Contemporary Issue in Eastern Religions

Over 1.6 billion people are muslims. That is about about a quarter of the entire world. Islam is the second largest religion the world. This beast of a religion started out in the small town of Mecca on the Arabian Peninsula. Over the next thousand years it spread to the astonishing size we know today.

Islam, a religion of people submitting to one God, seeking peace and a way of life without sin, is always misunderstood throughout the world. What some consider act of bigotry, others believe it to be the lack of education and wrong portrayal of events in media; however, one cannot not justify the so little knowledge that America and Americans have about Islam and Muslims. Historically there are have been myths, many attacks on Islam and much confusion between Islam as a religion and Middle Easter culture that is always associated with it. This paper is meant to dispel, or rather educate about the big issues that plague people’s minds with false ideas and this will only be touching the surface.

The eastern religions that we have discussed in class are Hinduism, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. The western religions that we have discussed in class are Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The Eastern Religions have originated in countries such as China, India, and Japan. The western religions originated in Europe and the Americas. There are few similarities between eastern religions and western religions, but many differences. The biggest difference between the two religions is that eastern religions believe in more than one god, whereas western religions believe in one God.

Muslims believe in only one god called Allah, They also believe God controls every aspect of life. Muhammad is often credited for starting Islam However, Muslims generally regard Islam as dating back to the time of creation.(Becoming) In Islam Allah is worshiped extensively multiple times per day. (Molly 438)

The Islamic religion is currently world's second largest and fastest growing worldwide and there are approximately about 1.6 billion population in the world believe in Islam which is nearly one-fourth. “Over fifty countries have Muslim-majority populations, while other groups of believers are clustered in

Farid Esack describes the situation of progressive Muslims post 9/11. He does this because their role has become significantly important in the society they live in. Progressive Muslims described by him are liberal Muslims who are seeking for a change but according to their conservative values. He describes the attacks from 9/11 represents a collision of two forms of religious fundamentalism, the American capitalistic market that was attacked by the angry religious individuals. These individuals portray an insult and a threat to Islam and to the people who follow it in a decisive correct manner.

Originating in Mecca, Saudi Arabia in the year 622 and then spreading to Asia and the Mediterranean area, followers of Islam spread their religion and culture to allow it to flourish. Most followers today live in the Asia-Pacific area, but there are actually several million Muslims currently living in the United States. Muslims follow the central religious text of Islam known as the Qur’an. Followers believe the Qur’an to be the word of

It is also believed in both religions that God will judge humans when the world has ended. Their dwelling will be based upon their actions in fulfillment with a moral code which is addressed in the Covenant, or agreement, which God made with his people. Angels are believed to exist and are sometimes believed to be messengers of God. Muslims and Christians both believe that Satan, called Shaitan by Muslims, and the evil spirits who follow him exist. They are known as enemies of humanity. Muslims and Christians alike have faith that Jesus Christ was born to the virgin Mary through immaculate conception and will return at the end of the world. The two religions have many similarities in their moral code and practices as well. Intoxication, homosexuality, and suicide are strictly forbidden and are considered morally unacceptable. Likewise, the two practice fasting, charity, and good works.

The idea of the soul varies widely in religious tradition. While these variations exist, its basic definition is unvarying. The soul can be described as the ultimate internal principle by which we think, feel, and will, and by which our bodies are animated. The soul is seen as the core principle of life or as the essence of a being 1. Views on the permanence of the soul vary throughout religious tradition as well. While some view it as a mortal entity in flux others believe the soul is an immortal and permanent unit. These interpretations vary from time period to time period and between religions. These characteristics of the soul are interpreted differently through an Eastern or

Although both Christianity and Islam are monotheistic religions, there beliefs of the concept of deity and the view of Jesus differThe Christians believed in the trinity, or three persons in one godhead; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; with God as the Father, Jesus as the son, and the Holy Spirit of God within each Christian. Where as unity and strict monotheism was the belief for the Muslims, as they saw Allah as one and only one. The Christians also believed Jesus as the son of God and the savior of the world, while the Muslims saw Jesus only as a true prophet of God, not the son of God, as the Qur’an states, “Say: “God is Unique! God, the Source

Learning different religion and seeing what the eastern and western are like and comparing them.

Instead, from its onset, Islam spread as a conquering power and remained that way for some time. Explaining it this way, the reader gets a sense of the psychology behind Islam and why, besides being a religious task, spreading Islam is such a goal. By showing the issues Islam faces today in the context of past Islamic traditions, Lewis paints a much clearer picture of the skewed view today’s radicals have and the way they use history to manipulate. He examines influential Muslim voices like Saddam Hussein and Usama Bin Laden, who have used history to give Islam victim status or to claim the continuance of a predecessor’s mission to not only justify terrorist activities, but also to recruit followers. He tells the history of Bin Laden’s statement referring to the “humiliation and disgrace” Islam supposedly has suffered. What Bin Laden was referring to was the defeat of the Ottoman sultanate in 1918 and the imperial presence of Westerners on sacred Muslim lands. Lewis explains the offense many Muslims take to the desecration of their holy lands by foreigners. He describes how the discovery and exploitation of oil in the Holy Land of the Hijaz has exacerbated the growing resentment many Muslims

The region of the Middle East and its inhabitants have always been a wonder to the Europeans, dating back to the years before the advent of Islam and the years following the Arab conquest. Today, the Islamic world spreads from the corners of the Philippines to the far edges of Spain and Central Africa. Various cultures have adopted the Islamic faith, and this blending of many different cultures has strengthened the universal Islamic culture. The religion of Islam has provided a new meaning to the lives of many people around the world. In the Islamic world, the religion defines and enriches culture and as a result the culture gives meaning to the individual. Islam is not only a religion, it is in its own way a culture. It may be this very

The Islamic worldview was greatly influenced by the Christian and Jewish worldviews. In the Qur’an it states that there is a supreme God and his name is Allah. Furthermore, they believe that angles, fairies, and jinn all exist on Earth. Muhammad thought that there is only one God to whom all people must submit, and who was not to be worshipped with idols. This

The objective of this work is to examine Islam, a highly controversial sensitive issue in today's world and specifically to examine the misconceptions, beliefs, and values of those of the Islamic faith. Most people think that the majority of Muslims live in the Middle East, while in reality there are more people of the Islamic faith living in Indonesia. Islam, just as Judaism and Christianity, is practiced in various cultures, serves to shape, and is shaped by those cultures. This study examines the perceptions of those of the three faiths in various countries and how they view one another and seek to answer how a level of threat is felt by those belonging to these three religious groups in various countries. Countries examined in this study include those of the United States, Great Britain, India, Pakistan, and the Middle East. The depth of understanding or the teachings of Islam among the various religious groups in these various countries will also be examined in terms of how these understandings impact the ways that Muslims and non-Muslims interact and communicate with one another.