The Future Of Islam And Politics

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Recommended: Impact of Islam in the modern world

Esposito Paper
By Amir K. Hajek
Islam and Politics, Revised 24 April, 2015
Word Count: 1,659

The turbulent world we live in today has countless imperfections. John Esposito, a professor in Georgetown University, states both alternative and intriguing ideas on the future of Islam and its upcoming era of reformation. The main issue is the extremists and fanatics who use Islam in order to justify their terrorist actions. Furthermore the Western media has stained the religion of Islam to the point where Muslim-West foreign relations have declined since the 1970’s. As stated by Esposito within his book, “The Future of Islam”, Islam had become the center stage of media networks and many news agencies; one witnessed “an explosion of interest in and coverage of Islam.” Islam has since then become a sensationalized topic and also has become the headlines of the 21st century’s history. Esposito further states how this misconception of Islam is a controversial and important role in today’s politics. Today’s Muslim population of over 1.5 billion people plays an integral role in today’s global history and Western society. Esposito’s main objective of this book is to explain “how we got to where we are and what we need to understand and do to create… ‘a new way forward’.” Esposito also explains throughout his book how Islam has been both a “source not only of compassion, morality, and virtue but also of terror, injustice, and oppression.” His ideas can be thought of as both promising and controversial to say the least.
The greatest, most promising ideas found in Esposito’s book are mainly focused on the Islamic reformation that is slowly accelerating towards a drastic change. One can see that throughout history any form of religious ref...

... middle of paper ...

...e misinterpretation done by extremists and terrorists. Although the Qur’an might have controversial and sometimes rebuttal verses it all depends on the audience and the preacher. “The future of Islam and Muslims is inextricably linked to all of humanity. All of our futures will depend on working together for good governance, for freedom of religion, speech, and assembly, and for economic and educational advancement. Together we can contain and eliminate our preachers of hate and terrorists who threaten the safety, security, and prosperity of our families and societies.” Esposito’s final comment about what we as humanity should do in order to save the future of Islam is almost unimaginable yet it is at the same time the only rational way for human prosperity and peace.

Bibliography:

Esposito, John L. The Future of Islam. New York: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.

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