...Topic: The Rise of Isis Thesis Statement: The reckless desire for power in the middle east has lead to persistent complications throughout the Muslim population regardless of the Sunni and Shia peoples’ beliefs. These uprising difficulties have caused disturbances within the civilians of various countries in the middle east, political complications between the middle east and western regions as well as global fear of unknown uprising terror attacks. The rise of ISIS, explained in 6 minutes by “Vox” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzmO6RWy1v8 Despite the short length of this six minute video, it contains extensive content to provide all viewers with general information on the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The video thoroughly...
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...Shia and Sunni Shia and Sunni are the two main denominations in Islam. Around 87–89% of the world's Muslims are Sunni while the rest of 11–12% is Shia, most Shias belongs to the Twelver tradition and the rest divided between many groups. Sunnis majority is in most of the Muslim communities such as Southeast Asia, China, South Asia, Africa, and most of the Arab continent. Majority of the Shia citizen’s population is in Iraq, Iran, Bahrain, and also a politically significant minority in Lebanon. Indonesia has the largest number of Sunnis, on the other hand Iran has the largest number of Shia Muslim in the world. Pakistan has the second largest Sunni and also Shia Muslim population in the world. Sunni and Shia split lies in the schism which occurred when the Islamic prophet Muhammad passed on in the year 632, leading to a dispute over succession to Muhammad as a caliph of the Islamic community spread across the world, this led to the Battle of Siffin. The dispute intensified greatly after the Battle of Karbala, in which Hussein Ibn Ali and his household were killed by the ruling of Umayyad Caliph Yazid I, and the revenge has divided in the early of Islamic community. Today, there are several differences in religious practice, traditions, and customs, often related to jurisprudence. Furthermore all Muslim consider the Quran to be divine, but the Sunni and Shia have different opinions and interpretation on hadith....
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...Pakistan not Iraq was the global centre for violent conflict between different Muslim sects. In 1947, British India was divided on religious lines and two nation-states India and Pakistan emerged. The British educated founding fathers of Pakistan perceived a united India as being detrimental to Muslims because as a minority Muslims would be not be recognized as equals by the Hindu majority state which would also suppress their rights so the concept of Pakistan was formulated as a nation-state where some aspects of liberal democracy would be implanted so that fairness and non-interference would be the norm. In the 1970s partly because of violent challenges to the state by ethno-nationalist movements partly inspired by uneven economic development and the upheavals in the international arena due to the Cold War, there was a major shift away from pluralistic politics and a move towards greater Islamisation beginning with the narrowing of the definition of a Muslim by the state in which the state gave up its neutrality. Additional government legislation imposing uniform religious taxes widen sectarian differences between the Sunni majority and Shia minority. By not initially accommodating Shia collective demands the state had alienated many of them. The subsequent and reluctant autonomy awarded to the Shias implied that the state recognized them which made Sunni militants fear that the Pakistani nation-state was not synonymous with Sunni Islam. Pakistan is probably the country which has...
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...Sectarian Conflict and Conflict Transformation in Pakistan “Sectarian conflict is typically regarded as a clash between two exclusive models of a sacred cosmos, which do not allow space to each other”. The problem of sectarianism emerged just after the partition when the concept of majoritarianism was imposed in the Pakistani state to marginalize the religious and sectarian minorities. Although the constitution of Pakistan declares that all citizens have equal status and outlaws religious discrimination, the state favored Sunnis. As Saudi Arabia and Iran are traditional rivals of each other on sectarian basis, they fought their actual battle in Pakistan. The issue is not new to us, the root cause of the problem is the Sunni interpretation of Islamic laws, and Sunni oriented educational curricula, emergence of separate areas of residence and a public discourse that Shias are not true Muslims. Several extremist groups were made on basis of these concepts and they started to function the conflict through excessive use of power. The conflict exists between the Muslims but the difference is that it is very violent now which led the displacement of people, breakdown of local support system and brutalization of social attitudes. The state has failed to play an active role in peace building, stopping violence, providing relief and bringing criminals to justice. The relations between Shias and Sunnis are worse than ever and the underlying conflict has not been resolved. Conflict brings...
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...Sectarianism is a dividing force that groups individuals by politically salient identities, such as religious beliefs, resulting in societal fracturing and internal conflict/grievances. In the Middle East, sectarianism finds its prominence along the Sunni/Shia divide and is exploited for political advantage by both internal and external entities. In this paper, I will argue that two causes for the prevalence of sectarianism in the civil conflicts in Iraq and Syria are one: domestic political gain, on behalf of the current and past regimes, and two: international geo-political strategy, on behalf of Saudi Arabia, Iran, and in the case of Iraq, United States intervention. First, I will discuss the concept of sectarianism, and the ways in which...
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...When Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, died, the majority of Muslims believed that power should be passed down through elected leaders. A small minority, later called the Shia, rejected these elected officials and instead chose to follow the blood descendants of the Prophet himself or imams chosen by God, creating the Sunni-Shia split. Today, Sunnis still comprise the vast majority of Muslims -- around 85 percent. Although the centuries-long political conflict between the two has informed the spiritual fabric of both sects, Shias and Sunnis irrefutably share essential beliefs and practices. Sponsored Link The Name of Your Angel Find out the name of your Angel and what he can do to help You! guardian-angel-reading.com/Name One True Faith To...
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...War on Terror and its impact on Development in Pakistan Over the years Pakistan has fallen victim to the affects of war on terrorism. Slowly but surely Pakistan’s social structure, economic development and political systems are being eroded. Due to its geo-strategic position, Pakistan has faced adverse affects because of the invasions in Afghanistan by the USSR and U.S. The country also faces internal threats by religious and linguistic groups that help increase terrorism in Pakistan. Terrorism is destroying Pakistan infrastructure by reducing human capital, diverting foreign direct investments and redirecting public investment funds to national security. Terrorism can be defined as “the use of violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political or social goal” (). Terrorism has now become a global problem and Pakistan is among one of the countries that has been highly affected by it. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, the Taliban surfaced as a resistance movement aspiring to eject the Soviet troops from Afghanistan. The United States and Pakistan provided considerable financial and military support to the Afghan Mujahedeen who were able to impose heavy losses on the Soviet troops. Following the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. declared a war against Afghanistan. at this point the U.S. recognized the seeds they had sown. Taliban was a creation of the Pakistani intelligence agency (the ISI) but was funded by the U.S. The U.S. provided...
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...The conflict between the two sects of Islam, Shia and Sunni, dates back to the death of Muhammad the prophet, in the year 632. Yet, despite its ancient roots, the battle between the two hasn’t been this bloody in centuries. Islam’s schism, simmering for fourteen centuries, doesn’t explain all the political, economic, and geostrategic factors involved in current conflict. But it has become one way to understand the underlying tensions. Two countries that compete for the leadership of Islam, Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran, have used the sectarian divide to further their ambitions. How their rivalry is settled will likely shape the political balance between Sunnis and Shias and the future of the region, especially in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Bahrain, and Yemen. This paper will be examining the current conflict between the two sects and the way in which it has evolved from a religious war to that of political and territorial. The war that fueled the current violence between the sects was the Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979. The divide has also giving leaders of the two sects to unite its people for divine purpose. But to fully comprehend the conflict between the two sects, you have to take a look at where it all started. Mohammed unveiled a new faith to the people of Mecca in 610. Known as Islam, or submission to God, the monotheistic religion incorporated some Jewish and Christian traditions and expanded with a set of laws that governed most aspects of life, including...
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...Conflict- The Middle East Prompt: What are several ways the Sunni/Shiite split along with the geography of the Middle East contributing to/perpetuating/or otherwise related to conflict in the region today? Cite significant evidence from the readings. The Sunni and Shiite split along with the geography of the Middle East contributed to to the conflict in the region today. In 1916, the British diplomat Colonel Sir Mark Sykes divided the Middle East. He didn’t take into account the different religion or tribes in the Middle East, resulting in many families and groups being separated. The reading stated, “arbitrarily creating ‘nation states’ out of people unused to living together in one region is not a recipe for justice, equality, and stability.” The splitting of the Middle East has resulted in conflict that can still be seen in the Middle East today, and has sparked many other conflicts, such as the oil conflict, government...
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...Years of violent conflicts, those between warring Afghan factions, the superpowers of Cold War Russia and now the United States and its allies, have left the rebuilding of Afghanistan in political and economic limbo. Many of the physical and social infrastructures are debilitated, the economy barely functions, the population's health and nutritional status is among the lowest anywhere, and internal security is lacking. Also, Afghanistan poses a potential threat to richer countries as an exporter of drugs and terrorism. This combination of factors makes the engagement in Afghanistan a particularly fragile one. In this paper, the following points will be expounded upon: theoretical approach, in regards to international relations; an assessment of the security situation in Afghanistan and an effective approach to combat the threats; how a struggling economy can be helped that is plagued with corruption; key components of identity for this nation, ethnicity, religion and women; and finally, some recommendations on how to get this nation back on track. There must be an investment in Afghan-led development and peacebuilding. Billions of dollars are poured into reconstruction and development in Afghanistan but have shown few results and often contributed to corruption and conflict. I remember procuring aircrafts and setting up missions to pickup pallets full of medical supplies, but days later, I tried to coordinate with my Afghani counterparts to see how their inventories of...
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...Understanding the Cultural Differences of Islam Muslims 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...
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...There main objective is to gain as much power to be able to maintain themselves as an independent nation and stop all the oppression they each face from one another. To some extent there intergroup relation has been established by each ethnic group holds power to a specific part of the country that is not available to the other. According to Ryan Crocker who was the U.S ambassador to Iraq from 2007-2009 he states that the divisions between "Shiastan," "Jihadistan" and Kurdistan are obvious. He says that “Shiite Muslims, run the national government in Baghdad; the insurgent Sunni Muslim jihadists make up the Islamic State; and the ethnic Kurds, who have long presided over an oil-rich, semiautonomous enclave in the north” (Michaels 2014). By many this is considered chaos because it has only driven the fight for the ethnic groups to separate and not work together in order to keep Iraq together. If Iraq separates it can lead to “radical Islamists to establish a stronghold from which they can export terrorism to other parts of the region and world” (Michaels 2014). This could be detrimental to the innocent people of Iraq because unfortunately there could be a mass genocide of innocent people in Iraq by radical Islamic...
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...Understanding Islam Victoria Mullally REL/134 May 30, 2016 J. O’Briant To begin to understand anything, you must first know the history. The same is true of Islam. Understanding Islam takes more than just a history lesson though. It is also important to understand the importance of the Qur’an, the Five Pillars, and Ramadan. Equally important is knowing that, like other religions, Islam consists of different branches with similarities and differences in their traditions. Muhammad was the prophet of Islam, born around 570. He was a young orphan, raised by his uncle and worked as a merchant. He married a wealthy widow, Khadija, and had six children. Her status helped to raise Muhammad’s among Meccan society. It was said he began to have visions and hear voices. (PBS.org, n.d.). “Read: In the name of thy Lord Who createth, Createth man from a clot. (96:1-2. The Clot.) We will call the guards of hell. Nay, Obey not thou him. But prostrate thyself, and draw near (unto Allah) (96:18-19. The Clot).” Muhammad was commanded to read these words three times by a presence that came to him during a religious retreat at Mount Hira. After much discrepancy, Muhammad decided these voices were not of evil, but from the angel Gabriel. As he continued to get revelations he shared them with family and friends. These were the first Muslims, meaning “people who submit” to God (Allah). (Molloy. 2013. p. 411). As could be guessed a man who claims to be seeing and hearing voices of angels was...
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...Paul Spickard is Professor and Chair of Asian American Studies at UC Santa Barbara. W. Jeffrey Burroughs is Professor of Psychology at Brigham Young University, Hawaii. The major idea of the text is to discuss ethnic processes of connection and identity as they affect individuals and groups. The reading was assigned to give us a more complete definition of ethnicity. An arrangement of people who see themselves as biologically and historically connected. We are a People was published on January 7th, 2000, under the full title We Are a People: Narrative and Multiplicity in Constructing Ethnic Identity. This course strives to teach students that culture and society are multifaceted. Thus, this text relates by providing an explanation of how the...
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...1. |What is Revitalization Movement? What are the stages of Revitalization Movement? It’s a deliberate, organized, effort by members of society to construct a more satisfying culture. The Revitalization Movement stages include homeostasis or steady state, increased individual stress, deviant, the system or the establishment and cultural distortion. | | |2. |Give three examples of Revitalization Movements (other than ISKCON). Iroquois Religion of Handsome Lake, the Ghost Dance Religion of Sioux and the Cargo Cults | | |of Oceania are other examples of Revitalization Movements besides ISKCON. | |3. |What is the importance of a “charismatic prophet” for a Revitalization Movement? Charismatic prophet himself has undergone a personal transformation, and is | | |convinced that a similar transformation will provide “salvation” for others. He actively pursues the transformation of others as a primary goal believing he is | | |divinely empowered to effect radical changes. | |4. |Is ISKCON a religion? Explain. Yes it is because ISKCON’s have cultural knowledge about supernatural, which is defined as religion. ISKCON worships Krishna. | | |Krishna is god. ...
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