The Bridge Betrayed And The Buddhas Of Bamiyan

By studying cultures and religions other than my own in Turkey, Morocco, Egypt and Greece it became clear to me that religion plays a huge part in shaping ones cultural identity. Bringing this "cultural identity" viewpoint to its

Assef a local radical provides a chilling insight into the radicalism exhibited in some individuals in Afghanistan and how they have distorted views of the

Buddha in the Land of Kami reviews Japan on a historical account. It revisits the story of the Kami and elaborates on the country’s uniqueness. Significant to Japanese culture, this film recognizes Chinese culture as the primary influence on Japan formation. The film given categorizes as a historical documentary that appears to be in the setting of Japan from the seventh and twelfth centuries. Although World History; Culture, States and Societies, explore a different time frame (500 B.C.E- Seventh century), there are still many similarities as compared to the documentary; such as the importance of the Kami, and the role Chinese culture play on the development of Japan.

The history of the Islamic world has been one of weak state institutions and state underperformance, coupled with a high prevalence of violence, both by the state and by individuals. A major reason for these negative trends has been the role of political Islam in privileging homogeneity over diversity, in stifling dissent in public and private life, and the societal stagnation that follows such rigid controls. Malaysia and Indonesia have been notable exceptions to the underperformance of Islamic cultures.

Throughout history, instances of genocide, mass murder, and extreme acts of violence are widespread and pervade through every culture and society. As demonstrated by Panh, Lifton, and O’Brien, similar examples of excessive violence can occur in widely different situations. In order for such violence to occur, there first must exist certain systematic factors. In this paper, I will argue that conditions of instability within a country allow for changes in belief and perception, and these changed perceptions leads to dehumanization and the loss of human rights. The Holocaust, the Cambodian genocide and the Vietnam War, all follow this pattern to some extent. First, I will compare and contrast the ways in which the Holocaust and Cambodian genocide follow this pattern, as well as explore the separate factors within each and possible solutions to these factors. Next, I will discuss the dramatically different Vietnam War, compare and contrast it to the other two, and explore how the uniqueness of the Vietnam War impacts the possible solutions for the loss of human rights within this situation.

Indeed, people consider their traditional beliefs when introduced to Western culture because it allows them to draw valuable lessons from cultural import and enforce their own principles and notions. However, there are instances in which this “cultural imperialism” separates individuals from their traditional beliefs, regardless of their cultural surroundings and efforts to prevent cultural assimilation, because in many situations

When a larger culture meets a smaller culture, the larger culture decides how to react to the smaller culture. The larger culture can leave the smaller culture alone, it can co-exist, or it can force the assimilation of the smaller culture trying to destroy it. The leader of a culture whether the smaller or larger, can abuse their power even though they mean to strengthen or simply maintain their people and culture. A smaller culture’s leader can misuse their power accidentally by trying to maintain the survival of their people, at the expense of their culture. In addition, a larger culture’s leaders can abuse their power over the smaller culture by forcing assimilation, and justifying their abuse of power. The article “From Rez Life” authored

The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka provides an interesting perspective to the American experience through the eye of Japanese women around the time of World War 2. The author uses a number of unique writing techniques which originally confused me, but once accustomed created an immersive and intimate reading experience. Otsuka also inserts a number of metaphors and symbols throughout the novel with various possibilities for explanation depending on the opinion of the reader.

The Bosnian, Srebrenica, and Herzegovina land was involved in an ethical war where ethnic cleansing was seen as a way to solidify the breaks in that region (“Bosnian Genocide”). The trigger of this ethnic war was the break-up of Yugoslavia from one country to three (Bosnia, Srebrenica, and Herzegovina) in 1990 (“Bosnian Genocide”). This rupture of Yugoslavia resulted in the massive dispute between Muslims, Serbs, and Croatians (Bennett). Not long after the war began, the Serbs began executing the Bosnian Muslims through ethnic cleansing, in order to fill the fissure that was created in 1990. The mass execution lasted three years and nine months, and did not end until the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) intervened in 1995 (Bennett); by that time, an unforgettable 70,000 Bosnian citizens were executed by the Serbs (Perl 71). If NATO had intervened sooner, perhaps thousands of lives could have been saved and this haunting genocide may have had less of an impact on the world.

orthodoxy of a nation rooted in ideas. In response to an essay by Salman Rushdie, a migrant of

The Byzantine Empire, the successor of the Roman empire, is one of many religious civilizations that existed in the first millennium. While it was a Christian realm, simultaneous empires were to be found with other religious-political doctrines, such as the Islamic Umayyad, Abbasid and Fatimid empire and Buddhist China. This high diversity of beliefs, which shaped the entire societal and political structure, has undoubtedly influenced each others at a certain extent, and it was the case of Byzantium, which, after several moments of rise and decline, saw several political and religious reforms in an effort to centralize worship characteristics and create a more homogenous population. Perhaps one of the most significant of these refinements and one feature that displays the relevance of external influence is the beginning of Iconoclasm. Meanwhile, in the Asian continent, and particularly in China, a new religious-political dogma was emerging, known as Neo Confucianism. In this paper I shall discuss the iconoclast controversy, as an attempt to unify religious practices and beliefs, and its

In the article, “A Silk Road Legacy: The Spread of Buddhism and Islam” by Xinru Liu, the author discusses the dominance of Buddhism in Central Asia and how the religion made its way from Central Asia into China, India, and other parts of Asia. Xinru Liu also discusses how the regions in Central Asia were divided into many city-states that never unified. Because of this, no region in Central Asia ever had an official religion and there was a variety of religions practiced by the people, such as Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism. Xinru Liu also points out the Arab conquest to Central Asia and the important Silk Road trading stations that were located there that they wanted control of. Xinru Liu discusses the introduction of Islam to Central Asia during this conquest and how it was established there and then later spread to other parts of Asia, such as India. Finally, Xinru Liu discusses the influence on Central Asians from many different outsiders and what life was like for the people before, during, and after the rise of the Islamic Empire and how Central Asians have survived and thrived under the constant changing environment.

Buddhism and Islam were the most significant religion in China and along the Silk Road. Other religions like Christianity and Manichean didn't have as much influences as Buddhism and Islam. Mainly because the lack of artifacts of Christianity, it is difficult for archaeologists to trace related works of Christianity along the Silk Road. The origin of the Buddhism religion is from northern India. The founder was Siddhartha Gautama, who later known as the Buddha, or "Enlightened One". Buddha's ultimate goal is to escape from the vicious cycle of life and death and enter Nirvana, a transcendent state of freedom from desire and consciousness. The followers who are eligible to enter Nirvana are called the Bodhisattva. Out of Compassion, Bodhisattva

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

Jihad vs. McWorld: How Globalism and Tribalism are Reshaping the world, written by Benjamin Barber, is an extremely interesting book focusing on a world that consists of two dominating forces, both bringing together and tearing the world apart as we know it. These forces Barber labels as Jihad and McWorld. “Jihad” is based on separatism, a world in which cultures are threatened by other cultures different then their own. The retribalization in which groups are going to war with each other and producing a world that is opposed to interdependence and cooperation. “McWorld” on the other hand, is described as a world that has, “onrushing economic, technological, and ecological forces that demand integration and uniformity and that mesmerize