Islam and its Effects in the United States - Essay Example

? Islam and its Effects in the United s Brief History of Islam Islam is viewed as one of the three central Abrahamic faiths along with Judaism and Christianity (Duncan, n.d.). Islam came from the word salaam which means “peace”, “submission to God”, and “way to peace”. The followers of Islam are called the “Muslims” or those who “submit” to God’s will. Islam as a universal religion teaches that God is merciful and compassionate, and that assures the faithful worldly peace and equality and entrance to a sublime eternity (Duncan, n.d). Islam is a religion which believes only in the existence of one God. Islam was said to have started way back from the time of Columbus. Muslim slaves were brought to the continent of United States to work. Waves of immigrants soon travelled to United States. These immigrants were mostly from the Lebanon, Palestine and Pakistan countries. During the early 1950s, there was an invasion of Muslim professionals who settled in the country after completing their studies. Muslim communities started to be formed and mosques were built. There were scholars and missionaries who came from Middle East. During this time, Islam began to gain support among the Americans. During this period, there was formation of national Islamic groups. Those Muslims who were not practitioners started to get back to their roots and realized the importance of their faith. Today, Mosques, Islamic centers, and school can be located in every community. The Muslims are now speaking up for their faith openly and making significant contributions to values and morals. At present, Islam is said to be the fastest growing faith in the country. The simplicity of Islam and its appeal both to reason and to the heart accounts for its tremendous appeal (A Brief History of Islam in the United States, n.d.). The religion focuses with teachings about God, human responsibility and the life hereafter (A Brief History of Islam in the United States, n.d.). It claims on the necessity of living a pure, God-centered  life following the natural dictates of a balanced mind and conscience, observing the guidance transmitted through the last prophet of God, Muhammad, peace be upon him (A Brief History of Islam in the United States, n.d.). Like other religion, it honors the previous great prophets such as Jesus, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and many others, and also reiterates the belief of ascribing divinity to the Creator alone (A Brief History of Islam in the United States, n.d.). The Basic Practices of Islam Muslims all over the world follow five pillars for guidance in shaping their religious practice (Rood, 1994). Aside from the laws and traditions, these pillars are very important for Islam. Rick Rood (2004) enumerated the five pillars of Islam religion: First, "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammed is his prophet." These creed should be recited in the presence of two witnesses to constitute oneself as a Muslim. Second, the regular practice of prayers. Sunni Muslims pray five times a day while Shi’ites Muslims pray three times a day. Third, almsgiving. Their religion requires 2.5% of one’s income to be given to the less fortunate or to the spread of Islam. Fourth, is the fasting during the month of Ramadan. Muslims are required to give up all food and liquid intake during daylight hours. Fifth, the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca. If possible, Muslims are to make a pilgrimage to Mecca once during his life. Sometimes, a sixth pillar is added (Rood, 1994). This is the Jihad is sometimes called the “holy war” which means the “exertion” or “struggle” in behalf of God. Islam teaches that if a Muslim dies in a holy war, he is rewarded of heaven or the paradise of God. The Effects of Islam in the United States There is a wide spread of Islam in the United States. There are immigrants, workers, professionals such as doctors. The Muslims are making their own contribution to America. The community is united by their faith in Allah. As of today, these American Muslims contributed not only to Islamic community but also the state. During the nineteenth century, the Muslim settled in major industrial centers. It was in the early twentieth century that a lot of Muslims migrated to United States from Eastern Europe and soon mosques were established in communities. The fast growth of the influence of exam has a lot of effects. One of the important effects of the rise of Islam is that it provided better opportunities for Muslims living in the United States. Along with the fast spread of the religion, comes the growth in numbers of Mosques. There are also influences that can be seen in restaurants, shopping centers and hospitals. During the month of Ramadan, the cafeterias in the United States adjust and arranged service hours to suit the Muslims. The Muslims today are distinguished by education and prosperity. They are regarded as well educated. A lot of Muslims today are medical doctors, engineers, obtained doctorate degrees and most of them had at the least earned their degree. However, one of a major problem posed of the spread of Islam in the United States is the application of the State law to the Muslims when it comes to Family Laws. According to Asifa Quraishi and Najeeba Syeed-Miller, “the family unit has long served as an organizing system for both social and legal regimes.” It is very important to discuss the effect of Islam in the United States in this context. The spread of Muslims in the United States will eventually lead to conflict of existing laws of their religion and the state. What will happen to Muslims who will get married to an American? Which of the conflicting laws should govern? Contacting marriage, raising children or even dissolving a family will greatly affect a framework of a state. The problems arise when there will be conflicting provisions in the law of the state and their religion. For instance, in the case of Muslims in the United States, they are governed by the law of the land. However, in the case of marriages, their religion permits to polygamy which the state does not. The Muslims in the United States are therefore governed by two sets of different rules. Thus, this issue on Islamic marriages became an important consideration of the American legal area. In the study conducted by Asifa Quraishi and Najeeba Syeed-Miller, they concluded that the United States had adopted reforms and activism to cater to the issues of Islamic Family law. But these reforms also come with potential problems. For example, it might be that other religion will also insist reforms to cater to their religious beliefs. The United States will therefore face a lot of issues in the next coming years because of this. Asifa Quraishi and Najeeba Syeed-Miller also cited another potential problem. This is the need to distinguish between religion and culture. There will come a time that conflicts will arise between religion and culture such that it is possible that a cultural pattern of family will limit religious laws or provisions. Another challenge posed is how to develop a consensus or unify Muslims which are diverse in nature. There are different types of Muslim in an Islam community. And I believe that even if they share the same religion, they are different in a lot of aspects. There are those traditional, those who are involved in particular communities, and even those who are not practitioners. In conclusion, there are a lot of effects of the spread of Islam in the United States. There are advantages of the rising numbers in the country. One of these is producing more professionals in the country. But the spread of this religion does not only provide us with better changes. There are also issues and conflicts that the country is facing. As the number of Islam followers increases, we can expect more conflicts between laws, bylaws and even traditions. This will also cause conflicts between the Islamic teachings and American customs. There are even small issues such aso their prayer schedules and attire. The effects of spread of Islam do not include only issues in religion, but also conflicts when it comes to social, legal and cultural context. References: A Brief History of Islam in the United States (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2011 from http://www.islamfortoday.com/historyusa1.htm Duncan, D. (n.d.) What is Islam? Retrieved April 28, 2011 from http://www.globalministries.org/resources/multimedia-resources/brochures/What-is-Islam.pdf Islam in the United States (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2011 from http://www.barkati.net/ english/#16 Rood, Rick, (1994). What is Islam?. Retrieved May 3, 2011 from http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/islam.html Syeed-Miller, N., Quraishi, A. (n.d.). No Altars: A Survey of Islamic Family Law in the United States. Retrieved April 29, 2011 from http://www.law.emory.edu/ifl/cases/USA.htm Read More