Rethinking Islam In The Contemporary World - Case Study Example

Rethinking Islam In The Contemporary World 4) Discuss Some of the Issues Surrounding Muslims in the West and How Do They Compare To Muslims Living In Muslim/Arab Countries? INTRODUCTION Islam is considered to be amongst the religions that has it presence in almost every region of the globe. The religion beliefs are evaluated to be based on monotheistic and Abrahamic notions as expressed by the holy book i.e. Qur’an. The book is determined to be the spoken word of the almighty i.e. Allah consisting of the teachings and specialized background example of Muhammad, the last Prophet of Allah. It is worth mentioning that according to the Islamic religion the Muslim people believe that there is only one God and the main purpose behind their existence in this world is to love and serve Allah. However, with the passing days and the increasing terrorist activities by people framing themselves to be belonging to the Islamic religion, it has forced global populaces to think negatively about the religion and its people. Muslim and Islam are viewed to have occupied a central role in the media industry especially in countries such as the UK and the US, especially after the Salman Rushdie affair, the riots that conflicted in the Middle East and the global war on terrorism (Sian, Law, and Sayyid 229-272). Additionally, issues surrounding multiculturalism, conduction of crime by the people belonging to the Islam religion, their way of gaining and providing education, the increasing immigration of the Muslim in different parts of the world and their tradition of wearing Burqa have resulted in considering Muslims as the focus of numerous public issues (Day, “Can the burqa be stylish?”). The main objective of this study is to provide a list of major issues that have been surrounding Muslim people in the West and how do they compare to Muslims living in Muslim/Arab countries. The study would also provide verses from the Qur’an which would depict that Islam does not promote any proscribed activities or support such actions as a part of the religious practices since its existence. ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN SURROUNDING MUSLIMS IN THE WEST The increasing proscribed activities along with religion politics, social and economic development in recent years are viewed to have altered the relation amid Western, European and Islamic societies. People belonging to the Non-Muslim and Muslim religions are viewed to be the prime victims of illegal activities which have resulted in aggravating the misunderstanding amid people belonging to different religions on one side and Islam on the other side. However, the facet of media is considered to be one of the most significant constituents in promoting the rising misunderstanding amid the different religions. The portrayal of Muslim by the large media conglomerates in the western region has been largely negative and stereotypical, often viewed to be lethal and radicalized. Furthermore, the islamophobic discourse aggravated by the media has facilitated to establish an obstinately negative, unfair and biased opinion against the Muslims (Pipes and Duran, “Muslims in the West: Can Conflict Be Averted?”). The media spotlight on the Islamic religion can be witnessed across the globe since past. Many critics believe that media centrality on Islam and people following the religion has been predisposed based on a relation of inclusion and exclusion. Research conducted concentrating on the growing issues have identified the link amid the projection of Muslims and the general projection of ethnic minority groups in the media. This largely highlights or discusses topics that are based on negative conceptual framework dominated by radicalized tropes relating to crime, violence and immigration especially by the Muslim people from the Arab countries. For instance, in the year 2011, a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) radio interview was conducted with the prime motive of investigating whether the British press was contributing to the growing conflicts amid the community through negative representation of the Muslim religion. The program explored how the media produces distorted stories relating the Muslim and how it has motivated the growth of the English Defense League activities. The broadcasted program also highlighted a few reasons why the national presses are extensively reporting the issue of Islamophobic stories, aggravating the rights of the Muslim people in the society. It also picked up a number of stories that seemed to be associated with the Islamic religion. On making a close study, it has been illustrated that the level of distortion and negativity done in portraying the image of the Islam religion in the modern society can be considered as one of the major issues that the Muslim people have been facing in the western countries. Moreover, the advent of technological aspects in one’s life is also considered to have contributed to the growing issue to a greater extent. It has been observed that today people mainly believe in what technological mediums state without even finding whether the stated statement is correct or not (Sian, Law, and Sayyid 229-272). The strong portrayal of the Muslims as one of the roughest religions has coerced people to believe that the religion does not have any rigid ethical structure. Furthermore, vast criticisms have also been made by Christian populaces about the religious practices in mosques and in other religious centers of the Muslim. Many people also believe that Islam religion does not have any defined solutions to the increasing issues that have been made against the religion. Additionally, clothing relating to the Muslim women has been vastly criticized by many well-known religious critics from around the globe. As they think that the main reason behind wearing the Burqa is that they feel threatened and insecure due to the kind of stereotypes prevailing in the society (Ernst 117-161; Siddiqui 4-25). The religion of Islam has been in the eye of the storm amid the media and the people in the UK and the US. Islam in the US is considered a minor religion practice consisting of less than 1% of the total population among which 10% of the total Muslims are estimated to arrive in the country from Africa during the era of slavery. However, the presence of the Islamic religion has been witnessed since the formation of the United Kingdom in the year 1707. According to estimation made, it is determined that the religion contributes almost 4.8% of the total population residing in the country. However, the increasing illegitimate activities by people belonging to different religion groups especially after the 9/11 attacks and recent violence in Germany have ignited the old conflicts amid Muslim residents in Europe and North America and the indigenous Christian and Jewish people. Though the list of conflicts amid the Muslim and the other religions has been witnessed from the past however the conflicts amid the Muslim and the western people seem to be at its peak (Ernst 45-178; Siddiqui 13-68). Despite the fact that a considerable amount of amendments is adhered to resolve the rising issues, only a few were viewed to be applied. More than 13 million of the total Muslims comprising immigrants and converted have been measured to live in Western Europe and the United States. Conflicts have aroused from both sides i.e. the Muslim minority and the Western majority. The issue of separatism is evaluated to be one of the major problems. A majority of the people following the Islam religion is viewed to be residing outside the mainstream of the society, following their own religious believes. It is worth mentioning that almost 65% of the Muslims in the US are immigrants, which supports the context of segregation and highlights the differences in religious beliefs amid the Americans and the Muslims. Moreover, an amplification of illegitimate activities conducted by people belonging to the Islamic religion has forced non-Muslim people to consider the Muslim religion as a treat to the society, along with compelling the Muslim people to have their own society, schools, and colleges in the country of their residence. The differences in the religious beliefs have contributed considerably towards the increasing extent of issues. For instance, the practice of wearing Burqa, a garment worn by the Muslim women to cover their bodies when in public is creating a strong debate in the international platform. In this regard, many renowned people in the UK and the USA have requested Muslim women to stop wearing burqa as it creates a barrier to identify an individual if their face remains covered. For instance, nations such as Italy and Netherlands among others have banned clothing that would hide the identity of an individual resulting in fining charges, which can be termed as an issue related to societal segregation (Day, “Can the burqa be stylish?”). The Qur’an which is considered to be the holy book for people following Islamic religion has also been criticized frequently. With the increasing conflicts amid the Muslims and the non-Muslims, it is not only their way of living that has been questioned but allegations have also been made questioning the sacred establishment of the religious practices. Critics have made allegations relating to the methodical, spiritual and ancient errors related claims of contradiction in the Qur’an and the moral values that act as a guideline for the Muslim people. It is believed that the Qur’an is the saying of Allah as narrated to the Islamic prophet Muhammad through angel Gabriel. According to the religion, it is said the Muhammad narrated exactly what the angel told him and was written down by his friends and the Qur’an is believed to hold the wordings exactly to that narrated to the prophet between the years 610-632. However, with the passing days, it has been viewed that many critics have stated that the Qur’an is not perfect and is possible to reproduce. For instance, Muslims believe that the language that has been used in the Qur’an is a peerless model of perfection. However, the Jewish encyclopedia, an academic piece of work that was published in between the year 1901 and 1906 in New York, argues that peculiarities can be observed in the holy book. Critics noticed that a sentence in the Qur’an in which something was being told about Allah is sometime followed straightway with additional sentence in which Allah is the narrator. For instance, such sentences were viewed in suras xvi. 81, xxvii. 61, xxxi. 9, and xliii. 10. In this regard, it is worth mentioning that the Qur’an is an interpretation of the saying of Allah, therefore a few of the sayings have been quoted directly, trying to explain the followers of the religion what Allah is trying to convey through the messages (Believe, “Koran, Qur'an”). Again questions relating to the origin of mankind in the world according to the Qur’an have been criticized many times. Many Islam critics state that the Qur’an and the modern evolutionary theory are not compatible. This has provided an opportunity to ignite a new debate viz. creation vs. evolutionary theory. However, the Muslim verses 21:30, 71:13–14, 29:19–20, 6:133–135, 10:4 justify that the evolution of mankind has occurred in accordance with the sayings of the Qur’an. Above all, the major criticism that has been made considering the preaching of the Qur’an is the topic of war and peace. The Qur’an’s teachings relating to war and peace have been a major facet of discussion amid different critics around the globe. For example, a few critics have identified that the Qur’an promotes adapting armed activities in contradiction of nonbelievers of the religion, both during the lifetime of Muhammad and after. Yet, the verses “8:38-39, 8:65, 9:29-30, 48:16-22, 4:95, 9:111, 2:216-218, 8:15-17, 9:123, 8:12, 9:5, 2:190-194, 9:73” of the Qur’an state that the Qur’an only supports the use of violence for self-defense within the community (Kreutz, “Criticism of the Quran”). COMAPRISISON OF THE ISSUES SURROUNDING MUSLIMS IN THE WEST WITH THOSE RESIDING IN THE ISLAMIC COUNTRIES The differences amid the Muslims residing in the West and those residing in the Islamic country can be viewed tremendously. It has been viewed that people residing in the western countries are mostly targeted by non-Muslims to prove their ethnicity does not support all the illegal activities that are being conducted in different parts of the globe. On the other hand, people who reside in Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia, Albania, Turkey and Pakistan among others enjoy their birth right without any interference from non-Muslim people. The relation between the followers of Islamic religion and people who follow other religious beliefs is bad, with many people in the West considering Muslims as obsessive and fierce while some believing that they are tolerant and respectful towards the women in comparison with other groups of people. However, according to a recent survey conducted by Pew Global Attitude, it has been found that a greater percentage of the people think that the relation amid them and the muslin is good. Nonetheless, when asked the same question to the people residing in muslin nations, a majority of the people stated that the relation amid them and the western people is as bad as it was five years ago. Moreover, it has been ascertained that the Muslim people expressed unfavorable opinions about Christians, than the Muslims who resided in the western countries. However, it can be viewed that Muslim people who reside in Islamic countries enjoy more liberty and are free to do anything according to their religious beliefs. Moreover, aspects such as wearing Burqa by women as a part of their tradition are also not restricted. Though it has been viewed that the tradition of wearing Burqa is not followed as rigidly as it was decades ago (Pew Research Center, “Muslim-Western Tensions Persist”). There exists certain evidence which proves that there is a vast cultural difference amid Muslims who reside in the western countries and those who live in the Islamic countries. For instance, women in Saudi Arabia are forbidden from learning to drive. It has also been viewed that girls are restricted from gaining education as Muslims consider it to be against their religious practices (Day, “Can the burqa be stylish?”). Furthermore, a survey conducted in countries such as the US, Germany, Britain, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and Lebanon among others has revealed that a Muslim tends to identify first with their religion rather than the nationality. Whereas, the scenario is entirely opposite concerning the Christian followers who reside in European, the UK and the USA as they first identify their nationality then their religion (Pew Research Center, “Muslim-Western Tensions Persist”). CONCLUSION The Islamic religion is considered to be one of the oldest and most widely spread religions around the globe. It is believed that the religion is in existence from decades ago. However, with the increasing proscribed activities conducted by people framing themselves to be a follower of the Islamic religion has forced people of other religions to think negatively about the Islamic religious practices. Alternatively, it has also been viewed that the contribution of dominant western media in this regard has brought forward extensive influences in terms of establishing a negative image of the religion. Furthermore, Islamic religious practices such as stopping women from learning to drive and preventing young girls to gain education have also contributed towards establishing a negative image of the Islamic religion amid the people belonging to the western countries. In this context, it can be said that if proper steps are taken by the governments of the western countries to portray and restrict unfavorable projection of Muslims then it may facilitate to reduce the negativity prevailing amid the non-Muslims against them. With reference to the above mentioned discussion, it can be viewed that there exists numerous issues that the Muslim people residing in the western countries have to face as compared to the Muslims who reside in the Islamic countries. Thus, a new kind of perspective needs to be endured by the global non-Muslim communities against the Muslims in order to ensure that misrepresentation of Muslim religious beliefs is avoided. Works Cited “Koran, Qur'an.” Believe. 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. Day, Elizabeth. Can the burqa be stylish?. 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. Ernst, Carl, W. Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World. United States: University of North Carolina, 2003. Print. Kreutz, Serge. Criticism of the Quran, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. “Muslim-Western Tensions Persist.” Pew Research Center. 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. Pipes, Daniel, and Khalid Duran. Muslims in the West: Can Conflict Be Averted?. 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. Siddiqui, Mona. How to Read the Qur'an. New York City: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009. Print. Sian, Katy, Ian Law, and S. Sayyid. The Media and Muslims in the UK. Centre for Ethnicity and Racism Studies, University of Leeds (2012): 229- 272. Print. Read More