The religion of Islam garners large amounts attention. Many believe it is a violent and backwards religion. Since 9/11, "Islamic reform" has become an all-purpose phrase: equally a western impulse to protect itself from Muslim violence and a humanist notion aimed at assisting voiceless Muslims (Eteraz1). Extreme displays of Islamic faith such as the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11 have generated negative stereotypes about Islam as a religion. These stereotypes of violence and backwards thinking have been further perpetuated by even more recent examples of extremism by Muslim terrorists. Although most Muslims are peaceful and do not endorse the violence of their Muslim brethren, there are some who believe it is their …show more content…
This is why there has been a very strong pressure for Islam to be rehabilitated. There is a pressure being put on Islam to change by the modern world, especially the west, and to comply with these modern values that seem to be practically global. If Islamic Authorities incorporate theses western ideologies into their religion it could lead to the natural evolution of Islam into a peaceful and modern faith capable of existing cohesively with the rest of the world.
Particularly, the problem with Islam lies within the Koran. Its summons to warfare, conquest, enslavement, and social and economic persecution of vanquished peoples have given it the reputation of an aggressive religion (Solway2). Some assumed that for Islam to remain a major historical religion it must withhold theses values and continue their practice. Islam May be contextualized to better suit the needs and religious values of its present generation. Other major historical religions have been contextualized by new generations and so can Islam. Religions often take on the characteristics of its people and if Islamic authorities are able to shift the majority of Islam followers, they will be able to change the course of its religion. In every religion there are purists who would hold tight to the historical context of their religion. For Islam, these people are called Islamists. In the past they have hindered Islam from moving forward by rejecting western or
Unlike Christianity, which developed a hierarchical system within it’s community, Islam remained free of any holy authority other than the Caliph. Values such as respect, modesty, and charitable nature were retained through the years. Religious traditions and beliefs remained the same throughout Islamic civilization because of the belief that the Quran was written to be appropriate for all years to come. The Quran is seen as a divine source of law, and thus, was believed to be universal ( applying to all times and places
After a horrible terroristic attack that shocked the whole world on September 11th in the center of New York City, Muslims in the Western world have been constantly fighting against prejudice. After September 11, media interest in Islam increased, where Islam was usually portrayed in a negative way. Before 9/11, many Muslims lived the normal, everyday life. However, the attack has changed lives of many people that belonged to the Muslim community, where they were the victims of guilt. Unfortunately, many Americans were introduced to Islam, after the 9/11 attack, thus even till today, Islam is associated with terrorism. For the past ten years, Muslims felt excluded from the American society by being rifled, attacked, discriminated, checked
Associating Islam with violence is a false impression that the Western public has long cultivated about this religion. An example of this misconception is that Islam is a religion spread by the sword, meaning that Muslims went from one end of the world to the other, conquering nations and forcing the inhabitants to either convert or die. The truth is that Islam spread through the expansion of the Ottoman empire, not that people were forced to convert or die. A modern day example of the Islam=violence misconception is Saddam Hussein. Although Hussein is of the Islamic faith, not all of his actions necessarily represent Islamic beliefs.
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.
These questions and many others come up on different occasions but are brushed aside for various reasons. When we consider the way so many generations in the West were instructed in the religious problems facing humanity and admit the ignorance in which they were kept about anything related to Islam.
1. Summary of the Islamic worldview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
The word “Islam” is taken from the Arabic word “Salema”, which translates to obedience, peace, purity, and submission. There are many people who don’t know that these traits are the foundation of Muslim religion. Ignorance on a subject often leads to false judgment, and the deep-rooted conflict between the United States and the Islamic State is largely due to such ignorance. An entity cannot involve itself in another’s affairs and make calculated decisions if it does not educate itself on the entirety of the situation. This neglect to learn has led to greater issues because of events that have transpired as a result of harsh judgment. There is a huge misconception of the difference between the natural devotion to Islam and the radicals who
September 11th holds many hard and upset feelings around the world today. The harsh actions of Muslim extremists unfortunately completely changed the way Muslims are treated, especially in the United States. These events, exacerbated islamophobia. Unfortunately, “the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, connect Muslims and Islam to terrorism within the geographical borders of the United States.” (Byng) Although it has been over a decade since the attack, many still feel racist and discriminatory attitudes towards Muslims. Muslims are the targeted minority in the United States, “the 9/11 terrorist attacks shifted the social and political context for Muslims in the United States. Terrorism within the geographical borders of the United States carried out by Muslims places an identity at the center of national and global politics.” (Byng) The blame of the horrible terrorist attacks, rather than be placed on terrorists or religious extremist, has been placed on Islam in America. After September 11th, hate crimes towards Muslims skyrocketed, “the most dramatic change noted by the report was a more than 1,600 percent increase in reported hate crimes against Muslims -- a jump from 28 hate incidents in 2000 to 481 last year.”
Firstly, let’s look at the problems associated with Islam. It is a medieval religion founded in the 7th century making it younger
Ever since September 11, 2001 Americans along with the majority of the world’s population have been skeptical of Muslims. It’s a sad reality but it’s hard for people to think of a Muslim without linking them directly to terrorism. But these assumptions aren’t totally out of the blue—the Muslim’s religion, Islam, teaches a low tolerance for other religions and the Islamic government has no separation of church and state, so it’s only normal to assume that their government shall have a low tolerance as well—some however, immediately translate this into terrorism. Through the Islamic government and religion, relations with foreign countries, and separation amongst themselves it can be concluded that Islamic Fundamentalism is clearly a threat
Islam is portrayed and is commonly accepted as the most violent and largest direct threat to the West. This is a generalization made by most of the West, but it is not particularly the West or the Islamic people’s fault. There is constant turmoil in Islamic countries in the Middle East and these conflicts are what make the news in the West. The only representation in the media that the Islamic nation gets is that of war. Though most Islamic people are not violent, the select few that do participate in terrorist groups give the rest of the Islam nation a bad image.
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
The current portrayal in 21st century mass media of the the Muslims in both america and the Islamic world appears to negatively impact the religion. While conflicts and terrorist actions involving Islamic extremist are important the way that they are reported upon often leads to misconceptions among the general public of what the Islamic values are and how they affect society. The mass media uses frames when discussing the Islamic community which often portray Muslims as either oppressive or violent, and further the idea of a false threat. The language that is used to describe such events often creates a connection to Islam without making the difference between extremist and traditional Muslims clear. While the 21st century should cover acts of terrorism the way that actions are displayed should be changed in a way that is less general and is a more accurate and fair representation of the Islamic community.
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
Not many people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, do not understand that most of the contemporary problems associated with Islam are mainly based on narrations of life and practices of the Prophet Mohammed, which are