The Religious Aspect Of Social Conflict Theory

If the author wanted to learn more about Muslim women, she should have sought them out and spent time with them — those who wear hijabs as well as those who don’t. Then, instead of speaking on behalf of Muslim women’s “unheard voice” by talking about her own hijab experiment (“My hijab silenced, but simultaneously, my hijab brought unforgettable words”), she should have asked them to share their own experiences as Muslim women. Then they would have a voice.

Mona also gave experiences from her own life. She applied for a job at Abercrombie & Fetch. The assistant manager talked very high of her, but she was turned down due because she was wearing a hijab, or head scarf, this apparently would violate the company’s “Look Policy.” She also talked about the many of public encounters with people on the street, subway, and in stores. Mona also said that her head scarf also attracts attention in Egypt. She says that she has never experienced any harassment, but friends, colleagues, family members, and even strangers. (El-Ghobashy).

Assess the view that religion is a major source of instability and conflict in society today

Religion and Education is a society "norm", meaning it is very typical. Norms such as these are apart of what keeps our society balanced. Society is a giant system of interconnected parts that work together to maintain a state of balance; Or is society just in a state of perpetual conflict? Rather than conformity, balance is maintained through domination and power of the higher class. Two Sociologist set out to find the answer of how our society remains relatively stable and gave us two theories. The "Conflict theory" and "Functionalist Theory". Though these Sociologist both agree that religion and education help maintain societies stability, there reasoning behind it couldn 't be more opposite.

The eight wars of religion escalated thought-out 36 years, with intermittent interruptions. The Protestant progressing originated in Northern Europe in the early 16th century. but escalated in the 19th century. It began as a reaction to the Medieval Roman Catholic doctrine and practices. After a procession of European religious wars in the 16th and 17th centuries, and especially in the 19th century, it spread throughout the world. Wherever Protestantism arose, it altered the social, economic, political, and cultural life of the area The wars would end with the Edict of Nantes an edict that ingrained a limited tenacity. Frances struggle with religious turmoil between Catholics and Protestants was an ongoing crisis, however, the Spaniards belief in religion provided vast support to the moral code and allowed the police authoritative power of the state to loosen its grip on the community. History shows that atheistic, totalitarian states used force rather than religion to enforce obedience to government tyranny1 .

As Protestantism began to spread in Europe, tension arose between Catholics and Protestants. The tension caused war between monarchs, nobles, and common people over religion. However, the many wars evolved into being about much more than religion; they became about politics and specifically, a struggle for power. Many people throughout Europe saw religion as a perfect pretext for the real reason of war: power. Through the seemingly infinite wars of religion, politics and religion came hand in hand. As exemplified by the Dutch Revolt and the Thirty Years’ War, religion was the starting cause of both wars, but political power was the true justification in the end.

Religion had a large effect on violence that broke out within the two empires. Within Islam, two sects reigned supreme. The Sunni and the Shiite. The Sunni believe that Muhammad's bloodline is not the rightful heir to becoming a caliph. Sunni believe that the next Caliph should be voted upon by the Islamic people based on merit. The Shiite believe that Muhammad's bloodline should reign supreme and the Caliphates should only follow lineage. This diametrical opposition directed the Sunni and Shiite to despise one another. Because of these conflicting ideals, riots, attacks, murders, and bloodshed occurred between the two sects. This raging controversy has continued to modern day. Christianity in the Byzantine Empire had bloodshed and destruction

Based on the way Yasmeen dresses, in traditional, Muslim hijab and black, Islamic dress, the knowledge she is different than the dominant, American cultural and religious norms follows her everywhere (p. 76). In middle school, her fellow students called her “Terrorist” and

There is also a great deal of conflict found in Americans’ misunderstanding and ignorance of issues regarding women’s rights and gender equality within the religion and practices of Islam. In the context of American society, the traditional wear of Muslim women is often misinterpreted and misunderstood. The hijab, which is used to veil the heads of Muslim women, rarely goes unnoticed in the eyes of most Americans. Non-Muslims frequently associate this piece of traditional Islamic attire with ideas of subordination and oppression, while disregarding the religious, cultural, and personal motivations that influence a woman’s decision to wear such an article of clothing. While many American women might view Islamic dress code as being confining and restrictive, many Muslim women feel that their clothing actually frees them from the negative attention that can stem from one’s physical attire and appearance. Wearing hijab liberates women from “the constricting mores governing appearance such as fashion trends and the societal expectations of how a woman should look.” The modest covering of the hair and body allows a woman to walk freely in public without being subjected to the suggestive glances and flirtations of men.

Sociological theories have their own interpretation and explanation behind sex and gender. While conflict theory focuses on inequality and an imbalance of power distribution, when applied to gender and sex, men receive more power than their female counterparts. Conflict theory believes that through socialization, men are raised to be superior. From birth, society teaches children to fit into these cultural norms. The traits usually associated with males, the masculine traits, demonstrate power. Young boys are taught the values and norms which focus on power and strength while girls are raised to display the feminine traits of passiveness and submissiveness.

The conflict theory believes that stratification occurs through a conflict between different classes, with the upper classes using superior power to take a larger share of the social resources (Social Stratification, Definition Social Stratification, n.d.). The conflict theorist argues that social stratification causes an inequality in society.

One of the main disputes in the battle of Islamic women’s rights is the conflict over dress. According to a popular Islamic leader and Egyptian television personality, the sight of women is so alluring that it can be “intolerably distracting to men” and can “even

Religion, as defined by the High Court of Australia, is ‘a complex of beliefs and practices which point to a set of values and an understanding of the meaning of existence’ (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2005) and can be studied either substantively or functionally (Berger 1974:126). Substantive studies of religion fall predominantly in the realm of theology and are more concerned with defining religious beliefs; their historical accuracy; and the existence of supernatural entities (Holmes, Hughes & Julian 2007:425). Sociology however, concerns itself primarily with the relationship between religion and society, examining religion as a social construction (Van Krieken et al. 2010:350-1) and concerned only with the substance of

Throughout history, religion has proved to be the main source of social stability in different communities and cultural groups. Everything that is part of a societal system, including law, is influenced by religious beliefs and practices of that society. This being said, most religions are based on the theory that there is a single more powerful entity, that has control over aspects of which humans do not. For the longest time in history, sociologists have argued that peer group, political movements, schools and most importantly, the family to be agents of socialization. Because of this reason, they have ignored the role played by religion in the perpetuation of cultural as well as social

The two that I want to compare and contrast is the conflict theory and the symbolic interaction theory in religion. Conflict theorist say that religion legitimates the social inequalities of society. By this, they mean that religion teaches that the existing social arrangements of a society represent what God desire for, example during the Middle Ages, Christian theologians taught the divine rights of kings. This meant that God determined who would become king and set him on the throne. It was The king ruled in God’s place, and it was the duty of a king’s subjects to be loyal to him. To disobey the king was to disobey God. Symbolic interactionist focus on the meanings that people give their experiences. All religions use symbols to provide