Islam: a Controversial and Sensitive Issue
Islam:
A Controversial and Sensitive Issue
Linda K. Weller
Soc350: Cultural Diversity in the Professions
DeVry University
December 16, 2012
After the September 11, 2001 attack on America, as a nation we became more interested as to what is Islam? In this paper, I shall attempt to define what Islam is, its teachings and how it has impacted the world, in relation to other religions, especially Judaism and Christianity. The word Islam has a two- fold meaning; peace and submission to God. The submission requires a fully conscious and willing effort to submit to one Almighty God, consciously gives oneself to the service of Allah. In the teachings of Islam there are five pillars 1) Declaration of faith(Shadada), 2) Prayer(Salah), 3) Obligatory Charity(Zakah), 4) Fasting(Sarom), and 5) Pilgrimage(Haji),of the five the most significant one is the pillar of faith.(Fanar,1997) The declaring of one’s belief outwardly is a true sign of belief. By stating “There is none worthy of worship except Allah and Mohammed is the final messenger of Allah” it lets others in the Islamic community know that you are truly dedicated. (Manzlawy, 2010) Islam embraces a huge range of nationalities and cultures; the Muslim/Islamic community is made up of people from all over the world; with each culture or nationality having different interpretation of Islam with the majority of the Islamic community observing the daily ritual of prayer and other teachings. Despite the fact that Islam has been fully incorporated into the American culture and way of life, most Americans still perceive Islam as being inclined towards encouraging violence amongst its members. (Kabbini,2000) For centuries the Islamic societies have been patriarchal based, where the male member runs the household. Biology is used to justify this as women are the only ones who can bear children and they argue that the man must provide and maintain the family so that the woman can do her job of bearing and raising the
A Controversial and Sensitive Issue
Linda K. Weller
Soc350: Cultural Diversity in the Professions
DeVry University
December 16, 2012
After the September 11, 2001 attack on America, as a nation we became more interested as to what is Islam? In this paper, I shall attempt to define what Islam is, its teachings and how it has impacted the world, in relation to other religions, especially Judaism and Christianity. The word Islam has a two- fold meaning; peace and submission to God. The submission requires a fully conscious and willing effort to submit to one Almighty God, consciously gives oneself to the service of Allah. In the teachings of Islam there are five pillars 1) Declaration of faith(Shadada), 2) Prayer(Salah), 3) Obligatory Charity(Zakah), 4) Fasting(Sarom), and 5) Pilgrimage(Haji),of the five the most significant one is the pillar of faith.(Fanar,1997) The declaring of one’s belief outwardly is a true sign of belief. By stating “There is none worthy of worship except Allah and Mohammed is the final messenger of Allah” it lets others in the Islamic community know that you are truly dedicated. (Manzlawy, 2010) Islam embraces a huge range of nationalities and cultures; the Muslim/Islamic community is made up of people from all over the world; with each culture or nationality having different interpretation of Islam with the majority of the Islamic community observing the daily ritual of prayer and other teachings. Despite the fact that Islam has been fully incorporated into the American culture and way of life, most Americans still perceive Islam as being inclined towards encouraging violence amongst its members. (Kabbini,2000) For centuries the Islamic societies have been patriarchal based, where the male member runs the household. Biology is used to justify this as women are the only ones who can bear children and they argue that the man must provide and maintain the family so that the woman can do her job of bearing and raising the
References: Fanar, Q. (1997). Understanding Islam (2nd Ed.) Houston, Tex. Darussalam Publisher Azeem, S (2012). Women in Islam. Raleigh, NC. Lulu Enterprises Inc. Mawzlawy, W. (2010). Question and Answers about Islam. EBook Kabbini, M. (2000, June). Muslim Experience in America is Unprecedented. Middle East Quarterly. 7. 61-72 Liepert, D. (2010). Muslim, Christian and Jew: Finding a Path to Peace Our Faiths Can Share. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Faith Life Publishing. Muslim Culture and Traditions (2012). Retrieved December 13, 2012 from http://www.buzzle.com Comparison Chart. (2012). retrieved December13, 2012 from http://www.terrasus.com McMann, Carmelita. (2012) Interviewed December 12, 2012.