legco 13) Plumber is a women 14) Margaret Thatcher did Chemistry for undergraduate Lecture 2 What is Sociology? - The big picture. * The group, culture, of organization, rather than the individual. Lots of people talk about society, but are they sociologists? No they are individualistic thinkers. They talk about individual people and cases instead of the group. Individualistic thinking at Universities: Professors award individual students with grades based on their ‘individual’ merits. What would the SOCIOLOGIST ask? Do some students have to work to earn money? Do some students have to spend time commuting to campus (no dorms!)? Do some students have family responsibilities.? Do some courses/majors have more generous grading procedures than others? Why are there more A students now than there were twenty years ago??? When and Why did sociological thinking begin? SOCRATES: “An unexamined life is not worth living...
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