...POL372 “Islam and the West” Question 4: Is the apparent conflict between Islam and the West based in religion or in politics? The conflict between the West and the East is a result of a myriad of factors between both civilizations. The tensions that have existed between the Muslim and Christian world have threatened the general stability of world peace and progress. The ideological, religious, and political reasons, all cover the fact that there is a general lack of understanding between both sets of people. Islamists have gained a bad reputation in the west because they are seen as the sworn enemies of Christians, and the same applies to how Muslims view people from the west. On the whole, the war between the West and East has something to do with the world's political order, and this will form the basis of discussion in this paper. The war that exists between West and East is a result of politics and not the religious differences. Political ambitions have always been at the forefront of the existing conflict because different countries have always had diverse ambitions of controlling the rest of the world. A key moment in the history of the East was the deal that was made by the British at the end of the Second World War concerning the people of Palestine. The establishment of Israel in 1948 further escalated tensions and conflicts with the west, and the problems that exist today, almost have nothing to do with religion (Tausch, 2009). The...
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...the Italian slave to Hoja. We learn in the story that the two men (the Italian slave and Hoja) resemble each other in different aspects. Throughout the story, the theme of East verses West is being introduced and hinted out by the author in different parts of the novel. The theme becomes especially obvious in the context of the relationship between the Italian scholar, who is a Christian and hence represents the West and Hoja, who is a Muslim and hence represents the East. In this paper, I will discuss the Idea of East versus West in the White Castle in the context of religion and science. The first presence of East versus West in the novel was in the religious conflict between the two parties. For example, the narrator discusses how the Ottoman soldiers hung their icons of the Virgin Mary and crucifixes upside down, further allowing the hotheads to degrade and insult these religious symbols. This meant more or less that people are not just happy about defeating the Italian voyage, but they were happy that the Christians were defeated, since the Christians represented a much larger group. The conflict of religion was introduced again when Pasha tried to force the Italian scholar to convert to Islam by threatening to kill him if he refused. Once again, we see the conflict between the East and the West introduced in the novel and contextualized in terms of science. The conflict becomes more obvious in the novel when Hoja and the narrator (the Italian scholar) start working...
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...EAST IS EAST, MY JOURNEY MY ISLAM, MUSLIM COOL, DEBATING THE VEIL RESPONSE PAPER Islam Despite its huge following around the world and the growing Muslim communities in western countries, Islam is foreign to most westerners who are familiar with Christianity or Judaism. Because most Americans know little or nothing about Islam, they have many misconceptions about Muslim beliefs and rituals. These misconceptions are formed by the media and the lack of research most people do on Islam. There have been many movies and documentaries made to show people the life of a Muslim person and to show people what Islam really is; East is East, My Journey My Islam, Debating the Veil, and Muslim Cool are examples of movies portraying Muslims in a different light. These movies although very different from each other in the way they are portrayed all are out to achieve the same goal, which is to show misinformed people what Islam really is. East is East is a movie about a Pakistani immigrant in the UK by the name of George khan who tries to push his family to abide by his strict Pakistani Muslim ideals. Having an English mother and being born and raised in England, his children see themselves as being English and disobey their father’s rules on how they dress, the foods they eat, religion, and other aspects of life. East is East, portrays Muslim Isolationism, patriarchal authoritarianism, white English racism, and teenage rebellion. The film perfectly explores connections between comic modes...
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...their main concern was to secure the rich oil reserves in the Middle East. The lies and deceptions of the U.S. must be uncovered to reveal the truth about the War on Terror to show how that the U.S. did not act out of humanitarian concern to help the women of Afghanistan, but it was for self interest in securing oil. Noam Chomsky’s theory of manufacturing consent is the idea that the media is controlled by high ranking elites that are businessmen and control the means of production in society, so they use the media to persuade the majority of the population to side with the issue at hand. The theory of manufacturing consent can be used to understand the War on Terror because President George Bush was an ex-oil executive and during his campaign oil companies sponsored him with millions of dollars, Bush’s administration had 41 former oil executives, and Dick Cheney is most notably known for his ties to Halliburton Oil. This relates to the theory of manufacturing consent because Bush, Chaney, and oil executives owned massive amounts of assets in media corporations where they used the media to their advantage and selectively portrayed news that justified the War on Terror. The manipulation of the media by elites was used to avert the public’s attention from the real reason for the War on Terror, which was for oil, and justified that the U.S. wanted to intervene to stop terrorism and free oppressed women in the Middle East. Cramer and Thrall argue that the biggest motivation for the War...
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...Analysis and Synthesis Paper: The Fall of Rome The question to be asked is what attributed to the fall of the Roman Empire? Was it the adoption of Christianity in 380 AD? Or the relentless barbarian hordes that plundered and sacked Roman cities only a few decades later? Or a combination of both? The facts are that Theodosius the Great, being the last true emperor of a unified Rome, officially made Christianity the state religion in 380 AD. He ordered the conversion of all roman temples be either converted into Christian churches or destroyed. Practicing any of the former pagan religions was considered an act of treason and punishable by death. He ordered this conversion in both the seat of the empire in the west and in the eastern capital Constantinople. Fifteen years after the adoption in 495 AD, Theodosius died and the Roman Empire split into two halves: The west, now controlled by Theodosius’ son Honorius and the east, controlled by his other son Arcadius. This begins the ultimate demise of the empire as it was currently known. 410 AD, after 800 years of security, Rome is conquered and sacked by the Visigoth’s lead by Alaric I. Being only 30 years after the adoption of Christianity as the state religion it is hard to argue the role it may have played in this destruction. However barbarians are by no means a new threat. Rome struggled for centuries before containing the threats of pagan tribes such as the Visigoths, Vandals, Alani, Allemanni, and even the Huns lead by the...
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...War on Terrorism: The War in Afghanistan. It was this state of chaos and confusion from which extremist governments like Taliban and fanatics like Osama bin Laden emerged. 86). similarly, their policies about marriage, divorce and other legal proceedings are also derived from their religion (Aronoff, p. He wanted to give back Germany its past glory and respect in front of the world, and for that he wanted to create more living space for Germans and thus he conquered the surrounding German speaking areas and created hatred among the leaders of those countries. This is the only way to co-exist peacefully in today’s world. This is important because it is seen in the past that attempts to bring democracy and socialism in the Arab world have failed so badly that it has made the people of the Arab world to denounce these ideas altogether. This attack is important not only because of how widespread it was; but it is also important because of the way it changed the course of the West towards Islam. With that, the West needs to incentivize the Muslim world to adopt democracy and liberalism so that they see the benefits of these systems themselves. ISLAM AND THE WEST – AN INTRODUCTION Islam and the West are different entities in many ways, but because of the globalization in the world; we see that there is an increasing interaction between these two entities, which becomes a reason for conflict in many situations. Modernization, liberalism and globalization are appreciated. This does...
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...S. Flores MB-081015 Reaction Paper on: The Clash of Civilizations By Samuel Huntington The article implies that cultural differences among civilizations will be the dominant source of conflict. Gone are the days in which wars were fought over territory and economy. In our present time differences between cultures and ideologies will take center stage as it is believed that culture is more deeply rooted than political and economic variables. The entrance of non-western civilizations and the larger role that they play will definitely contribute in the shaping of future global affairs. The world indeed is becoming a smaller place; one country cannot stand alone by itself. It must forge partnerships and alliances with other countries in order to survive. It is interesting to note that the article presents the Japanese as a single civilization by itself, but how are the Japanese different? Aren’t Japanese Asians too? Japan found it convenient to compete not with arms but with money. Thru investments and business dealings the Japanese were able to go head to head with western countries. Civilization and Religion are closely related but vary greatly among civilizations. Each civilization has a different view on God and other values. The Catholic Church as well as Islam and other religions have been fighting for their beliefs for centuries. Just goes to show that discrimination of any kind, be it ideology, religion or skin color is very much alive...
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...empires, particularly the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary Empire. The dissolution of the Ottoman Empire allowed many Middle East countries to be self-governed, while the West such as Great Britain and France had more interest in Europe than in the Middle East enabled the former to play a dominant role of colonization in the region. This seeded confrontation between two different civilizations, resulting in chaos later and to a large extent helping shape the Middle East in today's world. This paper attempts to examine this history arguing how the Ottoman Empire declined and eventually dissolved at the end of WWI. It shows that the internal problems of the Empire, such as its backward political and economic system, failed to compete with the increasing influence of the Western European countries, whose government was more efficient and more industrialized than the former, in the Middle East. The paper starts with a discussion of the contemporary situation in the Empire, and then deals with the problems that led to the conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the European powers over the Middle East during WWI. It finally analyzes how the defeat of the Ottomans and the increasing British and French dominance in the Middle East laid the ground for today's conflicts in the region between the Arabic states and the Jewish nation, which is supported by the West. Since 1600s the Ottoman Empire had controlled a large territory extended from Persian Gulf to Atlantic and from Hungary...
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...PSY 487: Final Paper Lisa Maiorana Spring 2014 What is terrorism and why is it a part of our global society? Terrorism is often the result of some type of social or economic injustice, such as poverty, the unemployment rate, government-imposed restrictions on individual freedoms, and a lack of order or morality. For most Americans, the words “terrorist” or “terrorism,” instantly triggers a flashbulb memory of where they were when the Twin Towers fell on that fateful day, September 11, 2001. Many people continue to struggle with the notion that there are groups out there, brought together by their unanimous hatred for Americans. The 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon is arguably the most disastrous act of terrorism of all time, forcing Americans and the rest of the world to see the threat of terrorism in a new light (Borum, 2003). The 20th and 21st centuries saw new developments in technology that may have changed the game of terrorism, however, extremist ideology and justification of violence, is not a new political strategy (“Terrorism in the,”). Rebel groups have been establishing roots and sprouting up all over the world since the beginning of human history (*CITE #3). The formation of such groups has occurred across centuries, but the term “terrorism” wasn’t coined until the 18th century, during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. Revolutionary officials—referred to as terrorists—and their subordinates, enforced the policies of “The Terror...
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...Islamic Banking in Western China Group Paper 3 Group 4 November 6, 2014 Banking in some form has been around for thousands of years. It started small with loans of food or some other valuable product in local villages and has now evolved into the global industry we know today. There is a newer kind of banking that has seen a surge of acceptance from across the world, and that new kind of banking is known as Islamic banking. Islamic banking is a fairly new alternative to western banking, starting in the 1970’s. It is based on Shariah, the fundamental Islam religion. This is a socially responsible way to do banking and allows religion to guide decisions. Interest based transactions are not allowed because they violate Islamic law (Varriale, 2014). Instead, they share profits and losses with the lenders and borrowers of the banks. A few concepts, musharaka, murabaha, and mudaraba, are used in place of interest. Musharaka is when a borrower repays their loan through principal payments and a predetermined percentage of profits. Mudaraba is when a borrower agrees to pay the bank a handling fee if the investment is successful (R.J.C. and A.O.S., 2009). Murabaha is when the bank buys an asset for a customer and then sells it to them on a deferred basis, avoiding an interest-bearing loan. They also offer leasing agreements (R.J.C. and A.O.S., 2009). Islamic banking also requires tangible assets to back up the financial products. This is a much more conservative approach...
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...differ significantly in their evaluations of the importance of religion based on the region they are located. There are variations of views on such topics of education, prayer, worshiping and morality found in different regions. In this paper I will argue that many differences that exist between various Islamic communities can be explained by understanding the role of regionally specific political problems and cultural practices outside of the Islamic tradition. Though people around the world practice an allegedly unified Islam, their understandings of the tradition reflect the specific local contexts and circumstances of individuals, communities, and nations. The challenge of western colonialism caused Muslims to be against European imperialism as it threatened their political, religious and cultural identity. Their responses to colonialism varied from rejection and confrontation to admiration and imitation (PP Islam and the West 24). Showing how reactions to westernization can be specific to region. The country Turkey operates one example of a nonviolent revolution. In Turkey, Islam was showing a more dominant position is the social-economic and political life of society. With the acceptance of westernization, Turkey had been able to experience the power of religion in Muslim politics cordially. A little to the East, the Iranian revolution in Iran reinforced the belief that Muslims wanted to emulate the ideas of the west; economic and political power could be attributed to the...
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...Foundations Questions Micaela Diaz-Period 5 1. What is the definition of religion and what do we use in our lives to try to understand it? The definition of religion can be an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems, and worldviews that relate to humanity to understand the supernatural and spirituality. Religion can also be defined as the human notions regarding the sacred, numinous, spiritual and divine. We use many things to try and understand religion such as scriptures, sacred texts, religious traditions or customs and various other practices. 2. When examining scriptural writings, what kinds of forms do they come in, and what were they generally used for? Scriptural writings came in several forms such as texts and books like the Bible or the Quran, scrolls such as the Dead Sea Scrolls or the Torah. They also came in wall writings such as the Egyptian pictographic Hieroglyphs and many other forms of scrolls, books, papers, or pictures. They are generally used for the worship of a deity or deities, to recount or retell the events of a specific religion or religious foundation, or they tell of deity or deities pertaining to that religion. Scriptural writings can also be used for understanding the articles of faith, moralities, and ethics of that religion, or rules that one must abide by and follow. Scriptural writings can also be written in a way where the reader learns lessons through the sacred text, through stories or prophecies or anything of the...
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...Reflective Paper: Diversity, What Does It Mean To You? Name HRM582 - Managing Global Diversity Professor J. Huddleston July 13, 2014 Reflective Paper: Diversity, What Does It Mean To You? Growing up in Louisiana, Georgia, and California, I was afforded the opportunity to play and work with different groups. It was me and the black kids, or me and the white kids, or me and the (insert race) kids. Rarely was it a mixture. There were always cliques. No one seemed to notice, or no one cared, because that’s how it had always been. I noticed. I didn’t know what to do about it or even if I could anything. What I did know, even a young age was race, color, sex, religion, height, weight, eye color, or anything that made someone different than me, intrigued me. I was the social butterfly. This is just who I was and still am today. I knew what diverse, and by extension, diversity meant, but I never applied it in a social context. When I joined the military, I quickly noticed in basic training, through all the yelling, and hurrying to get to the next location to sit and wait until we were told to hurry someplace else, we were all different yet we were working as a team to achieve a common goal....graduate basic training and begin our military careers. We hailed from different parts of the country, even different parts of the world. North, south, east, west, mid-west, “country”, southern, Asia, and Middle East. In spite of our inherent differences, we came together...
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...Islamic minority to carry out jihad against Western infidels. Al Qaeda, while claiming to represent the entire Muslim world, has never had a real home or a consistent base to draw upon; inversely, a large proportion of the Irish people are steadfast in their support for the cause. Al Qaeda’s indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians has resulted in a falling out with a large percentage of its former supporters. Finally, the IRA had a distinct, tangible, and realistic goal of expelling the British from Ireland, while Al Qaeda seeks to establish a new caliphate based on Islamic fundamentalist rule, something that very few people believe can really happen. As a result, its ranks are disillusioned by this relative lack of achievement. This paper will show how the comparison of Al Qaeda and the IRA serves as an excellent case study in attempting to see why the latter has become a stalwart in the history of terrorism, and why the former is ultimately destined to...
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...THE CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS AND RADICALISM Dr. M. LAL GOEL Also known as Dr. Madan Lal Goel University of West Florida lgoel@uwf.edu Abstract. The notion of a clash of civilizations has gained notoriety since the terrorist attack on WTC on 9/11/2001. Professor Samuel P. Huntington has popularized the view that the coming global conflict will be among major civilizations, not among different political ideologies. He identifies eight major civilizations: the Western (Europe and North America), Slavic (Russia and Eastern Europe), Islamic, Confucian, Hindu, Japanese, Latin American, and the African. Of particular focus in the present paper is the threat to civilization from radical Islam. Three factors that foment radicalism are described: the Islamic theology of exclusiveness, the nostalgic memory of a Muslim empire that lasted nearly 1,000 years, and the consequences of oil boom in the Middle East. Population estimates for different civilizations are provided at the end. Introduction The theory of a clash of civilizations has been with us for some time. British historian Arnold Toynbee used the term in a series of lectures he delivered in 1953. The Middle East specialist Bernard Lewis wrote in 1990 that the Muslim rage against the West is “no less than a clash of civilizations” (Lewis, 1990, p 60). Samuel P. Huntington, a Harvard University political science professor, has given new currency to the notion of a clash of civilizations. His 1993 article in Foreign...
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