The Pillars of the Islam Religion - Essay Example

Islam Norman Basilio Chamberlain College of Nursing SOCS-350N Islam is one of the most practiced religions in the world with many Muslims living across the globe. This religion has over the years seen tremendous growth and this has been at the expense of such religions as Christianity. Because of globalisation and the economic situation in the modern world, many Muslims have left their home countries, where their religion is dominant, and have spread into traditionally Christian nations in Europe and the Americas. Islam is one of the most diverse religions in the world, being practiced in different ways by its adherents and in different cultures across the globe. There are five pillars of Islam and most Muslims practice these and these can be considered to be the unifying factor for this religion. These include going on hajj to Mecca, giving the underprivileged alms, declaring that there is no god but Allah, fasting during the month of Ramadhan, and finally, praying five times a day (El-Rouayheb, 2012). All of these are a basic part of the lives of most Muslims who follow to them strictly for all of their lives. They are what unify Muslims all over the world since most of them often make these practices, except the pilgrimage a basic part of their lives as they attempt to emulate the life of the Prophet Muhammad, who is considered to have been as the last prophet. However, while Muslims are united by the Five Pillars, the latter are often practiced in different ways across the different cultures within which Muslims exist. While in some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, individuals often adhere to the teachings of Islam more strictly than most of those who live in the western world (Hedayetullah, 2006, p.48). The latter, having been influenced significantly by western culture do not go to the mosque as frequently as others to pray because in the western world and the economic realities within it, they are more often than not working in order to earn a living. Moreover, especially among the younger generation, religion is not taken as seriously as before because they have been raised in a secular environment where religion is not as big a part of their lives as was the case with their parents and grandparents. In these situations, Muslims in the western world tend to consider themselves to be adherents of the religion more as a matter of cultural ties rather than from a point of personal conviction. One of the most common misconceptions concerning Islam is that its adherents come from the Middle East and that the latter is the only place in the world where it is practiced. In fact, Islam in the contemporary globalised world is practiced in all of the nations within it with adherents spanning all race, ethnicities and cultures. This religion has grown to such an extent that almost a full quarter of the world’s population practices it. The misconception that it is a religion practiced only in the Middle East fails to put into account that a majority of Muslims in the world do not even come from this region. The South East Asian nation of Indonesia the highest population of Muslims in the world with most of the people of this state practicing the religion, which can also be found in such countries as China, Russia, and most of the states in Cental Asia (Menski, 2006, p.17). Africa also has a significant Muslim population, this religion having found a home in the continent since the time it was founded during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad. In the modern world, Islam has also found its way into the western world and has become the fastest growing religion in what used to be a traditionally Christian region. The result has been that Islam has come to attract individuals from cultures from across the globe and these have come to be united through their adherence to the Five Pillars of Islam as well as other teachings of the religion. For many of its adherents, Islam is one of the unifying factors in a world where there is constant conflict between individuals of different ethnicities and nationalities. This factor is exemplified through Islam having adherents from across all races and walks of life in unity in their pursuit of the teachings of this religion (Khan, 2006, p.54). In some parts of the world, Islam has come to be integrated into local cultures to an extent where it is practiced alongside the pre-Islamic practices of the people who adopted it. In Africa, for example, Islam has become such an integral part of some cultures that there is almost no distinction between the two. In northern Nigeria, Islam has become synonymous with the way of life and the people of this region have set up their own caliphates. The West African region in general has a large number of adherents who follow different local leaders who are not only influential in the society but also have their own schools with different interpretations of Islamic teachings (Hall, 2011, p.76). This scenario is not only prevalent in Africa but is also the case in almost every place where Muslims live in large numbers. It is often during the religious visit to Mecca, an event known as Hajj, that the true significance of Islam as a unifying factor is realised. This is because people from all over the world, no matter their race or social status, go on the pilgrimage as equals and these individuals partake in the rituals involved in the Hajj without any form of discrimination or consciousness of their status that normally happens. It is for this reason that the Hajj is considered the biggest religious event in the world because millions of individuals from all over the world take an active part in it. Most Muslims are peaceful individuals whose lives are essentially like that of people in the western world. However, the image of Islam as a religion and Muslims as its adherents has come to be besmirched in recent years because of the rise of religious fundamentalism, which has resulted in the rise of terrorism in the name of Islam (Dougherty, 2011). Islamic fundamentalism has come about in recent years because of the view among a very small minority of Muslims that Islam has come under influences, which have eroded the purity of the religion. This situation has brought about the rise of fundamentalist groups such as al Qaeda, the Taliban, and most recently, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham whose main aim is not only to purify Ismam, but also to bring about the conversion of the entire world to this religion through violent means. Despite the fundamentalists being an insignificant minority among Muslims, many in the western world have come to view Muslims with increasing suspicion. What most westerners do not realise is that even Muslims, especially in the Middle East, have become the victims of fundamentalist organisations in their attempt to achieve their agendas. Many Muslims who are either moderate or secular in their beliefs have come under increasing attack by fundamentalist groups such as the Islamic State, which have claimed that they are traitors to the religion. This has especially been the case in such countries as Syria where the armed rebellion against Assad rule, while in the beginning was led by moderate and secular Muslims, has come to fall into the hands of radical groups such as the al Nusra Front which have simultaneously waged war on moderate groups and populations. There have been instances in the western world where some governments such as that of France, have passed laws essentially banning Muslim girls from wearing veils to school. These laws have come to be viewed as discriminatory by Muslim society as a whole because it infringes on the basic rights of these girls (Rosen, 2006). The result has been that there has developed a potential for social conflict in the areas where these laws are being enforced because some Muslims might end up believing that they are being attacked for the sake of their religion. It is in such instances that radicalisation, especially among the younger generations, comes to take place and they might be more susceptible to influence from fundamentalist clerics and organisations. It is therefore essential for governments in the western world to treat Muslims within their populations with the utmost respect and equality with other citizens because this is one of the means through which the tide of radicalisation in the west can be brought to a halt. In conclusion, there have been many misconceptions concerning Islam and among these is that it is a Middle Eastern religion that is practiced by individuals from only one ethnicity. As has been seen above, this is not the case and it has been found that it is a global religion with adherents from all over the world. Islam is often practiced alongside the cultures of its adherents and these have influenced each other across the globe. Finally, it is necessary to note that Islam is a religion of peace, which does not subscribe to violence and it is only a small minority, which has leanings towards fundamentalist and radical ideas. References Dougherty, J. P. (2011). Awakening Islam: The politics of religious dissent in contemporary Saudi Arabia. The Review of Metaphysics, 65(1), 166-168. El-Rouayheb, K. (2012). God and logic in Islam: The caliphate of reason. Journal of the American Oriental Society, 132(1), 161-164. Hall, B.S. (2011). A History of Race in Muslim West Africa, 1600-1960. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hedayetullah, M. (2006). Dynamics of Islam: An Exposition. Bloomington: Trafford Publishing. Khan, A. (2006). Islam 101: Principles and Practice. Khan Consulting and Publishing. Menski, W.F. (2006). Comparative Law in a Global Context: The Legal Systems of Asia and Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Rosen, L. (2006). Law: Dispensing Justice in Islam: Qadis and their Judgments/Intent in Islamic Law: Motive and Meaning in Medieval Sunni Fiqh. The Middle East Journal 60(4), 819-22. Read More