Essay about Islam

Wherever we are and in whatever time we happen to live, we cannot avoid asking the basic questions of who we are, where we came from, what we are doing here, and where we are going. In everyone's life, especially when one is young, these basic questions arise in the mind, often with force, and demand answers from us. Many simply push them aside or remain satisfied with established answers provided by others in their family or community. In traditional societies such answers always came from the teachings of religion, and to a great extent they still do for the majority of people in many parts of the world. But there have always been and still are today the few who take the question "who am I?" seriously and existentially and who are not satisfied with answers provided by others. Rather, they seek to find the

One billion people from a vast range of races, nationalities and cultures across the globe from the southern Philippines to Nigeria are united by their common Islamic faith. The world's largest Muslim community is in Indonesia and about 18% live in the Arab world. Substantial parts of Asia and most of Africa are Muslim. Significant minorities are found in the Soviet Union, China, North and South America, and Europe. Islam is not a new religion, but the same truth that God revealed through all His prophets to every people. Islam is not just a religion but also a complete way of life and is made up of a fifth of the world's population. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness, and the majority have nothing to do with the

Every political development that approaches the scale of the Iranian Revolution of 1979 is guaranteed to involve a number of moving parts whose collective impact eventually yields the end result. But with the Iranian Revolution, it can be useful to simplify this more holistic view down to two figures set in a dichotomy of sorts, with each representing the two different states of Iran, Iran pre and post revolution. These two individuals, Mohamed Reza Pahlavi and Ruhollah Khomeini comprised the leadership position of Iran before and after the revolution, and due to actions of those who were in favor of the revolution became directly associated with what was the old, and what was the new path for Iran.

Religious affiliation was held in higher esteem than degrees and experience. In The Golden Cage, Ali, one of Khomeini’s supporters, became a judicial investigator without a law degree. The Revolution created a social pyramid with religious people on the top. Shrini Ebadi said, that in post-Revolution Iran, “the mullahs were walking with a self-assuredness that bordered on haughtiness.”5 The religious leaders had privilege in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The differentiation in ideology of the leading factions within Islam, ironically, has introduced a unifying political philosophy into the region, Islamism. The concept of Islamism defines the governing body’s political claim as a biased interpretation of Koran and its employment of force to vindicate revolutionary violence in the name of Islam (Arjomand Web). The political theory inadvertently ferments political tension by dividing Islam itself within a categorized system (Armojand Web). A similar form of classification was experienced by Iran during the 1970’s and the 1980’s which led to religious factions such as Sunni and the Shia resolving to violence in order to solve long-lasting cultural differences (Tibi Web). The facts assert that even minuscule neighborhoods were divided into Sunni and Shia territories with frequent emigration of a minority group to claim the region (Gosh Web). The historical trend of violent resolution is also eluded to by Khaled Hosseini in his literary works via repeated instances of horrendous domestic strife by the male members of the family in order assert superiority through violence (Hosseini, Thousand 89). The “…sociopolitical and economic…” stances of independent Islamic state induce religious vows into such chaotic instances through Sharia law in order to accomplish personal gains of a political movement through military actions against the alleged enemies (Tibi Web). The regional tensions mentioned have additionally been directly

These scholars view all modern systems as “alien to Islamic principles, a creature of imperialism...” and seek “a ‘truly Islamic’ state, applying the shari’a and unifying the fragmented umma under a revived caliphate...” [Zubaida 104]. Others would contend that some of today’s nations, albeit influenced by Western culture and politicized through modern statecraft, are no less Islamic, understanding that the “diversity of historical circumstances in which they try to apply that ideal introduces a necessary element of relativity and imperfection...” [al-Turabi 241]. An ‘Islamic State,’ it seems, is a conjectural model, which can maintain varying practical paradigms.

Today many intellectuals and academicians still continue on these debates with different themes and aspects. But, in the last two decades, interestingly some critical voices of these debates have been emerging in non-Muslim societies. New Muslim intellectuals in the western countries have been producing a substantive amount of new practices and interpretations about the role of Islam in the modern world.

The objective of this paper is realize the main reasons of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 and see what is changed by revolution. In 1979, a drastic change has been occurred in Iran. It was a revolution in the true sense of the concept for its lust for justice, liberty and equality. It was also a popular uprising against imperialism of which all revolutions had the same stand. But it has also many novelties not to the theory, but for the Islamic perspectives. First and foremost, it was a breaking point within the Islamic history in general and within the Shi’ite tradition in particular1. To understand and anlyze; todays politic norms ,practical politics of Iran it is so important

The implication that the principles of Islam clash with the principles of democracy is very apparent in the Western world, especially after the Jihadist terrorist attacks that took place on September 1st, 2001. Americans tend to view Islam as a violent, savage religion that cannot go along with democratic values. Because Islam is related to terrorism and much of the Arab world is non-democratic, it seems like Islam is the reason. Is this view of Islam accurate, or is it distorted? Some argue that Islam places political power in the hands of God, so when it comes down to it, Islam must be represented in a totalitarian regime. Others argue that in reality, the Islam is not antidemocratic; rather, historical and economic factors are the reason behind the lack of democratic regimes in the Arab world. Accordingly, proponents of this view suggest that it really depends on how the Islamic text is interpreted. By contrast, I suggest that the text is not the important factor; what really matters are Muslims ' opinions of democracy. Through the analysis of secondary sources and public opinion surveys, I argue that Islam is not the main obstacle that hinders the Arab world from democratization.

In the introduction to “Princeton Readings in Islamic Thought” by Roxanne Euben and Muhammad Zaman, the editors give a broad overview of Islamism and what it constitutes as an Islamist. The conclusion the authors come to is that Islamism is a movement that “attempts to return to the scriptural foundations of the Muslim community…” (Euben, Zaman page 4). Essentially, Islamism is a restoration of norms derived from the Quran, called sharia law. As a function of Islam and sharia law, Islamists are very hands on. Islamists like Ruhollah Khomeini and Hassan al-Turabi aren’t mere theologians but politicians that seek fulfillment of their visions. Islamists believe firmly that the only true way to realize their vision of “authentic Islam” is through an Islamic state, dominated by sharia law. Naturally, with the formation of a state, a government is needed to perform a variety of functions. Islamists go as far to say that the only way to achieve true Islam is through an Islamic state dominated by sharia law. (QUOTE?) Thus, Islamism and politics are one in the same, and the Islamism can be seen as a religio-political movement. In the introduction, the editors bring special attention to the relationship between Islamism and democracy. Because of the tenuous and complicated relationship between western secular “democratic” governments and the Islamic state’s theocratic government, the editors pay special attention to

Mandaville (2014) raises the question that so where do we see religion in global politics today? The first idea that came in response of this question is of the Islamic world. Particularly since the events of 11 September 2001 and following attack such as the London bombing of 7 July 2005, Islam has been a major focus of debate. Much of this debate has been around questions of terrorism and support for violence. The United States, for example, declared militant Islamic extremism to be the foremost aim of its new “war of terror”. Substantial attention has also been paid to Islamic movements in other countries that have used violence in the quest of their political goals, such as HAMAS in the Palestinian territories and Hizbullah in Lebanon. In the same way Islam and “Islamic” groups have been seen to play a role in world politics including the period when Afghanistan was under the rule of Taliban. As a result before the United States accusation and in the end bring down their regime for supporting terrorism; the Taliban had attracted widespread criticism from the world. Finally, countries such as Iran, which regard themselves as Islamic states, are seen by some as a challenge when they claim that they are subject to divine authority. Within Europe, a number of recent incidents such as Danish Cartoon Affair have fuelled debates about whether “religious” Muslims and “secular” Europeans can co-exist.? In recent times new questions arise about

Visiting a mosque for the first time for any non-Muslim can be quite a daunting and intimidating experience if one doesn’t know exactly what to expect. A mosque is the place of prayer for Muslims within the Islamic faith. It is a house of prayer, one very much like that of churches and cathedrals for Christians, Synagogues for Jews, and temples for Hindus and Buddhists, but with its own distinct rules, rituals, and services. Mosques are not only the center of religious prayer amongst Muslims, but rather also serve as the center of any Muslim community and society in the area. Muslims, however, don’t always have to pray in mosques, other than Friday, the Muslim holy day of the week, much like Sunday in Christianity. The reason why Friday

The purpose of this comprehensive exam is to give me an opportunity to demonstrate mastery over relevant debates, theories, and empirical findings in the major issues of political sociology. I will also examine theoretical and empirical approaches to classic and contemporary fundamental questions of political sociology. My primary goal here is to learn how to think critically like a political sociologist and be able to understand and use the major concepts, frameworks and representatives of political sociology for my doctoral project. Political sociology is a very broad and multi dimensional discipline. Thus, to examine the mentioned issues, I will primarily look at the various cases and hot debates around the intersection of Islam and politics in the modern world.

This essay will be divided in three parts. First part will present a brief biography of Ali Shariati, the second will discuss his main views and ideas and his attitude towards Clericalism and Marxism. And the third will be an overview of his lectures and books, such as ‘Fatima is Fatima’; ‘Expectations for the Muslim Woman’; ‘Reflections of humanity’; and ‘Red Shi’ism (the religion of martyrdom) vs. Black Shi’ism (the religion of mourning)’.

Modernization theory has been one of the master theoretical narratives to understand the major institutional and cultural transformation from traditional societies to modern ones. It was developed by the founders of sociology and has dominated the widespread understanding and explanations of many social differentiation processes including rationalization, individualization, urbanization, and secularization for several decades. Thus, sociologists believed that the consequences of modernization were unavoidable route and common destinations and patters for modern or all