Islamic A Religion Of War Or Peace Religion Essay

After the death of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 many Americans wondered if Islam is a faith that teaches terrorist act. Our national security had been threatened by people who profess to be Muslims and hence follow Islam. This author does non believe they are the bulk. Who are the other Muslims? There are one million followings of Islam and it is the 2nd largest faith in the universe after Christianity ( Diller & A ; Moore, 1994 ) . Islam is non merely practiced by Arabs in the Middle East but besides in the non-Arab state of Indonesia and India ( Diller & A ; Moore, 1994 ) . The largest Muslim state is Indonesia and the 2nd largest population is in India, which does non hold an Islamic bulk ( Diller & A ; Moore, 1994 ) .

Valuess and Beliefs

Moslems believe that Islam is more than a faith, but a manner of life ( Diller & A ; Moore, 1994 ) . Gellman & A ; Hartman ( 20002 ) provinces there are five responsibilities indispensable to their religion:

Declaiming the shahadah right and deliberately- There is no God but God, and

Muhammad is his prophesier

Pray five times a twenty-four hours

Fast and abstain from sex during daylight during Ramadan- This month long fast brings

the faithful closer to Allah and purifies earthly desires

Give 2.5 % of your gaining to charity

Make at least one pilgrim’s journey to Mecca in Saudi Arabia ( phi )

Meat must be killed ceremonially and porc is non allowed ( Gellman & A ; Hartman, 2002 ) . There are exclusions to these regulations, for illustration, if you are ill during Ramadan and you have to eat alternatively of fasting because you need nourishment a Muslim would state, “ this exclusion, ( and others ) do n’t decrease Allah ‘s power ; they illustrate his clemency and compassion ” ( as cited in Gellman & A ; Hartman, 2002, p.91 ) .

Moslems believe that the holy book of the Islamic religion is the Koran, which in its original Arabic is the godly words of Allah ( the God ) ( Shaykh & A ; Toropov, 2003 ) . The Koran has 114 chapters or Suras which has poetries or ayats. ( Dillar, & A ; Moore 1994 ) . It is the agencies of religious growing and the foundation of Islamic jurisprudence ( Shaykh & A ; Toropov, 2003 ) . The book called Sunna is the words of the holy Prophet ‘s words, Muhammad ( Shaykh & A ; Toropov, 2003 ) . If there is confusion between the two the Koran is the book to follow ( Shaykh & A ; Toropov, 2003 ) . Muhammad ( 570 C.E- 632 ) is regarded as God ‘s last prophesier, he united Arabia and convinced the people to idolize one God, Allah ( Shaykh & A ; Toropov, 2003 ) . Allah is a God of love and to derive his love is to follow his Torahs ( Dillar & A ; Moore, 1994 ) . Muslims value righteousness, piousness, charity and forbearance. These things are mentioned in the Koran as the will of Allah. ( Shaykh & A ; Toropov, 2003 ) . One poetry provinces, ” the righteous guard against evil, state the truth, give liberally and seek ever to delight Allah ” ( Shaykh & A ; Toropov, 2003 p. 80 ) . For Muslims their life is for the intent of functioning Allah.

Misconceptions

# 1.Islam is anti-Christian and anti-Judaism – This is further from the truth, the Koran provinces there are Christians and Jews who will travel to heaven if they follow the will of Allah ( Gellman & A ; Hartman 2002 ) . In fact Muslims are instructed by the Koran to let others to pattern their faith and non to utilize force to change over them to Islam ( Gellman & A ; Hartman 2002 ) . # 2 Islam tolerates the slaying of guiltless individuals and encourages terrorism – incorrect. The Koran declares that if any Muslims “ take the life of an guiltless individual they are in shame and will endure a great torture in the life afterlife ” ( Quran5:33 as cited in Gellman & A ; Hartman 2002 ) . Besides Muhammad practiced humane warfare, merely the people who were contending were killed ( Rossi, 2008 ) . # 3 Womans have to have on head coverings. – the reply is in the reading. The Koran 24:31 instructs adult females to “ non demo their beauty ” to aliens ( as cited in Gellman & A ; Hartman 2002 p. 11 ) . Does this intend cover your face? There is no unvarying reply, this inquiries has been debated for over 14 centuries ( Sarwar & A ; Toropov, 2003 ) .

Dutch east indies

Indonesia is located between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is the universe ‘s biggest island concatenation dwelling of several thousand islands ( Indonesia, 2010 ) . The state has about 230 million people ( Indonesia, 2010 ) . Indonesia is the universe ‘s 4th most populated state and holds the universe ‘s largest population of Muslims ( Indonesia 2010 ) . It is recognized as a moderate Muslim state. It is non a Muslim province that is based on Islam, as it does n’t implement the Syariah Torahs ( Muslim Torahs ) as the jurisprudence of the state ( Wanandi, 2002 ) .

The Indonesian national slogan is “ Khinneka tunggal ika ” , which means “ Unity in diverseness ” ( Wanandi, 2002 ) . This refers to the really diverse Indonesian population. The state includes more than 300 different cultural groups and more than twice as many distinguishable linguistic communications ( Indonesia, 2010 ) . Most of the major universe faiths, every bit good as a broad scope of autochthonal 1s are practiced here ( Indonesia, 2010 ) . The great bulk of Indonesians are related to the peoples of eastern Asia. Over the centuries at that place besides has been considerable blending with Arabs, Indians, and Europeans.

Indonesian culinary art reflects regional, cultural, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Indian, and Western, influences ( Wanandi, 2002 ) . Rice is a basic is of Indonesian culinary art and the authorities employees receive monthly rice rations in add-on to their wages ( Wanandi, 2002 ) . Although Indonesia is an island state, fish is non a basic to the people who reside in the mountains ( Wanandi, 2002 ) . Refrigeration is still a rare so day-to-day selling is practiced and the handiness of nutrient may depend upon local production ( Wanandi, 2002 ) . Cities provide the greatest assortment of nutrient and types of markets, including modern supermarkets ; rural countries much less so. In such metropoliss, comfortable persons have entree to great assortments of nutrient while the hapless have really limited diets. ( Wanandi, 2002 ) .

About 60 per centum of Indonesia ‘s population is husbandmans, bring forthing subsistence and market oriented harvests ( Indonesia, 2010 ) . Large plantations are devoted to oil thenar, gum elastic, and sugar for domestic usage and exportation ( Wanandi, 2002 ) .Also, lumber and processed wood are of import for domestic ingestion and export, while oil, natural gas, Sn, Cu, aluminium, and gold are exploited chiefly for export. ( Indonesia, 2010 ) .

Islam in Indonesia is moderate in that its followings have shown a willingness to populate with other faiths ( Wanandi, 2002 ) . They are open-minded and believe democracy is the natural political system ; human rights, including the equality of, are considered to be portion other the instructions of Islam ( Wanandi, 2002 ) .

Islam in Indonesia arrived in the twelfth century through the bargainers and merchandisers from Gujarat, Southwest India ( Wanandi, 2002 ) . The debut of Islam to Indonesia was considered to be peaceable ( Wanandi, 2002 ) . At this clip the society had civilisations influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism, so Islam had to be flexible and adjust ( Wanandi, 2002 ) . Throughout history there have been efforts to “ sublimate ” Islam in Indonesia. Small extremist and radical groups exist within the Muslim community, but they are non influential in the theological arguments about Islam ( Wanandi, 2002 ) . But, they tend to make mayhem because the authorities and the jurisprudence enforcement bureaus are weak and had supported these extremist groups in the yesteryear ( Wanandi, 2002 ) . The modernisation of moderate and mainstream Islam is continually spreading and expanded. ( Wanandi, 2002 ) . The immature Muslim leaders and intellectuals are indispensable for the future function of Islam and will greatly lend to a democratic and peaceable Indonesia. ( Wanandi, 2002 ) .

The Woman

Many of the adult females in Indonesia choose to have on big scarves over their caputs to admit their religion ; most do non have on the head covering or cloak. The adult female has a history of take parting in the arm battles of their state ( McNair, 1993 ) . They were contending in the battleground, fixing nutrient and making intelligence work against the Dutch after 1945 ( McNair1993 ) . There is a jurisprudence in Indonesia ‘s fundamental law that makes it illegal to know apart against adult females. An associate curate has the duty provide plans such as instruction, household planning, wellness and better the attitudes of both work forces and adult females are ( McNair, 1993 ) . The sum of adult females in in-between, upper and political work is low but there is no obvious favoritism in instruction ( McNair, 1993 ) . Because the adult female ‘s life is more broad the household diversion is besides more broad. A household outing can change from kite flight, traveling to the menagerie, park, eating houses, museums, snorkeling, theatre etc. ( McNair, 1993 ) .

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is about 90 per centum Arab, with Asiatic and African minorities ( Roosi, 2008 ) . The huge bulk of the population is Sunni Muslims, with a little per centum of Shiites ( Roosi, 2008 ) . Islam is the lone officially recognized faith ; other religions are non publically tolerated ( Roosi, 2008 ) . Arabic is the official linguistic communication of Saudi Arabia, but English is widely spoken. Among the non-Saudi population, many people speak Urdu, which is the official linguistic communication of Pakistan every bit good as other Asiatic linguistic communications such as Farsi and Turkish ( Rossi, 2008 ) . Saudi Arabia ‘s cultural roots go manner back to antediluvian times ( Roosi, 2008 ) .

Due to the scarceness of H2O, agribusiness is limited and chiefly has been restricted to Asir, which is a state located in the southwesterly portion of the state ( Hunt & A ; Besheer, 2003 ) . However, agribusiness is a turning economic sector and the state is nearing nutrient ego sufficiency ( Hunt & A ; Besheer, 2003 ) . Manufacturing has increased, bring forthing: chemicals, industrial gasses, fertiliser, plastics and metals ( Hunter & A ; Besheer, 2003 ) . Saudi Arabia has a turning banking and financial-services sector, and the state is get downing to promote touristry, particularly along the Red Sea Coast ( Hunt & A ; Besheer, 2003 ) . The oil industry dominates the economic system, which comprises 90 per centum of Saudi Arabia ‘s export net incomes ( Hunt & A ; Besheer, 2003 ) .

The current authorities of Saudi Arabia has mostly relied on the faith of Islam and its position as the keeper of the two holy metropoliss of Islam, Mecca and Medina, to set up its political legitimacy ( Davis, 2003 ) . The lone Christians found in Saudi Arabia are foreign workers and business communities ( Davis, 2003 ) . The state ‘s one time little Judaic population is now gone and public worship show by non-Muslim religions is purely prohibited ( Davis, 2003 ) .

The Women

The adult females in Saudi Arabia live a really rigorous and stiff life. The adult females have to have on a head covering and the abaaya, a black fabric covering their organic structure ( McNair, 1993 ) . If a cutaway, the spiritual constabulary sees a adult female out in public unsuitably frock he has the authorization to utilize a camel whip on her mortise joints ( McNair, 1993 ) .The merely males a adult female can speak to is extended household members. Socializing is ever among household members ( McNair, 1993 ) . When a hubby and married woman go out to a party, the hubby joins the work forces and the married woman joins the adult females ( McNair, 1993 ) . Woman can non blend socially ; therefore they can non go to cultural events such as dramas, films, or art exhibits ( McNair, 1993 ) . If a adult female did non stay by the regulations the effect is terrible.

Kuwait

Kuwait is a little state located between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. It is located in a subdivision of one of the driest comeuppances on Earth but is besides on the shore of Kuwait Bay, a deep seaport on the Persian Gulf. This bantam state, which was a British settlement from 1899 until 1961, drew universe attending in 1990 when Iraqi forces invaded and attempted to annex it ( O’Shea & A ; Spilling, 1997 ) . Kuwait approximately has a population of 2.9 million ( O’Shea & A ; Spilling, 1997 ) . A assortment of cultural groups reside within the state, and merely approximately 40 per centum of the population is Kuwaiti ( O’Shea & A ; Spelling 1997 ) . Peoples from environing Middle Eastern states, such as Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, do up about 35 per centum of population ( O’Shea & A ; Spelling, 1997 ) . After the decision of the Gulf War, the full population of Palestinians was expelled from Kuwait, due to the fact that they were believed to sympathise with Iraq ( O’Shea & A ; Spelling, 1997 ) . Kuwait has recovered from the Persian Gulf War and has one of the highest per capita incomes in the universe, for it is the 3rd richest state in the Muslim universe it ( O’Shea & A ; Spelling, 1997 ) . The foreign workers outnumber the Kuwaitis.

Over the span of merely two hundred old ages, Kuwait has shifted from a mobile population to an urban population ( O’Shea & A ; Spelling, 1997 ) . After centuries of life as nomads, lasting off of agriculture and animate being farming, the comparatively recent addition in the income of many Kuwaiti people has lead to a rapid addition in fleshiness ( O’Shea & A ; Spelling, 1997 ) . The people do non hold to work. Kuwaitis eat a really rich diet, and do non prosecute in physical exercising like they did in the yesteryear ( O’Shea & A ; Spelling, 1997 ) . For Kuwaitis, it is of import to be generous in supplying nutrient for invitees ( O’Shea & A ; Spelling, 1997 ) .

The Women

Womans in Kuwaiti are seen have oning a assortment of manners ( O’Shea & A ; Spelling, 1997 ) . The older adult females dress in the black abaya, a cloak that covers the organic structure while the younger adult females tend to have on a big scarf over their caputs but chose to have on European apparels ( O’Shea & A ; Spelling, 1997 ) . 60 % of the adult females work as instructors, in societal services and clerical places

( O’Shea & A ; Spilling, 1997 ) . During the war in Iraq, the adult females were active in the opposition and were able to contend for their rights after the war ( O’Shea & A ; Spilling, 1997 ) . They achieved the right to vote and late four adult females have won seats in Kuwait ‘s National Assembly ( Wells, 2009 ) . About all families have a live-in foreign amah but the parents are still to the full involved with the kids ( O’Shea & A ; Spilling 1997 ) . The adult females and work forces spend leisure clip with household and friends of the same sex ( O’Shea & A ; Spilling, 1997 ) . The Family goes together to amusement installations such as hotels, promenades, H2O subject Parkss and eating houses ( O’Shea & A ; Spilling 1997 ) .

Islam, Judaism and Christianity

The Middle East is the place of birth of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity ( Sarwar & A ; Brandon, 2003 ) . Islam has certain similarities with Judaism and Christianity, originating from the fact that they portion the historic background ( Sarwar & A ; Brandon, 2003 ) . Muslims recognize the same Prophetss as Jews and Christians for illustration, Abraham, Moses, Saul, David and Solomon ( Sarwar & A ; Brandon, 2003 ) .

Islam does non learn its followings to be anti-Semantic. The Arab-Israeli struggle, which has festered since around 1948, is a political status that is frequently unfairly cloaked in spiritual rhetoric ( Davis, 2003 ) . Many Judaic instruction are compatible with Islam such as kosher criterions, angels, Prophetss, and believing in God ( Allah ) , ( Davis, 2003 ) . Jews lived peacefully in the Muslim universe for over a thousand old ages and were ne’er persecuted as they frequently were in Europe ( Davis, 2002 ) .

Islam and Christianity are the two largest faiths in the universe today ( Dillar & A ; Moore, 1994 ) . Islam accepts the laminitis of Christianity, Jesus Christ, as a true prophesier from God, while denying that he is a God or God Himself, instead sing him to be a prophesier ( Dillar & A ; Moore, 1994 ) . Christianity, which came before Islam, has n’t accepted the cogency of Muhammad ‘s message ( Dillar & A ; Moore 1994 ) . Muslims besides do non believe that Jesus was crucified, or that the Romans killed him in Jerusalem. Muslims hold that God answered Jesus ‘ supplication and removed him from the physical universe to expect the end-times and a exultant return to the Earth ( Dillar & A ; Moore, 1994 ) . Muslims believe that God does n’t necessitate t forfeit Himself to expiate to the wickednesss of world because He can forgive anything He wants at any clip ( Rossi, 2008 ) .

Decision

As exemplified in this paper, even within the same faith, there can be huge differences in the manner civilization is shaped. The different readings and historic experiences have shaped the states mentioned in this paper. Saudi Arabia had a battle for its being but adult females was non a portion of the battle therefore adult females do non hold a voice at all in its operations. Womans in Indonesia and Kuwait have been involved in the arm battle of its state and hence had the strength and bravery to contend for their rights. Because of the adult females ‘s engagement in the war the work forces likely recognize how valuable adult females are. This writer has great regard for the instructions in the Islam religion and the Muslims who are seting it into pattern. Because of this research, this African-America adult female of Christian religion will retrieve to give God award in all that I do. To the reader, Peaces be unto you.