Religion in Tower Hamlet - Essay Example

TOPIC: RELIGION IN TOWER HAMLET. Introduction In this essay I am going to explore the religion in Tower Hamlet. First I will look at the definition of community and identify which of the statements is relevant to the chosen topic and health issues. In addition I will look at the reasons that make people become part of a religious community. Furthermore I will compare the sociological and psychological theories and explain which sets of hypothesis are most useful in my essay. Religion is considered to be one of the strongest social forces. Not only can it unite or divide groups in society, but it can also exercise has enourmous influence on moral codes, individual behaviour and health. Now I will move on to how religion affects people’s life and their health. I will investigate the impact of religion on health in the chosen Tower Hamlet. The information gathered in this essay in mainly from books and internet sources. Both health and religion in a way is a manner of coping and re-framing one’s life, bringing into it a sense of meaning and purpose. This is even more powerful when one’s life is threatened by a still uncurable disease such as HIV, in the taken case study in Tower Hamlet. The main body of my essay I will focus on Christian and Muslim modernizations in Tower Hamlet. Later, I will concentrate on religious beliefs and how they can affect health. I will also include some pictures and statistical tables reflecting some of the points that have been made. In conclusion, I will summarize the main issues addressed and provide some suggestions. What is community? The followers of a given religion are often united into a community. That is why we need to clarify the meaning of Community in Tower Hamlet. Christianity followers are referred to as Christian communities. There are various definitions of community. For the purpose of this essay I have examined the exact definition: social network of interacting individuals, usually concentrated into a defined territory’ (Stacey, 1969). This definition is most relevant in the way that it displays interest between the individuals and includes them within the same territory. On the other hand, being in the same social network does not necessarily mean that they will share the same opinion. In Christian communities, however, people follow the same religious opinion, as well as the same belief in God. According to the Thesaurus (2006), Community frequently refers to all the people who live in a certain geographical area, communicating the same origins or welfare. William Flanagan (1993) has emphasized that people who live in an area may not be part of a particular community. Their particular social network may connect them more powerfully with people in other parts of the world. The Christian community in Tower Hamlets shares the same geographical area, but not all of them have the same origins; there are Christians from Africa, Western Europe and Muslims. Furthermore, Community can be considered any group of organisms or populations existing and interacting with one another in a particular environment. The organisms in a community affect each others abundance, distribution, and evolutionary adaptation. Depending on how generally one views the interaction between organisms, a community can be small and local, as in a pond or tree, or regional or global, as in a biome. Community can be defined also as a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as more distinct in some respect than the larger society within which it exists (Random House Dictionary, 2010). Sociologist and psychologist theories of Religion The Sociologists define religion as: ‘a social agreement designed to provide a shared, collective way of dealing with the unknown and un-knowable aspects of human life, with mysteries of life, death, and the difficult dilemmas that arise in the process of making moral decisions’(Allan G. Johnson, 2000). The Social model incorporates more general beliefs about health. Both health and social class involve certain definition issues that are not apparent in everyday usage. Whichever model is applied, it is important to recognise that our concept of heath is relatively closer to the meaning of one’s view of what is normal health. Either model is influenced by factors such as the social class where people live, their gender, ethnicity or age. That social model by contrast emphasises: the impact of the environment on health,for instance pollution, bad housing, and poor working condition. Moreover, God’s power views health as righteous living and spiritual wholeness and God as the provider of health (harvester wheat sheaf 1991). Functionalist Alcott Parson (insert year + add into reference) studies the role of medical profession in the community and argues that the role of medicine is crucial to the effective running of society. The key role of medicine is to keep people healthy or if they become sick, medications can help them get better and allow them to be healthier contributors to the society as workers, and parents. (Social system 1951) However, Bruce (insert year + add into reference) said that religion is used as a resource to deal with situations where people have to change their identity to certain extent. For example Asian and afro-Caribbean migrants to Britain and their Descendants can use mosques , temples and churches as centres for their communities, and their religion as a way to cope with their current cultural surrounding and to preserve the improrance of being Asian or black and British.(Bruce 1996 p96). In addition, many of the insights one might gain from the existing research made on religion and health is consistency with the grant theorical knowledge of sociologists such as Durkheim and Weber. They focused on a very thin differentiation between the religion and health definitions and divisions as the possible causal associations between the measures of religiousness and the measures of health. The standpoints they take include a question about how religious holidays may postpone death for days or even weeks or how religiousness may restrained the effects of testosterone upon the initiation of coitus in adolescent females and how the approaching death may persuade people’s religious beliefs and behaviours (Michelle Dillon 2003) Information sources The research presented in this essay is mainly collected through book and internet sources. The advantage of using information technology is that it gives you a faster way of collecting and storing the necessary details. There are variety and multiple sources of information on the topic that I am discussing. They are all sorts of open sources in the internet and they are available to all of us. Information technology can also help us to find data on any subject that one’s need. However, one of the disadvantages of using the internet is that sometimes the information may be incorrect or not authentic, and the only way to prove a viable source is through the library. The advantage of authentic books is that they are professionally proven as reliable source through editors and efficient scientific bodies that confirm the correctness of the edited material. Authentic books can improve skills and strategy use; they can build up fluency, enlarge vocabulary, and add onto people’s knowledge. In order to fully grasp that is written in a scientific study one need to have the time to carefully read the book, comprehend its main points and concepts and to know exactly what information will be useful for him. I had the rare opportunity to do a primary research on the people in Tower Hamlet. I asked them about their religion and what they think might have an effect on their health; 30% of the Muslims replied that religion helps them to have a better health. The advantage of this investigation was that I had the chance to prove the written statements, witnessing exactly what I was reading on the web pages. I observed myself certain places of worship (e.g. cathedral and mosques). The disadvantage was that I was not able to find more realistic data to relate to, than the one found on the web pages. Statements, such as “Tower Hamlet Muslim and Christian suffer from unfair discrimination” are not examined thoroughly, due to the lack of sufficient data. Findings According to the (2001) census, 50% of the total population in Tower Hamlet is estimated to be male and 50% female,37% of the population of Londons poorest borough, Tower Hamlets, is Bengali. In the last 60 years and over population is recorded and 54% are estimated to be females, whereas 46% is male. This statistics represent higher life expectancy for females. In 2009 50% of the population is estimated to be White, 34% Bangladeshi, 3% Chinese, and 3% Black African. The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is allocated in the east side of the City of London and north from the River Thames. It also includes much of the redeveloped Docklands region of London, including West India Docks and Canary Wharf. Tower Hamlet has a consistent number of ethnic minority populations, consisting mainly of Bangladeshis. (   Analysis of the age structure by ethnicity indicates that 57% of the under 19 population is Bangladeshi compared to 25% of the adult population (aged 19-64 years) Based on 2001 census results, it is estimated that around 39% of the population are Christians, 36% Muslims and 14% have no religion. It would be expected that there are at least 91,000 Christians and 86,000 Muslims in Tower Hamlet. Furthermore, Tower Hamlet is an inner-city area in the area of London and is also one of the most deprived in England (Elche 1997) with high levels of unemployment and overcrowding. The difference in reported health status between white and ethnic minority groups was greatest for older age groups: Bangladeshis in their 40s and 50s were more likely to report poor health than any other ethnic group; 48% had poorer health compared with 16% Indians and only 10% of white adults. Over two-thirds of the Bangladeshi and Pakistani households (68%) are living below the poverty line (incomes below 60% of the median, after housing costs). In comparison, just under a quarter (23%) for all households can cope financially. Long term health conditions affect a large proportion of the working age adults in Tower Hamlet. In this regard employment chances and incomes are limited. They have a long term ill-health and cause now a major policy health concern and social welfare debates. Religious beliefs and Health in Tower Hamlet.  Christianity is an Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings, of Jesus of Nazareth, born in Bethlehem. Christianity is a religion, whose beliefs are rooted into one personality – that of Jesus Christ. Christians in Tower Hamlet consider Jesus Christ to be both divine and human. They also believe that God is revealed in 3 persons: Father, son and Holy Spirit. The Bible is the sacred text for Christian communities, and it is divided into two parts: the Old Testament and the new Testament. The Old Testament is primarily written in Hebrew, it is also called the Hebrew Bible, and it is used by both Jews and Christians. The New Testament is written in Greek, with some words written in Aramaic – the language of Jesus. It tells the story of Jesus’ life. (James R. Adair, 2008 p15). A Christian is any person or assembly who sincerely believes in the Christian ideals. The belief that God revealed himself through Jesus Christ in human life, lived, died and resurrected. Tower Hamlet community is structured according to different church denomination. This includes: Fundamentalist: Evangelicals Protestants; Roman Catholics; Eastern Orthodox followers, Presbyterians, Methodists, United Church members, Mormons, Jehovahs Witnesses, Christian Scientists. Jehovah’s Witnesses are not allowed to accept blood transfusions neither for themselves, nor for their children. They strongly believe that this aciton is the same as eating blood and is banned by the Bible. Many of them die due to the above stated. The Watchtower Society has placed upon its followers these relligious conditions, which deprive them of proper health treatments. In the past the Watchtower Society has prohibited its followers of getting vaccinations or accepting organ transplants. Because of these, many people were left in anxiety and died without the chance of being treated. Today, the Watchtower Society has changed its rules and allows life-saving procedures and interventions. However, they still prohibit the blood transfutions, which severely affects the health of its religious followers. Statistic of religion Tower Hamlets London England All People (Persons)1 Count 196,106 7,172,091 49,138,831 People stating religion as: Christian (Persons)1 Count 75,783 4,176,175 35,251,244 People stating religion as: Christian (Persons)1 % 38.64 58.23 71.74 People stating religion as: Buddhist (Persons)1 % 0.99 0.76 0.28 People stating religion as: Muslim (Persons)1 Count 71,389 607,083 1,524,887 People stating religion as: Muslim (Persons)1 % 36.40 8.46 3.10 People stating religion as: Other religions (Persons)1 Count 525 36,558 143,811 People stating religion as: Other religions (Persons)1 % 0.27 0.51 0.29 People stating religion as: No religion (Persons)1 Count 27,823 1,130,616 7,171,332 People stating religion as: No religion (Persons)1 % 14.19 15.76 14.59 People stating religion as: Religion not stated (Persons)1 Count 14,591 621,366 3,776,515 People stating religion as: Religion not stated (Persons)1 % 7.44 8.66 7.69 Christian communities in Tower hamlet contribute to people’s health in the borough by variety of voluntary actions. For example, there is a Methodist church in White Chapel Road which offers breakfast, clothing and advice to vulnerable people every day. This church has many delegations around the borough. Many social projects are undertaken within the community which assists individuals by offering them health consultations an many similar services. In addition, there are 158 cases of TB notified in Tower Hamlet in 2007. This is the third uppermost notification rate in North East occurring among young adults. In 2007 the incident rates of Tuberculosis were 13.8/100.000 in UK; 43.2/100.000 in London and in Tower Hamlet 68/100.000 both for Muslims and Christians. Several studies examine the central role of spirituality in chronic illnesses in Tower Hamlet. Investigators who have been studying the cultural differences and the contributing etiological factors for HIV/AIDS and other chronic diseases have reported that individuals often attribute their illness to spiritual distress and beliefs. While the results indicate the importance of spirituality/religion, prior researches examining spirituality and religion among individuals with HIV/AIDS have been limited by small samples. The National statistic of health in Tower Hamlet Tower Hamlets London England All People (Persons)1 Count 196,106 7,172,091 49,138,831 People with a limiting long-term illness (Persons)1 Count 33,714 1,111,284 8,809,194 People with a limiting long-term illness (Persons)1 % 17.19 15.49 17.93 People of working age with a limiting long-term illness (Persons)1 Count 19,495 556,102 4,014,005 People of working age with a limiting long-term illness (Persons)1 % 15.02 11.87 13.29 General health: Good (Persons)1 Count 133,142 5,078,978 33,787,361 General health: Good (Persons)1 % 67.89 70.82 68.76 General health: Fairly good (Persons)1 Count 42,735 1,499,198 10,915,594 General health: Fairly good (Persons)1 % 21.79 20.90 22.21 General health: Not good (Persons)1 Count 20,229 593,915 4,435,876 General health: Not good (Persons)1 % 10.32 8.28 9.03 According to the National Statistics presented above, the population in Tower Hamlet has deteriorating health condition. To a greater extend this is due to religious beliefs and cultural customs. Muslims, for example are allowed to marry more than one woman, which consequently creates many diseases. On the other hand, followers of the Christian community can commit adultery. Afterwards, they can go to the church and make a confession about their sins. Muslim Islam is the religion of Muslims. There are more than 73,000 Muslims in Tower Hamlets. This means Islam is the second biggest religion in Tower Hamlets, overlaping with that of Christianity. Historically speaking, the religion of Islam came to Tower Hamlets more than 300 years ago. It was the religion of seamen and merchants who came from the Middle East and Africa. Over many years other Muslims from places such as Bangladesh, the Balkans, Malaysia and East Africa have come to live here. Islam as a religion derived from the teachings of the prophet Muhammad in the seventh century. Those who follow Islam are called Muslims. Muslims believe that there is not God but Allah and Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah. (Glidden, polity2000) Most importanly, the Muslim population is the fastest-growing. They make up an astonishing 47% of the population under 25 years, and only 13% of the population is over 60. The white population, by contrast, is aging, and the elderly are larger percentage than the young under 20 years. There are more Asians under 30 years in Tower Hamlets than whites and blacks combined together. Islam is a monogamous, monotheistic, fertile and aggressive faith and is in sharp contrast to the promiscuous, idolatrous, birth-controlling Christianity. One of the main aspects of Christianity is that it combines different systems of philosophical, religious beliefs and practices.  A Muslim should stop 5 times a day, and interrupt his work, play or sleep, and pray to Allah. When Muslims pray, they face the Kebab in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The prayer times are related to the sun and times are flexible, with about an hour allowance to pray during each time. At this time of year, in London, prayers should be done at: dawn 4:42; midday 1:02; late afternoon 5:25; evening 9:21 & night 11:24min. Many religions incorporate some elements of fasting into their spiritual practices. The laws of fasting or restricting food and drink have been described as a call to holiness by many theologies. Fasting has been identified as the mechanism that allows one to improve ones body, to earn the approval of Allah or to understand and appreciate the sufferings of the poor. Furthermore, it represents a discipline, required in order to resist temptation, as an act of reparation for sinful acts, or as the cleansing of the evil from within the body. Fasting may be undertaken for several hours, at a specified time of the day (e.g., from sunrise to sunset, as practiced by modern Jews), for a specified number of hours (e.g., twelve, twenty-four, or more, as observed by Catholics or Mormons who fast on designated days), or for successive days, such as during the month of Ramadan for certain Muslims. Ramadan for Muslim is: One month of fasting from dawn until evening. Some people are exempt e.g. those who are pregnant, breast feeding, menstruating or ill. they cannot take injections, blood tests, IV access or oral medication during fasting hours. Oral medication will need to be adjusted to once or twice daily. The side effect of fasting can include heartburn, headaches/migraines, dehydration, constipation, stress and irritability.  Those who are suffering from an illness are released, others are determined to fast. (Martin Marcus and Alan duckling 1996) In addition, Muslims with poorly controlled diabetes, heart failure, retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy need to be careful, and should seek advice from their doctor before initiating fasting. As we can see, foods are limited for Muslims in Tower hamlet. The Koran stresses the need for healthy body and that is why believers should worship Allah properly. Sura (2:172) said that eating of good pure that Muslim provided to people and will be grateful to allal if you truly worship Allah and also to complete that variety of food are banned. Muslims can’t eat the meat processed from a pig, as well as animals that are found dead or those used in sacrifices by other religions. Furthermore, Muslims observe several conditions in order to consume meat such as:  Animals killed by strangling.  Animals killed by a headlong fall or gored to death.  Animals sacrificed in the name of idols During Ramadan, the Muslim is exposed to variety of negative health consequences, which result from the religious fasting. For example, excess acids can be built up in the digestive system during prolonged fasting. This gastric acidity results in a sour taste in the mouth, a burning in the stomach, and other symptoms of illness. There are more than 40 mosques in Tower hamlets. This is the East London mosque, which is also the largest in Tower hamlet and can shelter 4500 worshipers. The Mosque in Tower Hamlet is the largest in the Muslim communities.  The Centre which opened in 2004 is one of the largest Muslim centres in Western Europe and has been built and run on the grounds of donations from the local communities and various government organizations. The architectural feature of the mosque consists of several minarets, which originally were used for the call for prayer.  The Mosque has prayer areas for both men and women and was the first mosque to broadcast the azaan (call to prayer) from the minaret. It also runs a number of community and welfare services aiming to help women and young people with nutrition. Conclusion. The religions of Islam and Christianity both maintain similar beliefs in God and accept the Old Testament, however they differ in their religious views. A number of denominations have also developed health care systems which seek to integrate Christian practices within the modern medical care. There are some people who are at greater risk of exposing themselves to some diseases by respecting and following the religious rules. Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and Peace and Blessings be on Prophet Muhammad and on all the prophets of God and their righteous followers. Religious beliefs and practices are associated with a number of social factors. The population from different communities can be divided into different categories to highlight the significance of these factors. Despite several indices pointing to the decline of religious beliefs and practices in many advanced industrialized societies, there is also evidence of the growth in fundamentalist beliefs in both Christian and Muslim communities in Tower Hamlet. Religion exists in all known societies, although religious beliefs and practices vary from culture to culture. REFERENCES. BBC news website: statistics on Muslim population in European countries, December 2005. Beliefs net (2004) http://www.belief.com Michele Dillon - 2003 Sociology of religion Cotton SPC, Sherman SN, Mrs. JM, et al. Spirituality and religion in patients with HIV/AIDS (J Gen Intern Med. 2006) Desai, Anita (2000) fasting, feasting, New York: New York: HoughtonMiffli .Ed.azim a.nanji.detroit, MI: gale research 1996 Jacob Neusner, Bruce chitton 2008, Religion tolerance in world religion. Gidden.A (1997) Sociology, Third edition (Cambridge: polity press) Mc Guire. M.B (1981) religion, the social context, Wadsworth publishing California. Linda w.Braum 2007 teen, technology and literacy Shaflarski S, Ritchey PN, Leonard AC, et al. Modelling the effects of spirituality/religion on patients’ perceptions of living with HIV/AIDS.(J Gen Intern Med. 2006) Read More