Since the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, a large focus of the Western Powers, like the United States, has been on the Middle East. Out of this has come a conclusion that this area of the world is prone to be more violent than other parts and this is largely to due to the Islamic religion. This the West has concluded in large part through observation coupled with some qualitative data. However, is this, an adequate assertion of the area, and of the religion of Islam? To begin various types of violence will be explored quantitatively and qualitatively to see if there is a difference in the level of violence seen in the Middle East as compared to other Western States. Once it has been determined if there exists a difference in the amount of violence in the Middle East, as compared to other Western States, it than shall be explored to see what role Islam may play in it.
Definitions
Before the levels of violence can be explored and compared, a couple of definitions need to be defined. The first of which is "Western States," for the purpose of this paper this shall be those in Western Europe, most notably England, France, and Germany, and also include the United States and Canada in North America. The reason why these States will be used is these there is ample data to be used for comparison purposes. In addition, these nations are mostly recognized as being some of the most developed when it comes to all aspects of society. Lastly, the Middle East, for
“The practice of violence, like all action, changes the world, but the most probable change is to a more violent world” (Arendt pg 80). Violence is contagious, like a disease, which will destroy nations and our morals as human beings. Each individual has his or her own definition of violence and when it is acceptable or ethical to use it. Martin Luther King Jr., Walter Benjamin, and Hannah Arendt are among the many that wrote about the different facets of violence, in what cases it is ethical, the role we as individuals play in this violent society and the political aspects behind our violence.
As Americans, living in a egotistical and self centered society, we often think that we are the best, the top 1 percent in every aspect. However, When compared to other countries of the world, America is ranked 14th in education, 44th in health care efficiency, and 101th in peace. But it ranks first in incarceration, 2nd in ignorance, and 3rd in global competitiveness. One can see how the rankings that America is top in are those that promote violence in one way or another. In the book Violence and Culture: A Cross-Cultural and Interdisciplinary Approach by Jack David Eller, the author discusses violence in American society in one of his chapters. In this chapter, he mentions some social characteristics that represents and plays a role in
For as long as humanity has existed, men have committed violence against one another. Assuredly, Nancy G. Guerra’s and Lyndee Knox’s entry on violence in the Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice affirms that, “As historical and cross-cultural records demonstrate, our evolutionary history is laced with examples of violence. Indeed, paleontological data reveal a rather continuous stream of human violence dating back thousands of years.” It is clear that violence is a part of human nature that has always existed and will likely never be eradicated. One of the aspects that all forms of violence seem to share is that, societally (in terms, at the very least, of Western societies), they are looked down upon. Consequentially, those who commit violent
In Cohen’s article,“Culture, Social Organization, and Patterns of Violence,” he examined a study, based on the use of violence. Whether it was seen as more culturally appropriate within South and West communities as opposed to less violence seen in tighter, more organized states within the North, he stated that it is a trend of commonplace within these areas and communities following this norm as it is part of that area 's
David Nirenberg talks about two types of violence, “cataclysmic violence” and “systematic violence”. The first part of the book discusses “cataclysmic” violence, while the second part of the book focuses on “systematic violence.”
This article by Isabelle Duyvesteyn starts off by summarising the objectives that challenge the perspective of terrorism since the last decade of the twentieth century is fundamentally new. In this article certain questions have been debated regarding new aspects of terrorism and they are: “transnational nature of the perpetrators and their organizations, their religious inspiration, fanaticism, use of weapons of mass destruction and their indiscriminate targeting.” ("How New Is the New Terrorism?", 2017)In order to understand the depth of aspects of new terrorism the article talks about “national and territorial focus of the new terrorists, their political motivations, use of conventional weaponry and the symbolic targeting that is aimed in order to achieve a surprising effect.” ("How New Is the New Terrorism?", 2017)
Substantiating and quantifying this violence has proved quite difficult, as there
Just as Joe Rogan said, “No matter how civilized we are and how much society has curbed violent behavior. Human beings still have the same genes they had 10,000 years ago. Our bodies are designed to have a certain amount of physical stress and violence in them.” And when diplomacy does not make the trick, we usually draw upon guns. And after thorough analysis, I have come up that in American History, we can “divide” violence into two. International and National.
The contemporary world of Islam faces an uphill battle defending itself from modern day misconceptions and the forced involvement with geopolitics. Islam struggles with the western world’s perception of the religion and cultural understanding. Modern day Muslims will have to overcome insurmountable hurdles in an attempt to rebuild the diversity and complexity within the Islam faith. Islam is in a constant battle with Western Civilization and its forced power and ideology on the Middle East. The current religious struggle between the Middle East and the West derives from thousands of years of bloodshed and conflict between the worlds three major religions; Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Blood that was shed during a period of holy wars and the ever expanding ruling powers such as Greece and Rome. The candle of hatred burns in modern times with the presences of radical extremist groups like the Taliban and Al-Qaeda that continue to ignite hatred towards the West by manipulating the Qur’an and preaching concepts that conflict with the laws of Islam.
The purpose of this paper is to annotate four sources that I will analyze for my final research paper. These sources focus on the following items: (a) Comparing Muslim converts and non-converts in the United States, (b) the psychology of radicalization, (c) the risk of radicalization and terrorism, and (d) how we can combat homegrown radicalization and terrorism. By analyzing these sources, I will be able to develop in-depth reasoning on this topic and complete the research paper.
What do we think of when you hear the word terrorism around the globe? The answer that many people may give to this question is that it has to deal with killing of innocent people, the handling of guns, and destroying homes. Some may even ask the question, who is responsible for such actions. The answer that many give to this question would be that it is an act by the Muslims. The German leader, Adolf Hitler, massacred millions of innocent Jewish people just so he could prove what his power was to the Jewish people. The action of terrorism does not necessarily come from the Muslims. Rather, the actions stem from a decision of an individual with a corrupted mind which leads them into thinking that these actions of terrorizing and killing innocent people is an acceptable thing to do.
not only the different conflicts that took place but the variety of violent crimes taken out on
Islam certainly is considered the second largest religion in the earth. Today, more than ever approximately billion or more of people follow the Islam across the world. Indeed, the majority of Islam’s followers believe that the Islam is a message of peace and tolerance. Meanwhile, they against violence everywhere. Unfortunately, the terrorist attack which occurred in New York City on September 11th, 2001 causes misunderstanding and an unpleasant stereotype of Islam and Islamic societies as the wickedness producer. Nowadays, some of the people particularly who live in the North America and political parties blame the Islam and endeavor to isolate it because they have a phobia from the Islam and Sariah law. The current essay will discuss the
One can scarcely turn on the television, or the radio, or open up a web browser without the mention of Islamic terrorism or unrest around the world. Though the United States and the rest of the world may not be engaged in a protracted religious war, for radical Muslim fundamentalist they are. Bernard Lewis brings to light possible reasons for the issues facing the world dealing with Islamic terrorism. The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror explains these issues in historical context as well as how some of the actions professed in the name of Islam and claim to
Since many religions have started in the Middle East, it has become the center for erupting conflicts. For instance, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been in the news for many reasons. Both groups want control of the God given land that they both claim is theirs, according to God, and what had happened in the past. The result of the conflict is religious terrorism (PBS, 1). Continuing, some Middle Eastern politics have been in conflict, even dividing communities of the