The Use of Iconoclasm in the Middle East as a Method of Controlling Popular Opinions

The three major religions in the Middle east are Judaism, Christianity and Islam, these religions are cause for many disputes in this region. There are key aspects that are the reasons for these disputes. Even though all these religions are monotheistic, they are far from the same, in many different ways.

The past centuries saw a clear distinction between the Western civilization and the non-western culture. The western civilization composed of Greece, Romans, Byzantine Empire, and the European while the non-western civilizations included East Asia, Egypt, Persian Empire, Sassanid Empire, African Societies and Kingdoms, Incas, Mayans, Aztecs, and Mongols. For a long period, the western civilizations prevailed around the world. They influenced, lead and controlled others in various sectors such as medicine, clothing, business orientations, religion, and government. In this paper, I will be affirming my conviction that the western civilizations had unique attributes that made them more powerful than the non-western civilizations. I will also show how the western cultures were influenced by the spread of Christianity, and how the western cultures have maintained their great influence and power over the other societies even in the modern era.

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

It is very important to be aware that the media is capable of controlling the flow of information that citizens receive. Furthermore, much of the content suppressed in this country is for fear of retribution from others. When governments and other institutions suppress information, citizens are not able to address matters concerning their country, as well as around the globe. In ‘The Decline of American Press Freedom’ by Anne Applebaum, Applebaum explains a recent controversy with Yale University and the publishing of a contentious comic in a scholarly report on the global consequences of political comics. The comics in question were satirical in nature and displayed the Islamic prophet Muhammad in an offensive manner. In an aniconic religion where visual depiction of the prophet is inherently blasphemous, the Islamic response to these comics were violent. When an analysis of the comics and the cultural backlash was written, instead of publishing it, Yale University swept it under the rug for fear of offending Islamic extremists. Applebaum argues that if “Yale University Press refuses to publish [the comics], then that makes it much harder for anybody else to treat the cartoon controversy as a legitimate matter for scholarly and political debate” (Applebaum 640). By not allowing the publishing of this analysis, Yale University is censoring what the American populace have access to in terms of global controversy. The issue becomes trivialized because institutions fear retribution from extremist groups. Without these scholarly points of reference of this issue and others, it is difficult to have a serious conversations about the ramifications of political and religious satire. This leads to people remaining uneducated and ignorant of these serious issues, and liable to repeat these same actions that so sorely offended an extremist

When it comes to the modern relationship that Islam shares with both Christianity and Judaism, it is not difficult to recognize mutual hostility. Islamic extremism has been gradually dominating the Western perception of Muslims—in the midst of this, the World Trade Center attacks could only exacerbate the situation. On that account, it was no surprise when these hostile attitudes were unmistakably revealed during the “Cordoba House” mosque controversy at which point in 2010, it was proposed that a mosque dubbed the Cordoba House be established near ground zero. Sure enough, the proposition was met with overwhelming opposition and rebuke (Barbaro). Most of the country objected to the mosque while many of those with more personal experiences

Glenn Beck, a renown conservative with extreme political theories, is included in the cartoon as a book to learn from as well, further emphasizing ideologies like his plot against government and numerical claims that “10 percent of all muslims are terrorists,” . In an analysis of the textbooks passed by the board, reviewers found that the books do not have any negative attitudes towards capitalism, viewed christianity as a harmless takeover of indigenous culture, and racially categorized many diverse african groups as one unity, calling them “negros”. World history textbooks emphasized the violence in Islamic countries, and related it to the terrorism and additional issues western countries have today. The statement, ““Much of the violence you read or hear about in the Middle East is related to a jihad,” is an example of the racism and bias towards Islam. From a developmental age, reading about these ideas will encourage racist attitudes and negativity towards certain ideals in the student’s future. Through political cartoons, artists attempt to persuade readers to their standpoint, and to go against the idea portrayed in the cartoon.

Throughout Middle Eastern, beginning in the 1800’s many changes and continuities have occurred and shaped what there national identity is in present day. Religion and literature have remained a continuous factor throughout this time period; where as a very successful oil discovery and currently changing government help shape the Middle Eastern national identity

A more recent conflicts have occurred after 9/11. Mosques have been vandalized, bombed and burned; and Muslim and Americans having the perceived appearance of “Middle Eastern” continue to be attacked and harassed. And when critics condemned the proposal of a mosque at “Ground Zero.” “A national controversy erupted when New York Muslims announced the “Cordoba

The topic of this essay was one that seemed the most relevant at this given moment in time. Post 9/11, Western media became very critical of Islam and the portrayal of Muslims and the negative associations made with them has dramatically increased.

Blair, Sheila S., and Jonathan M. Bloom. "Dome of the Rock." Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World, edited by Richard C. Martin, New York, Macmillan Reference, 2004, pp. 183-85. Gale Virtual Reference Library, go.galegroup.com. Accessed 23 Oct. 2016.

Logan, Lara, Jeff Newton, and Richard Butler. "Iraq's Christians Persecuted by ISIS." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 22 Mar. 2015. Web. 13 Aug. 2015. The main point in this article is to show how far ISIS has gone to eradicate Christians in Iraq; they are causing deleterious effects on Christian towns. Christians have been living in this area for almost 2,000 years and more than 125,000 have been forced out of their homes. The author is trying to spread awareness of things going on in the Middle East. Monasteries that have been there for almost 2,000 years and have perpetuated several empires, invasions and conquests are now feeling threatened by ISIS. They are using Nazi techniques

Not only did Germany begin to reconstruct the biblical city but Iraq also did under the control of Saddam Hussein. Following the idea of uniting the European countries, Saddam began to reconstruct the ancient city of Babylon directly on top of the original. Trying to unite the west with Islam, the attempt coincides near perfectly with the cultural belief of having other Godly figures and the prophecy of what was to come with the second Babylon. Both with Germany and Iraq, when the cultural beliefs of straying from God and mankind with their power seemingly above any other take over the societies experience economic and social turmoil.

The authors of The Bridge Betrayed and The Buddhas of Bamiyan both identify a different form of cultural eradication that occurred in within the past twenty-five years. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Serbs and Croats wanted to destroy the Bosnian Muslim symbols, culture, and population. In Afghanistan, the Taliban destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan, and in turn, changed the identity of Bamiyan forever. The practice of cultural eradication is not limited to these two cases. Cultural eradication has taken place throughout history involving one group’s desire to transform, absorb, and destroy a particular culture and its’ values. The desire for destruction may seem similar, however, the individual agendas that drive the eradication vary in each instance. Michael Sells explores the nationalism that is expressed by the Serbs and Croats in Bosnia that he refers to as Christoslavism. Llewlyn Morgan discusses the Taliban’s iconoclastic and political motivations to destroy the Buddhas. Both examples ultimately analyze some of the many dimensions of cultural eradication in the world.

Islam is arguably one of the most misunderstood and relevant topics in modern Western society. Few subjects inspire such fear and hatred in so many people, especially in the United States. While the attacks on September 11th undoubtedly weigh heavily on the American psyche regarding Muslims, an examination of Islam’s long history shows that this Western wariness of the religion long predates any modern terror attack. However, while Karen Armstrong’s Islam: A Short History certainly explores these centuries of conflict between Islam and the West, it also, more importantly, communicates stunning similarities between the ideologies and histories of both civilizations, along with ironies and hypocrisies that would give pause to even the most ardent

Instead, from its onset, Islam spread as a conquering power and remained that way for some time. Explaining it this way, the reader gets a sense of the psychology behind Islam and why, besides being a religious task, spreading Islam is such a goal. By showing the issues Islam faces today in the context of past Islamic traditions, Lewis paints a much clearer picture of the skewed view today’s radicals have and the way they use history to manipulate. He examines influential Muslim voices like Saddam Hussein and Usama Bin Laden, who have used history to give Islam victim status or to claim the continuance of a predecessor’s mission to not only justify terrorist activities, but also to recruit followers. He tells the history of Bin Laden’s statement referring to the “humiliation and disgrace” Islam supposedly has suffered. What Bin Laden was referring to was the defeat of the Ottoman sultanate in 1918 and the imperial presence of Westerners on sacred Muslim lands. Lewis explains the offense many Muslims take to the desecration of their holy lands by foreigners. He describes how the discovery and exploitation of oil in the Holy Land of the Hijaz has exacerbated the growing resentment many Muslims