Plurality And Pluralism In Islam

By definition, Islam is a religion of those who obey the doctrines of the Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad, who in the 7th century lived in Arabia, initiated a religious movement that throughout the Middle East was supported by the Arabs. Today, not only in Middle East origins, Islam has adherents, where it is the dominant religion in all countries (Non-Arab, and Arab), but also in other parts of Africa, Asia and, of course, as well as in the United States. Those who are loyal to Islam are called Muslims. The Sunni, Shiite conflict in Iraq started long before the ruling of Saddam Hussein, but when Hussein became Prime Minister of the country the conflict between the two religious sects was taken to a new level. Right when Hussein gained full power, under his control, began years of persecution of the Shiite Muslims in the country. But, before this happened, the conflict was based upon Muhammad and who was to rule after he had died. When Muhammad had died there were many disputes on who should succeed the Prophet Muhammad after his death in 632. Shiites believed that the prophet’s son-in-law, Ali, was to be the successor. Both consider the Koran the word of God. But, devoutness and religious practice distinguish between the two sects. However, Islam teaches that all Islam is equal so Sunni and Shiite sects fight with each other not only because of “hatred” but, also because of religious

55). Not understanding this diversity could lead non-Muslims to a biased position and see all things as equal. According to Qureshi (2014) Shia make up approximately 10 to 15 percent of the world Muslims that follow after the authority of Muhammad, the Sunni’s make up about 80 percent that follow after caliphate Abu Bakr and 5 to 10 percent fall in the other category (Qureshi, 2014, p. 55). There are instances where Muslims will consider other Muslims as non-Muslims, as such where someone claims to be a prophet or places their authority above Allah. Although there is some disparity among Muslims, Qureshi believes the pillar that identifies a man as Muslim is if he exclusively declares that Allah is God and Muhammad is Allah’s messenger (Qureshi, 2014, p. 57-58). All Muslims through the practices, disciplines, and teachings of Allah share differences, but there are ambiguities among the sects and depending on which sect you believe, the others may be viewed as infidels. Where there are differences in opinion, they rely on the Ulema, which are religious Muslim scholars that are wise and experienced in Islam (Qureshi, 2014, p.

The religion of Islam has become a controversial issue in today’s 21st century. In spite of excessively negative representations by Western propaganda, increasing numbers of the population are pursuing to learn more about the wonderful religion of Islam. More frequently than not, these people are becoming more pleasantly startled by the product of their exploration. In fact, increasing numbers of people are embracing Islam nowadays then they did prior to the horrific attacks on September 11th, 2001; which evoked much attention to misconceptions about Islam and Muslims. Yet, there does endure an abundant amount of misconception and misinterpretations about Islam, frequently invigorated by political policies which reckon their interest’s to patronage Islam 's enemies. Islam is a religion which elucidates the way of life and is the second largest religion after Christianity, with approximately one-fifth of the world 's population and is currently the fastest growing religion. Muslims are existent all around the world and come from diverse nationalities, cultures and races. However, Islam instills that all people are principally equal no matter the differences (colour, class, culture, etc.) as long as they are peaceful and law-abiding citizens. The behaviour of particular erroneous groups or individuals outside mainstream Islam cannot be accredited to Islamic beliefs and practices as correspondingly hostility in North Ireland or illegal mafia activities being attributed

The topic I chose to write about that interest me the most is religion. I chose religion because there are lots of differences when it comes to religion and cultures. I felt it was important to acknowledge three religions that our practiced today. The religion groups I chose to discuss in my paper are the Muslims, Santeria and Judaism .

Chapter 14 in the book Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective of the Past by Herrry H. Bentley and Herbert F. Ziegler is mainly about Muhammad, the prophet, and his world, the expansion of Islam, economy and society of the early Islamic world, and its values and cultural exchanges.

•Islam: According to the holy scripture, males and females are equal spiritually, as both males and females are

Deny thy father and refuse thy name; or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,

Qur'an tells its followers that they should respect the other two Abrahamic religions and their scriptures, as they are “people of the scriptures/book”. (The Noble Qur'an 29:46, 3:64- 65 and 12:111, Noorhan Abbas, Dr. Eric Atwell, Root, David) Moreover, it claims that all believers can enter paradise as long as they believe in the one true

The third Abrahamic tradition is Islam which upholds that God is one and incomparable and that the purpose of existence is to worship God. Muslims consider Muhammed to be God’s last prophet. He became an orphan at the age of six and was raised by his relatives. At around forty, he felt the religious call and started to preach to the people of Mecca. His preaching was directed to both the wealthy and unhealthy. He later became the leader of the Medinan community. In 628, the battles between Medina and Mecca ended and in 630, Mecca accepted Muhammed as their leader. Muhammed died in 632 and his death led to political changes.

Similarities between Christian and Islamic understandings of peace can be seen through the examples of Jesus Christ and Muhammad as prophets being examples of peace in order to guide adherents in their beliefs and practices. The nature of reciprocity is evident through each of their teachings. One of Jesus’ teachings, better known as the golden rule of Christianity is ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’. This links with Muhammad’s teaching in the Hadith saying ‘None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself’. These teachings stress the ethic of reciprocity as each adherent (despite differing religious traditions) cannot be faithful to God without considering the needs of others. As it is through care for others that peace can be

This week’s reading were very eye opening for me because it brought up subjects that I do not think about often, but there was three themes in particular that stand out in helping me understand Arab Muslims better. One theme is doing research about the Muslim religion. As Rheam suggested, researching about the Muslim culture would could give you some background knowledge about a client’s culture and possibly information about where a client is coming from (Rheam & Dr. Garzon, personal communication, n.d.). For instance, some Arab and Muslim communities are tribal in nature where the small communities function as a family to some extent. Therefore, a counselor approaches a Muslim Client as needing independence might go against his or her beliefs.

"Islam" is derived from the Arabic root salaama meaning peace, purity, submission and obedience. Islam stands for making peace by submitting to the will of God and obeying His law. Jews and Christians view Islam as the latest of the world's great religions. However, worldwide Muslims (sometimes written "Moslems") understand their universal religion as the "final religion" and the "primal religion."

The first thing that one should know and clearly understand about Islam is what the word "Islam" itself means. The religion of Islam is not named after a person as in the case of Christianity which was named after Jesus Christ, Buddhism after Gotama Buddha, Confucianism after Confucius, and Marxism after Karl Marx. Nor was it named after a tribe like Judaism after the tribe of Judah and Hinduism after the Hindus. Islam is the true religion of "Allah" and as such, its name represents the central principle of Allah's "God's" religion; the total submission to the will of Allah "God". The Arabic word "Islam" means the submission or surrender of one's will to the only true god worthy of worship "Allah" and anyone who does so is termed a

The holy Quran is a collection of the divinely inspired utterances and discourses (Ahmed, 16). It is composed of some 300 pages which are divided into 114 Surahs (chapters). The general tone of the holy Quran is sombre and meditative. It is a dialogue between God and humanity. At the core is a moral earnestness (Ahmed, 16). The Quran also teaches that humanity is created by God and therefore God understands its weaknesses and in Allah humans find the source of peace. Islam’s appeal lay – and – lies in the simplicity: one God, one Book, one Prophet (Ahmed, 17). Islam is a religion of balance, equilibrium, and compassion. The Islamic virtues are courage, generosity, cleanliness, and piety: and in his life the Prophet exemplifies them (Ahmed, 17).

On July 12, 2007, for the first time in American history the Senate session that day was opened by a prayer; unlike any other prayer, it was given by a Hindu priest. At first sight, it would seem as though the ideals designed by the framers of the Constitution were alive and well; the pluralization of the United States of America, the land of freedom of religion, and the right to worship without persecution. However, the Christian right wing religious group Operation Save America entered the Senate floor and began to heckle Rajan Zed, the Hindu priest, perpetuating that Hinduism is an “abomination”, as Hindus do not worship “The lord Jesus Christ”. This leads us to ask the question: Is America a land of religious pluralism, or is it a