Islam Traditions in the World - Assignment Example

ISLAM By Student’s Name Code + Name of Course Institution City/State Professor Date Islam Islam religion means submitting to the will and Commandments of Allah freely (Delong-Bas 2010, p.3). In the Islamic doctrine, there are five pillars which form the framework of the lives of Muslims. These doctrines include prayer, faith, self-purification, concern for the needy, and pilgrimage to Makkah for the Muslims who are able. This essay looks at the impact of Salaat in Muslim’s lives and the challenges, which are usually experienced by Muslims in non-Muslim states (Denny 2005, p. 98). The Islamic faith affirms that men and women were created to be partners to one another. This means that males and females share the same responsibilities in their religion (Mohammed 2011, n.pag). However, there are usually some western concern issues, which the Muslim women face regarding their roles in Islam. Additionally, there are a number of modernity challenges faced by Muslims all over the world. This includes resurgence in Islam. In Indonesia, the dominant religion is Islam (The Sydney Morning Herald 2007, n.pag). The Islam practiced in this country is inclusive and more tolerant compared to that which is practiced in Pakistan or Afghanistan. Question 9.2: Impact of Salat on the daily life of Muslims and the difficulties experienced by a Muslim in a non-Muslim society In the Islamic, practice is highly emphasized as opposed to doctrines. Muslims practice entails a framework of five pillars, which guide the lives of Muslims. One of the pillars is Salat. Salat is the second pillar among the Five Pillars and it is the prayers that every Muslim is obliged to recite five times every day (Denny 2005, p. 98). The prayers cannot be all recited at the same time. Therefore, the Muslims develop a kind of rhythm that structures the day. The first prayer Farj is recited after dawn just before the sun rises. Durh, Asr, Maghrib and Isha are other prayers which are as well said throughout the day (Delong-Bas 2010, p.17). When the Muslims are saying these prayers, they are required to be doing so while facing towards the direction of Mecca. This is the city whereby Prophet Muhammad was born. Initially the prayers were directed towards Jerusalem but this changed when Muhammad found it hard to convert the Jews in Jerusalem to his religion. The prayers are said in the Arabic language and they use various verses from the holy Qur'an (Denny 2005, p. 100).The prayers recited express full submission to Allah and to his will. The prayers are not only directed to humanity generally, but particularly to the Muslim praying. The repetitive and ritualistic nature of prayers helps to convince that someone is really subservient and he or she needs to submit himself or herself to the highest authority. In this sense, ritualistic and constant prayers have an effect of an individual brain washing himself or herself (Denny 2005, p. 100). Doing this enables the Muslims to be obliged to make the prayers without much supervision from their religious leaders. In a Muslim nation, a prayer call is usually announced at the specific times, making everyone to pray then. The Salat prayer is regarded as a moment for personal connection to God and a time for showing gratitude (Turner 2006, p. 99). Coping with the Islamic religion would be quite difficult for a practicing Muslim residing in a predominantly non-Muslim nation. This particularly applies to those Muslims living in countries that are dominated by Christian. In such countries, there are no announcements for the official start of the Salat prayers (Frontline Muslims 2006, n.pag). The challenges in the structures of the culture of such nations do not have provisions for breaks for practices of the five-time prayers every day. Muslims in such regions face frustrations of the failure to recognise their religious practices and holidays. While Christians residing in such countries celebrate religious holidays like Easter and Christmas, the Muslims residing in those regions find themselves isolated from prayers or holidays being celebrated by seemingly every Christian (Frontline Muslims 2006, n.pag). The five Islamic Pillars are obligatory practices that are required of every Muslim. They are considered as the core of Islam. These Islam cornerstones are considered as actions as opposed to beliefs. Unlike Christianity, Islamic religion is based on right action rather than right belief (Turner 2006, p. 101).This difference and the behaviour requirements of Muslims are significant to Muslims and cannot be a guarantee in a non-Muslim society. Question 10.1: Key areas of common western concern regarding the role of women in Islam and the way readings portray these issues. Islam, just like any other religion, faces challenges in evolving and in adjusting to modernity. This particularly applies to the cultural and economic power of the dominant West. Historically, there have been Islam's old and modern conflicts especially with the West. This has resulted to resurgence in Islam (Moten 2013, p.6). There have been a number of issues affecting the Muslims with great impact of the West on Islamic resurgence. There has been increasing concern from Muslims and their communities with the resurgence message being passed over on a constant basis (Saeed 2003, p. 100). The worn Stereotypes are regarded as inaccurate references that portray the Islamic nations as anti-democratic and intolerant. Similarly, this has been attributed to the Islamic cultures on women. The west media has particularly regarded the Islam women as homogenous (Mohammed 2011, n.pag). The Muslim women disapprove the gender purity of the Western women. On the other hand, the western cultures perceive some ideas associated with Islam on a different light. They portray the religion as a form of slavery to women. This negative portrayal of Islam is particularly enhanced by the media (Saeed 2003, p. 103). This happens because of the ways in which certain religious Muslim groups are contemptuous to the role of the Muslim women (Mohammed 2011, n.pag). However, there are rights and powers given to women and these rights that are enjoyed by Muslim women were enjoyed from a long time ago. The Western perception of Islam changed following the 9/11 attack (Moten 2013, n.pag). However, the contrast that has never been drawn about the Muslim women is that in other religions, women are handled according to tribal traditions and ancestral customs, but in Islam the women are treated with honour and full respect (Mohammed 2011, n.pag). The Islamic religion preserves the dignity and honour of the women, and also requires that they have to be treated with honour and respect. Esposito in ‘What do Women Want?’ gives a different perception of the Muslim women that their femininity is to be preserved. Their sexuality should not be exploited, by any other person other than their husbands (Esposito 2007, p. 100). Rather, the women are to be treated as equal human beings. In the Islamic religion, marriage only occurs when a woman freely consents to it and dowry given to her. The religion prioritizes for the wives and husbands. Providing needs of the family is the husband’s responsibility, while the women attend to the house and raise the children. These two are the major priorities; however, cooperation between the wife and the husband is highly recommended (Mohammed 2011, n.pag). Islam regards the woman as a mature, capable and equal partner of man, without whom there can be no family and it teaches that women and men are creation of Allah and they exist on an equal and worthy level. Esposito asserts that Muslim women are to be treated with dignity and respect (Esposito 2007, p. 112). He suggests that there should be effective, counterinsurgency programs in the grassroots to enable the west to be more receptive of the women Question 11.1: Modernity challenges faced by Muslims There is no problem with Islam; rather, the Muslims are the problem because most of them have failed in responding to modernity. One country where Muslims have faced challenges is America. From the 9/11 incident, America has waged serious war on terror in activities abroad and locally (Ozalp 2004, p.94). This has particularly involved the U.S. and the immigrant Muslims. This has changed the focus of attention on Islam within the country. Muslims continue facing increased backlash and scrutiny on issues that range from Sharia law to mosques and to terrorism questions (Ozalp 2004, p.94). Many people in the world who are liberal minded have renounced their religions. Many people are of the impression that modern life and religion are incompatible. Islamic teachings have experienced rigidity and stagnation as the inherent properties of the religion (Ozalp 2004, p.95). Most Islam has maintained the status quo as the attributes of the religion. The Muslims in USA are more educated, affluent, and culturally integrated compared to the Muslims in Western Europe, however, there still exists a mistrust atmosphere and this can likely fuel alienation feelings (Ozalp 2004, p.96). For many people, confusion is still rife and it has brought about extreme love and hatred views regarding their religion. Most Muslims sense that a number of challenges and issues cannot be conveniently explained or overlooked conveniently. The issues have been associated with rigidity of Islamists in the world over the past centuries because of religious fanatics (Gerges 1999, p. 23). First, the Muslims think they have been ignored in the main tenets of the history of the world over the past years (Gerges 1999, p. 24). They desire to change this. Secondly, the Muslims have continually faced challenges due to the European modernity. Muslims continually face bigger tasks of persuasively relating Islam to modern life. This particularly happens with the Western nations and has to do with the spirit for renewal and hope for revival (Gerges 1999, p. 23). The mentioned issues are substantive, controversial and complex. This is because they involve politics, culture, history and, religion. All these happen in a highly dynamic world. Just like all other religious communities, the Muslims have to make sense of the changing world in from where they thrive even as struggle to remain focused on the teachings of Islamic religion in application to all aspects of their lives of the teachings (Ozalp 2004, p.106). Question 12.1: The Situation in Indonesia Indonesia is the world's biggest Muslim country. The Muslim community in Indonesia is categorized in two orientations i.e. the modernists who adhere closely to the orthodox theology while at the same time embracing modern teachings and the traditionalists who follow the local religious leader’s interpretation (Sakai 2010, p.5). The constitution of the country provides all people with the right to worship in line with their beliefs and religion. The state is based on belief in one God who is supreme (Doogue & Kirkwood 2005, p. 268). The Indonesian government respects these provisions in the constitution. However, there are some restrictions regarding certain types of activities by different religions or in unrecognized religions. It has been argued by many people that Islam in Indonesia is tolerant and inclusive compared to that of Afghanistan or Pakistan. Being plural, the Indonesian Islam has been promoted consistently for its tolerant ideals in the mainstream society (Doogue & Kirkwood 2005, p. 266). Indonesia also contains minority populations that consist of other religions (Johns 2006, n.pag). Most Muslims from this region are Sunni; the Islamic tradition here is syncretic, having been absorbed by different customs, local beliefs, and traditions which are traced from the Islam arrival. This condition is remarked upon in the discussions of Muslims in Indonesia. The Sufism influence on Islam in Indonesia has been documented by scholars, who suggest that the initial conversions within many regions have confined Sufi mystics’ prominent works (Sakai 2010, p.6). The syncretism acknowledgment in Indonesia has enabled movements and schools starting up a number of reforms to re-energize this religion (The Economist 2008, p. 35). In Indonesia, the political situation is such that there has never been a majority command by the Islamic political parties in the national elections. There have been some Muslim leaders who have shown willingness as opposed to the mainstream politicians into jumping to defending the religious minorities that are attacked (Sakai 2010, p.5). The big issues that the country is working through as of now is the Islamic political parties’ position within the country, whereby Islam as a religion stands in the state’s civil arrangements and the constitution. New concerns regarding Islamic radicalism re-emerged in the country after the national elections that came after terrorism bombing of two hotels in July 2009 in Jakarta by Jemaah Islamiyah adherent’s suspects (Johns 2006, n.pag). These were the country’s first terrorist attacks bombings in this country. Most of the recent bombings incidents in Indonesia reveal that there is still a main group of radical Muslims who are still active within the country operating in the underground and are under pressure emanating from the security forces (Woodward, Inayah & Diana 2010, p.4). Question 13.1: A critique of the articles from the Sydney Morning Herald Most Important Issue In Australia, the Islamic faith continues to attract more followers and this is changing the mainstream’s perception of the Muslim faith. An article in The Sydney Morning Herald reports activities being undertaken by Muslims in Australia on a Friday evening at the centre of a private Islamic school in Roselands (The Sydney Morning Herald 2007, n.pag). At Roselands, men face towards the Mecca saying their prayers while the women behind them have draped their heads in long veils (The Sydney Morning Herald 2007, n.pag). Every day, many young people, especially professionals, discover more about the Islamic religion. Some religious teachers `like Ali are not fully acknowledged in most regions of the Islamic community in Sydney owing to their little Arabic language knowledge, but most of his young audience find this as an irrelevance. Young people are able to find the encouragements and interactions with other religions and faiths as appealing (The Sydney Morning Herald 2007, n.pag). Most mosques however are not considerate about the prevailing situations in Australia. Instead, they are more focussed about influence and power. Most young professionals, who are born and brought up as Muslims, attempt to separate religious cultural lessons to that learnt from migrant parents (The Sydney Morning Herald 2007, n.pag). Question 13.1: Issues that missed the mark In Australia there are some mosques which have been given Christian names; for example, ‘Virgin Mary Mosque’ (The Sydney Morning Herald 2007, n.pag). Here, a heterogeneous community consisting of Muslim from other countries converge for prayers (The Sydney Morning Herald 2007, n.pag). The name of the mosque was given by an Imam based in Somalia based. It was a means of proving that Islam and Christianity are common in many things. The Virgin Mary is also revered here (The Sydney Morning Herald 2007, n.pag). The Uncovered Issues The uncovered issues pose a great challenge for the migrant Muslim community in Australia. The challenges offer the Islamic orthodoxy expression of what it means living in Australia. The presented challenges affect the culture and values of their mainstream faith (The Sydney Morning Herald 2007, n.pag). The Judeo-Christian heritage in Australia has been ignored for long and this excludes the roles of Islam or the other faiths. In terms of sacred law and religious dogma Judaism and Islam share much in common compared with Christianity. Islam in Australia does not require more periods of sectarian warfare, followed by sectarian movements, to make them feel culturally comfortable within the country (The Sydney Morning Herald 2007, n.pag). The major challenge preventing the cultural integration in a genuine way comes from the orthodox Islam and the fact that a number of Muslim religious leaders continue treating the religion as a narrow ethnic identity. In conclusion, the Islamic religion is articulated using the Quran, The Islamic religion is based on acts rather than belief. Every practicing Muslim is guided by the five Islamic pillars which form a framework of Islamic doctrines. Salat as an essential pillar of Islam can be hard to practice in a non-Muslim country. There have been great rigidities by most religious fanatics of Islam in adjusting to modern life. Of great importance is the role which women play in as far as the religion is concerned. Women and men are equal partners in Islam. In Indonesia, the predominant religion is Muslim but other belief systems are also allowed. In Australia, Islam religion has continued being accepted with some mosques being named using Christian names. Many Australia continue being converted to Christianity every day. Reference Delong-Bas, N 2010, ‘The Five Pillars of Islam: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide. ‘Oxford University Press, United Kingdom, pp. 3-34. Denny, FM 2005, 'The basic beliefs and worship practices of Islam’, An introduction to Islam, 3rd. edn., Pearson, New Jersey, pp. 97-127. Doogue, G & Kirkwood, P 2005, 'Islam in Indonesia: pluralism in practice’, Tomorrow's Islam: uniting age-old beliefs and a modern world, ABC Books, Sydney, pp. 264-295. Esposito, JL & Mogahed, D 2007, ‘What do Women Want?', Who speaks for Islam? What a billion Muslims really think, Gallup Press, New York, pp. 99-133. Frontline Muslims 2006 ‘Islam and the West’ Viewed on 23 Aug 2013 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/muslims/themes/west.html Gerges, A. 1999, ‘America and political Islam: Clash of cultures or clash of interests?’ Cambridge University Press, Cambridge pp. 23-41. Johns, AH 2006, ‘Islam in South East Asia’ in L Jones (ed.) The encyclopedia of religion, 2nd. ed. Macmillan, Detroit (electronic version). Moten, AR 2013. "Islam Today: A Short Introduction to the Muslim World. By Akbar S. Ahmed." Intellectual Discourse, vol. 8, no. 2 Ozalp, M 2004, ‘Muslims and modern life’, Islam in the modern world, Journalists and Writers Foundation Publications, Istanbul, pp. 93-100. Saeed, A 2003, 'Muslim women', Islam in Australia, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, NSW, pp.157-182. The Economist 2008, Islam in Indonesia: where ‘soft Islam’ is on the march, vol. 386, issue 8562 (1/12/08), pp. 35-36. The Sydney Morning Herald, 2007 ‘The Face of Islam’ AHerald Series, Viewed 24 July 2013 Mohammed, S 2011, On Marriage in Islam, Viewed 23 Aug 2013 http://www.jannah.org/sisters/marr.html Woodward M, Inayah, R & Diana, C 2010 ‘Muslim education, celebrating Islam and having fun as counter-radicalization strategies in Indonesia. Perspectives on Terrorism, vol. 4, no. 4. Pp. 4-39 Sakai, M 2010 ‘Ethical self-improvement in everyday life: propagating the Islamic way of life in globalised Indonesia.’ Crises and Opportunities: Past, Present and Future. PP. 5-8. Turner, C 2006, ‘Practice’, Islam: the basics, Routledge, London, pp. 98-139. Read More

In this sense, ritualistic and constant prayers have an effect of an individual brain washing himself or herself (Denny 2005, p. 100). Doing this enables the Muslims to be obliged to make the prayers without much supervision from their religious leaders. In a Muslim nation, a prayer call is usually announced at the specific times, making everyone to pray then. The Salat prayer is regarded as a moment for personal connection to God and a time for showing gratitude (Turner 2006, p. 99). Coping with the Islamic religion would be quite difficult for a practicing Muslim residing in a predominantly non-Muslim nation.

This particularly applies to those Muslims living in countries that are dominated by Christian. In such countries, there are no announcements for the official start of the Salat prayers (Frontline Muslims 2006, n.pag). The challenges in the structures of the culture of such nations do not have provisions for breaks for practices of the five-time prayers every day. Muslims in such regions face frustrations of the failure to recognise their religious practices and holidays. While Christians residing in such countries celebrate religious holidays like Easter and Christmas, the Muslims residing in those regions find themselves isolated from prayers or holidays being celebrated by seemingly every Christian (Frontline Muslims 2006, n.pag). The five Islamic Pillars are obligatory practices that are required of every Muslim.

They are considered as the core of Islam. These Islam cornerstones are considered as actions as opposed to beliefs. Unlike Christianity, Islamic religion is based on right action rather than right belief (Turner 2006, p. 101).This difference and the behaviour requirements of Muslims are significant to Muslims and cannot be a guarantee in a non-Muslim society. Question 10.1: Key areas of common western concern regarding the role of women in Islam and the way readings portray these issues. Islam, just like any other religion, faces challenges in evolving and in adjusting to modernity.

This particularly applies to the cultural and economic power of the dominant West. Historically, there have been Islam's old and modern conflicts especially with the West. This has resulted to resurgence in Islam (Moten 2013, p.6). There have been a number of issues affecting the Muslims with great impact of the West on Islamic resurgence. There has been increasing concern from Muslims and their communities with the resurgence message being passed over on a constant basis (Saeed 2003, p. 100).

The worn Stereotypes are regarded as inaccurate references that portray the Islamic nations as anti-democratic and intolerant. Similarly, this has been attributed to the Islamic cultures on women. The west media has particularly regarded the Islam women as homogenous (Mohammed 2011, n.pag). The Muslim women disapprove the gender purity of the Western women. On the other hand, the western cultures perceive some ideas associated with Islam on a different light. They portray the religion as a form of slavery to women.

This negative portrayal of Islam is particularly enhanced by the media (Saeed 2003, p. 103). This happens because of the ways in which certain religious Muslim groups are contemptuous to the role of the Muslim women (Mohammed 2011, n.pag). However, there are rights and powers given to women and these rights that are enjoyed by Muslim women were enjoyed from a long time ago. The Western perception of Islam changed following the 9/11 attack (Moten 2013, n.pag). However, the contrast that has never been drawn about the Muslim women is that in other religions, women are handled according to tribal traditions and ancestral customs, but in Islam the women are treated with honour and full respect (Mohammed 2011, n.pag). The Islamic religion preserves the dignity and honour of the women, and also requires that they have to be treated with honour and respect.

Esposito in ‘What do Women Want?’ gives a different perception of the Muslim women that their femininity is to be preserved.

Read More