...non-Muslim believers. There are 109 verses within the Quran that preach violence to non-believers. “Constructing a Mosque near “Ground Zero” is non-sense and offending as an American citizen.” (DeBenedictis) A mosque near “Ground Zero” should not be constructed do to a variety of influential viewpoints, mainly those of harm towards the...
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...Prophet Muhammad is considered the last Islamic Prophet, and the one to whom Allah had revealed sacred scriptures known as Qur’an. Although Muhammad started with a small group of followers, they quickly grew in number and his teachings started spreading rapidly “through the Middle East to Africa, Europe, the Indian subcontinent, the Malay Peninsula, and China”(Mahdi, Rahman, Schimmel). Today, there are about 1.6 billion Muslims in the world which makes it 2nd largest religion of the world. However, Islam is perceived to be radical and contradictory religion by many non-Muslims. Moreover, due to the terrorist attacks which had been associated with this “religion of peace,” Muslims call it, Islam had been viewed as a “bad” religion. Since America is the “melting pot” of different cultures and religions, non-Muslims should strive to learn about the Islamic religion, its teachings and interpretations, its differences and similarities with Christianity and Judaism, and how to improve their interactions with Muslims (Mahdi, Rahman, Schimmel, 2014). In order to become familiar with Islam, one has to learn about its teachings. The faith is practiced through “Five Pillars of Faith” which, formulated shortly after the Prophet’s death were to serve as “anchoring points of community life” (Mahdi, Rahman, Shimmel, 2014). The shahadah, or profession of faith, is the first...
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...| 9/10/2010 | Democracy in the United States of America In the beginning when the new world was not even a thought the European people grew more and more dissatisfied with their monarchy type of government. People yearned for the freedom to do as they wished, worship who they wanted, and work on what skill they felt was their calling. Thanks to Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus discovering a new land “a new world” to the west, slowly but surely these wants by the people became a reality. In this essay I will open your eyes to both the positive and the negative aspects of what type of government the United States of America uses as well as the ever growing issue of the Mosque being built in Manhattan and how the Muslim community is using our laws to their advantage. “Why should there not be a patient confidence in the ultimate justice of the people? Is there any better or equal in the world.-Abraham Lincoln the sixteenth president of the United States. So what exactly do these words mean? The basic meaning is that justice and equality go hand in hand in our government, which is democracy. Democracy originated from the ancient Greeks, it is said by many scholars that Athens of the fifth-century BCE held the purist for of democracy that there ever was. From the beginning at the birth of this nation there was a democratic style of government in place. This was driven by the need of the people to have a voice, have freedom, and to get away from the European style type...
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...Films on Demand: Sociology Collection: Social Institutions Andrea M., Britteny Bates, Chandra Roberts SOC/100 12/6/15 Dr. Virginia Merlini Social institutions such as that of family, religion, education, economic and political standings, are set standards or patterns of governing within society. In many cases, this is used to rule over others, in matters of wealth and hierarchy. These social institutions are important because they provide some structure for society. However, not all forms of structure are appropriate. Many of these behaviors are used to control others or hold a type of power over them as a way to exploit them. “Unbreakable: One Girl Changing the World: The Story of Malala” This is a story of a brave young girl, eager to learn, who simply wanted to get an education. However, within her culture, girls are not allowed to go to school. Females are expected to stay home and are only allowed to leave the house if they are accompanied by a male. From a functionalism standpoint, everyone has a role. Women are to stay home, have and raise the children and take care of the house. The males are responsible for going to work and supporting the family. In recent years, the Pakistani government has opened up more to the idea of educating girls and have even opened a few girl’s...
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...Muslims in America. Since 9-11, the treatment given to Muslim in American have been worse than it has ever been in years. Being an American Muslim has been a testing task. Post 9-11 has altered the mindset of the American people because of incorrect information. Although there are laws set against certain prejudice and bias acts, they still exist. One question we all as America need to ask ourselves is have we played a part in the way Muslims feel in today’s society. If the answer is yes, will you admit it and will you change? Most Americans will deny it, but as a society, we may fear American Muslims or have acted bias, racist, or even prejudice against them. Not all Muslims are terrorist! The Muslim population was once very small but has increased greatly in the 20th century. In 2005, nearly 96,000 people of Islamic countries have become permanent American citizens. Then in 2009, there was another 115,000 Muslims who became legal residents. Muslims in American are not only Arab descent. They are very racially diverse religious groups and come from various backgrounds. “Native-born American Muslims are mainly African Americans who make up about a quarter of the total Muslim population. Many of these have converted to Islam during the last seventy years” (Borelli, & Christiansen 2011). Muslims are populating America in large numbers and are a part of the American society but highly misunderstood (Borelli, & Christiansen, 2011). The tragedy that struck America on September...
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...of New York were not comfortable with a muslim mosque being built just a few blocks away from the 9/11 memorial, because the attack was carried out by Muslim extremists. Bloomberg understands why people do not like the idea of a mosque being built, but he realizes that the Muslims of New York along with the majority of the Muslim population are very peaceful people and mean no harm. Bloomberg understand that the muslim community is no different than anyone else in New York and mean no harm. They are only trying to follow their peaceful religion, bringing no harm to others. Bloomberg uses the...
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...Chapters 24-25 of The Kite Runner focus of Amir and Sohrab’s relationship, both in Afghanistan and America. Amir not being a father to any actual children has to begin to watch over Sohrab like he is his own son. Their first day in the hotel the two are staying in Amir wakes up in the morning and looks over to Sohrab’s bed and he isn’t there. Amir instantly panics and searches all around the hotel for Sohrab. Suddenly, an idea comes to Amir’s mind that Sohrab went to the mosque the two has passed on their way to town. Getting the hotel manager to rush him to the mosque; when Amir arrives, he finds Sohrab, and his nervousness settles. Sitting outside of the mosque, Amir and Sohrab have one of their first conversations, this means so much to...
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...comparative study of physical or other characteristics of the built environment into distinct type” (3). Relatively, the term itself originates in the mid-nineteenth century. De Mauro believes that typology’s emergence is greatly influenced with how abstract models are renewed during this era (as qtd. in GÜNEY 5). This is not surprising because notably, typology exists and transforms continually since the Enlightenment. Consequently, the 7 continents have their own building typology. For the purposes of this paper, six buildings from every continent will be discussed. Africa Fig 1. Great Mosque of Djenné, Djenné, Mali from Joseph Conteh, The Guardian, Guardian News and Media Limited, 09...
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...Paper #2 – Origins of Islam in America Trevor Pace A00763129 It seems that when it comes to the first Muslims in America it is a little unclear, however several sources that I found believe that it was first in the 12th century and ties in with the voyage of Columbus. “The Navigator of Columbus, who during the famous voyage, brought along a copy of a travel narrative written by Portuguese Muslims who had sailed to the New World in the 12th century. The narrative by al-Idrisi was called "The Sea of Tears"”. (Ahari, 1998) Next during the 14th century with Muslims that came from the Senegabian region of Africa, “It is believed they were Moors, expelled from Spain, who made their way to the Caribbean and possibly to the Gulf of Mexico” (Cowan, 2006) Then with the 16th century with Istafan, the Arab, “who was a guide for the Spanish that wished to settle the area that would later be called Arizona in 1539”. (Ahari, 1998) The next major instance of Islam in America happened with slavery in the 18th century. This is the first real wave of Muslims in America as it is said that “Historians estimate that between 15 to 30 percent of all enslaved African men, and less than 15 percent of the enslaved African women, were Muslims” (Samuel S. Hill, 2005). Next in the late 19th and early 20th century Muslim immigrants from the Middle East, particularly from Syria and Lebanon, arrived in large numbers. “Many were settling in Ohio, Michigan, Iowa and even the Dakotas. Like most other migrants...
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...Is America Islamophobic? Is an article in Times Magazine published in the August 30th edition and written by Bobby Ghosh. The writer interviewed some people who are Muslims, and they talked about their ordeal of living in America and being part of a religious group, which has been stereotyped as terrorist and anti-Christian religion. The article also follows some of the August events related with the big dispute and protests over the construction of the mosque close to ground zero. It talks on how Obama raised hopes for the Muslims by telling them that they were on their right to build their religious building, and next day he called this idea “unwise.” The writer points of view on the matter is how many Americans are wrongfully condemning all Muslims and Islam by the acts of terror of some radicals groups. I believe this article, like many others that have been published about the Mosque near Ground Zero express how many Americans are having a common sentiment towards the 9/11 terrorist’s attacks. Many feel sad and angry to remember this tragedy. However, they are directing this sentiment of Nationalism in a wrong manner towards a group of people that have been tagged as terrorists. In the book, it talks about Negative Nationalism, and one part of it is Xenophobia, which is the feeling of superiority and even fearing a different group of people that is not the majority (the majority in the United States is any denomination of Christian.) While it is a positive thing to...
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...and physically pure lives. An interview on the religion of Islam was conducted with Lonna al’ Moctar, a thirty-nine-year-old administrative assistant at The Muslim Community Center of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. The Muslim Community Center of Louisville is the newest mosque in Louisville and is the “boldest architectural expression of Islam to date in Louisville” (Smith, 2010, para. 2). The Muslim Community Center of Louisville is a mosque “intended as a place of interaction for all faiths” to learn about Islam, and is also home to an adjacent school, the Islamic School of Louisville, for pre-school, elementary, and middle school students (Smith, 2010, para. 7). Not unlike the construction of other mosques across the nation, The Muslim Community Center of Louisville had its share of opposition; however, its neighbors never complained about the construction of the mosque itself. Shortly after approval of the building plans, mosque leaders did have to revise the design of the mosque. Eventually an agreement was reached between mosque leaders and the neighboring residents on a scaled-back design. The neighbors insisted that their only issue was related to zoning, and never with the mosque itself. According to Smith (2010), one neighbor stated she wanted only to “retain the...
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...Ignorance Is Bliss The fact that many Americans believe that Muslims and the Arab world are ignorant speaks more to our lack of understanding of other cultures inside and outside of America than it does the merits or accomplishments of those cultures. History has shown that the Islamic culture and Arab world is anything but ignorant. The quest for a new Islamic world began in the early 7th century and was a militarily and societal effort to spread the religion and culture of Islam. Invading Islamic armies found once powerful, but now depleted and war weary empires ripe for the sacking; utilizing both land and sea assaults to conquer port and city targets. Within 100 years of the fall of Mecca, Islam had spread across much of the Middle East, North Africa and Spain, sparking the Golden Age of Islam. Islamic society in newly conquered lands was advanced by creating city centers that helped build a sense of community for its citizens. Mosques were built and used as social, economic, and educational gathering places. Also functioning as governmental and administrative faculties, mosques literally served all aspects of daily life. This virtually insured the religion influenced all who interacted within the mosque community. Later, teaching colleges called Madrasas were attached to the mosques in order to teach the Qur’an as well as other disciplines, including mathematics and the sciences. Between the mosque’s central role in community and the acceptance of “any and all...
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...Abstract A basic knowledge of Islam is becoming essential for Americans today. Presently there are nearly five million Muslims living in America. These Muslims face persecution by Americans as a result of the country’s present state of affairs. In their own communities Muslims are forced to defend themselves against their enemies. To be a Muslim is not just an individual activity it is a community identity and responsibility. Islam is considered a total way of life for the religious community. For many in America who are raised with the idea of the separation of church and state and the sense that religion is a private affair, Islam can seem confusing, especially since Islam does not have a “church” to preserve and promote its beliefs. There is a great diversity among Muslims as there is among other religious communities in America. Because America is predominantly Judeo-Christian it is sometimes easier for Christians and Jews to practice their faith. American schools do not recognize Muslim holidays. Even such a simple task as attending Friday congregational prayer and taking a break to perform the salat during working hours are often difficult. Muslim culture has become prominent in coutries other than Islam. Countries that have a large Muslim following include Australia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, United Kingdom and United States. Accepting Cultural Differences in Muslims Since the tragedy of 9-11 a...
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...black arrivals and the African American who have already assimilated to the American culture. It also gives my thesis a clear sense of the prejudice and racism that was against those Western African Muslims. Zain abduallah, Black Mecca: The African Muslims of Harlem. This book talks about how West African immigrants were adapting to the new American culture and trying to reach the American dream. It also goes on talking about how many Americans ignored those West African Muslims’s identity because they were black, because they have always viewed Islam as an Arab religion. This books helps my thesis by providing information about the West African Muslims immigrants’s background and how they came to America. Also gives my research more understanding about how they faced the challenges that were against them. The book is the perfect source for my research because it goes deeper into how those west Africans Immigrants built their own community in Harlem. Interviewing Imam Al-Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid who is Imam Talib is the leader of the Majlis...
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...was destined to change. The change that occurred was not in their religion or how they practiced it, it was in the no-Islamic population. Public eye was on the Muslims because the attacks from September 11th were said to be conducted by Muslim extremists. The media was, for the most part, the only place American’s would get any information about Muslims and they were not portraying them very nicely. In order to protect themselves from bad public opinion, American Muslim were faced with a challenge. They needed to improve their image in order to protect themselves from the growing number of people that were against Islam and they need to do it while staying true to themselves and their religion. In 2005, the Fiqh Council of North America issued a fatwa saying that the use of violence against innocent lives was forbidden under Islamic Law. This fatwa also encouraged Muslims to assist law enforcement in the challenge of preventing these sorts of attacks. This sort of thing shows how the Muslims in American are concerned about how they look to the public. Not only that but they are trying to improve their religion as a whole. Making it against Islamic law may actually prevent some extremist from participating in terrorist acts....
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