In many types of English literature as well as society itself, the idea of us versus them, or you are with me, and against them, come into play. This idea of there being a lack of a grey area creates this black and white dichotomous separations that pit people or groups against each other. However, the false dichotomous, or binaries come with consequences and negative stereotypes in areas where they are applied liberally and incorrectly. In addition, when there is a gray area, the people in the middle ground often ignored or marginalized by the extremes. This binary of east versus west has only increased in the years since the World Trade Center attacks in New York City on September 11, 2001. However, while many look at the East and West as two mutually exclusive stories, both the East and West share an overlap in several major areas, including art, religion, religious and political freedom, and history. Art has had a major influence in both Islamic, representing the East, and non-Islamic Christians, representing the West. In the book, My Name Is Red, author and famous Turkish novelist Orhan Pamukr, dissects the heart of 16th century Turkey as is straddles the edges of both Europe and Asia. Through his storytelling, Pamuk uses unusual perspectives to demonstrate the struggle against what some on the Turkish court considered a negative influence of the west creating the idea of the binary. While writing from unique outlooks, Pamuk also metaphorically uses red the color of love, describing Islam as the love between the Prophet Muhammad and Allah. This idea of a binary is exemplified between members of the Sultan’s inner circle or advisors and artists. In this tale of struggle, the book focuses on the court of Sultan Murat III, who r... ... middle of paper ... ...as of art, religion, and a false mutually exclusive history. This concept leads to divisions, and misunderstanding between regions and cultures. This idea that the West and East are mutually exclusive needs to be challenged continuously by scholars, leaders of faith, and the everyday historian. Works Cited Curtis, Edward E.. Muslims in America: a short history. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Ernest, William. "The Limits of Universalism in Islamic Thought: the Case of Indian Religions." The Muslim World 101 (2011): n. pag. N/A. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. Gettleman, Marvin E.. The Middle East and Islamic world reader. Rev. and expanded ed. New York, NY: Grove Press, 2012. Print. Pamuk, Orhan. My name is Red. New York: Vintage International, 2001. Print. Safi, Omid. Memories of Muhammad: why the prophet matters. New York, NY: HarperOne, 20102009. Print.
Ansary, Mir Tamim. Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes. New York: PublicAffairs, 2009. Print.
Springfield, IL: Charles Thomas Publishers, 2009. Print. Necipoglu, Gulru. Muqarnas, Vol 25: Frontiers of Islamic Art and Architecture.
Race and religion are two concepts in American culture that can really tie people together, or clearly separate them apart. A group forged by strong common roots in both race and religion can be a powerful societal force, if it wants to be. The Nation of Islam is a small but growing religion in America that has become somewhat of a social movement because of its strong and radical ideas on race. In this paper, I will try to explore the beliefs of the Nation of Islam, and the ramifications it could and has had on racial relations in America. The Nation of Islam, or NOI, is a relatively new religion. The first temple of Islam was established in Detroit by Master Fard Muhammed in 1930. Much of the theology was based on the simple facts that: "Allah is god, the white man is the devil, and the so-called Negroes are the Asiatic black people, the cream of the earth."(1) And, in accordance with their bizarre view of creation, involving a mad scientist creating the white race from the black race, the twentieth century represents the time for black people to regain their rightful position as god¹s chosen people. (1) The Nation of Islam was spawned from Orthodox Islam, an age-old religion. However, Orthodox Islam has openly denounced the NOI as a heretic sect for three main reasons: the NOI¹s rejection of the belief in an afterlife, its tendency to view human leaders as deified figures, and its strong racist attitudes. (2) For a brief time, during the seventies, Wallace Deen Muhammed became the leader of the NOI and tried to take it in a new direction, more conforming to "true Islamic beliefs." This group is now called the American Muslim Mission and still exists in small numbers today. (1) ...
I chose to elaborate on two of Karen Armstrong’s themes from the first chapter of A History of God as I felt they were both very strong ideas. The first explains how cultural differences between North Africa and Europe during the Romantic Period affected white society’s failure to realize that Islam indeed worshipped the same deity. The second explains how Delacroix’s audience desired the imagery in the painting because people were, during this time, losing their concept of God.
Ansary, Tamim. Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes. New York: PublicAffairs, 2009.
Hilāl, ʻAlī Al-Dīn. Islamic Resurgence in the Arab World. New York, NY: Praeger, 1982. Print.
Lewis, Bernard. The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years. New York: Scribner,
Marsh, Clifton E. From Black Muslims to Muslims: The Resurrection, Transformation, and Change of the Lost-Found Nation of Islam in America, 1930-1995. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1996.
Throughout his life, the Prophet Muhammad proved to be exceptionally adept at uniting diverse groups, negotiating a series of alliances and loyalty arrangements that spanned religious, tribal, ethnic, and familial lines (Berggren 2009). Among other things, this ability enabled Muhammad to forge a shared identity and found a nascent Islamic state from a diverse and even heterogeneous community (Rahman 1982; Ernst 2003, pp. 87-93). This diversity proved to be both a source of strength and conflict for Islam, and following the death of Muhammad early Islamic communities engaged in extensive debates not only about the nature of his teachings or how to carry his legacy forward, but also about the terms that should be used to define his authority. Although this debate produced a colorful array of movements within the tapestry of early Islamic civilization, this essay offers a critical examination of two particularly distinct perspectives on the nature of prophetic authority: namely, those articulated
Khashan, Hilal. “The New World Order and the Tempo of Militant Islam.” British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. Volume 24, Issue 1 (1997. 5), 5-24.
These people are the people on either side of the line in the sand. It doesn't matter from whose perspective you view it from, “they” are all that is evil in the world, and “we” are the freedom-fighters, the few who fight against those who oppose us. Those hedonistic westerners with no morality. Those turban-wearing suicide bombers. Both are firmly convinced that “they” are the enemy, and “we” are fighting for what is right. But when right is a moving target, hiding behind various forces that obscure it for a multitude of reasons, how can anyone hope to hit it?
According to Milani & Gibbons (2001), Huntington considers Islam as monolithic, atrocious and deficient in diversity. In actuality, Islam, like Christianity and Judaism, is splendidly varied and its history is really complex, much more than Huntington seems t...
Before I ever became the middle-aged man who lurk the depths of Mecca in the year of 800, I never truly understood my religious identity. As a moppet, I, more or less, had been forced into what my wise formers followed. The material put forth to me was hard to get a gist of, which left me at a disoriented state for many years. In other words, my childhood and adolescence was filled up with “confusion”.
Spencer, Robert. The truth about Muhammad: founder of the world's most intolerant religion. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, 2006.
September 11, 2001 forever changed the landscape of the generalized view of the Muslim community in the United States; these acts created a defining stereotypical image that all Muslim’s are extreme terrorists, or condone such behavior. Although this view of the Muslim community was not necessarily new, it was not widely acknowledged in America until the events of September 11th as it was continually thrust upon the public by print and news media. This study will discuss the dichotomy between representations of the Muslim community held by many in the Western culture as well as the psychological cause and effect of such depictions. The sociological “norms” as determined by popular American culture, the development of “terrorist” stereotypes through modern media, and the cause and effect postcolonial literature has had on the subject are all topics that will be evaluated. The objective of this research is to provide enhanced comprehension of the situational attitudes held by Muslims and Americans alike. Also, this will offer an educated understanding of the gap between what is believed and what is factual, in hopes of creating emphasis for the need of a new approach in creating a discrimination free partnership with the Muslim community while maintaining awareness and security.