Elijah Hansen-Lints | | Hstam 112 | | 2.28.2017 | | Paper

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.

Overall, there are a number of similarities in the two faiths’ treatment of minority religions. Still, an examination of Medieval Christians' inter-faith relations finds a history of religious diplomacy much more fragmented than that of the Muslims. In Christianity, tolerance and persecution were part of the ebb and flow of the passage of power from one ruler to the next, as well as the power struggle between the church and the state. On the other hand, Muslims had no such struggle; their church and state were one and the same. Unlike Christians, they did not have separate laws for the sacred and profane, the secular and religious. The passage of power from one Islamic ruler to the next rarely brought with it radical amendments in the treatment of infidels, although exceptions did exist.

The medieval Islamic attitude towards Christianity varied quite considerably; often Christians would be considered as either ‘People of the Book’, or as heretics. There was a common belief among Muslims that, while Muslims tolerated Christians and accepted them, Christians had a tendency to pre-condemn Muslims. On the other hand, although Christians did undeniably attempt to convert Muhammad, and many other Muslims, to Christianity, as well as refer to them repeatedly as pagans within their literature, it is almost understandable; within a century of the death of Muhammad in 632, Islam had spread across much of the known world, a dilemma that was unfathomable, theologically incomprehensible and simply terrifying for most Christians.

Thesis: In his book, No god but God, Reza Aslan recounts the history and teachings of Islam in order to deconstruct the barriers within interreligious comprehension.

The religions discussed in this article where Catholicism, Judaism, and the Church of the Latter Day Saints, however the main religion focused on in this article is Islam. This article lacked the ability to effectively portray its information to readers that did not have an understanding of the Islamic faith. For example in the story of Sana Khan, and Yusuf Siddiquee, the author mentions the Koran which some readers may not know about. The author also fails to give any insight on why the teachings of the Islamic faith like arranged

---. "The Islamic World." The Middle Ages, 14th ed., Boston, Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2013, pp. 283-306. 4 vols.

During the late 600s Islam became a rising player in the East spreading through conquest and religion. At its height, the Islamic empire spanned all of the Middle East, North Africa, and Even Spain. The questions that Christians of the day had was how to first deal with this new religion and its growing empire. Two responses are brought forth in its response to Islam and its defense of Christian theology.

The story of the Czech man that Meursault found in his jail cell, is vastly different from his own trial at first, but their stories relate the more one thinks about it. The Czech man’s story provides Meursault a sense of peace during the last moments of his life. A similarity between the two have missing pieces. In the story of the Czech man, “the first part of the story was missing, but I gathered that its scene was some village in Czechoslovakia”(99). While the article is physically missing the piece, the trial with Meursault is more of mystery, as to what influences him to kill the Arab not not with one shot but four. Although, it never explains to why he does so, it leaves one to consider plausible reasons. Though, both murders are different at first glance, but the more deeper one searches, the more similarities between the two become known.

Islamic studies has become a subject of strategic importance in our multicultural society. With all of the political upheaval and ever present fear of extremism and terrorism in the world today, it is essential to promote the understanding of Islam and the role Muslims have in the contemporary world. To do this, one must first have an understanding of the culture and religious tenets surrounding Islam, compare and contrast these beliefs with Christianity and Judaism, and discuss how the perceptions or

One thousand years after Christ’s death the peaceful setting in which Muslims and Christians cohabitated in the Middle East began to be threatened. Many formerly Christian controlled cities had now fallen under the control of Muslims. Ordinarily this was not an issue, however, at this

The author states his interest that the proper Christian stance toward the God of the Qur’an and what that stance means for Christians’ and Muslims’ ability to live together well in a single and endangered world to ease animosities and overcome conflicts.

The Song of Roland, written so long ago in 1100 B.C, is a perfect example of a narrative poem completely reprimanding Muslims as, “Sons of the desert, a wild and godless clan/ You’ll ne’er hear tell of such repulsive scamps” (Lines 3250-3251). We see this because the unknown author takes a stronger stance on the view of Christianity. Since this was the beginning of the Crusades, and the Muslims are seen as an invading force, the author is trying not only to incite fear, but also a call-to-arms. There’s only one thing both religions believe in, and that is, that their God has called them to defeat the other and protect their religion.

In comparison, the Pied Noirs and the French are Roman Catholic. The Arab and Berber Algerian is in that regard opposed to Pied Noir culture in the sense that religious practice is viewed differently. The Roman Catholicism practiced by the Pied Noirs is a part of their identity that moves them away from their Algerianess. This is seen through Meursault’s’ relation to religion. He does not practice his Catholicism, but is perceived as a Catholic and treated as such by society.

As of today, the world’s two largest religions Christianity and Islam share an estimated 3.6 billion members, more than half of the world’s population. On the surface, they appear to have almost nothing in common, however, as one goes beyond the surface and examines the other factors such as the rituals, beliefs, ethics, founders, and convictions, the two religions share many similarities. However, in order to truly see and understand these similarities and differences, one must date back to the rise and birth of Christianity and Islam.

At the first glance, Islam and Christianity appear to have nothing in common, however; as you go beyond the surface, they appear to have many similarities such as their beliefs of God, their beliefs of life after death, their holy scriptures, and their prayers. These religions, although are two entirely different beliefs, share a similar origin. Like many other religions, they both claim to be the one and only true way to God. In order to truly see and understand their similarities, one must date back to the rise and birth of Christianity and Islam. Throughout the course of this essay, I will compare the many facets that show the alikeness between these two growing religions.