Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
impacts of religion on society
impacts of religion on society
how has religion impacted history
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: impacts of religion on society
Tariq Ali uniquely puts into perspective the horrific tragedies behind the Spanish reconquest in his work, Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree, by capturing the history in the perspective of a Muslim family who lived in a village just outside of recently conquered Granada. He does this in order to expose the cruelty and intolerance of the Archbishop Xemenes de Cineros. Ali also uncovers the faults in not only Christianity, but also in Islamic ideology by having many character’s from the family Banu Hudayl debating and questioning Islamic beliefs which may parallel with the author’s own beliefs, or lack thereof. (Tariq) One of Ali’s strongest focuses however, was to expose the lack of urgency many Muslims felt after the fall of Granada. Many Muslim’s …show more content…
He uses the Banu Hudayl family to show that people of high status such as Zubayda have doubts of religion. Ali tries to diminish religion altogether by the many examples of fake conversions to Christianity which provides a sense that everyone has flaws, even the most devote Muslims. The fear which lead to the false conversion of many Muslims can directly correlate with the reasoning behind the expulsion of the Moriscos from Spain in 1609 under the rule of King Phillip III. Ali does not directly state this but hints at it throughout the novel by revealing many false converts and the tension that Cisneros feels towards these fake Christians. Ali also expresses his beliefs of equality through the many examples of sins and impurities among Muslims and Christians. Ali is trying to argue that we are all imperfect and selfish people, even if we have religion there will always be good and bad people. While there are many instances of noble sacrifice, such as Zuhayr going to fight for his family and for the town he loves, Hind points out that he only does this noble act out of …show more content…
I would counter this argument by saying that many of them would still have been scared into conversion which would in most cases have produced the same outcome for the Muslim people, especially involving the expulsion of them later in history. If Ali had been a Muslim rather than an atheist I believe this novel would have been more biased and lenient on the Muslim people, I am not sure that the argument of the Muslims living in the shadows would have been the same. Ali being an atheist provides an insight into the history that many other may not have considered to think about. This being said Ali’s main argument although may not have enough support to back it up completely was a fair one with many underlying
...y by compiling a summary of Islamic history, and, by doing so, creates a complete Islamic history that can go toe to toe with European history. As a result, his argument stands to be thorough, suggesting that Islamic history indeed plays a role in today’s international world
The naiveté of the main characters actions parallel the types of people that exist in society today. Such people strive for much more than they can realistically aspire to be with the belief of the possibility of success obscuring their perspective. On the other hand, people erring on the side of caution, or rather, pessimism, have a less biased opinion and thus mold their actions to better accommodate the possible adverse aftermath. Unfortunately for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel, they had more in common with Don Quixote than the “Debbie Downers” of the world. Miguel de Cervantes alludes to the beginning of the gradual decline of Spain to point out that such optimism is prevalent in the everyday workings of society. During the late 1400s, the Spanish Monarchy, with the goal of spreading Christianity, outlawed the practice of Islam and Judaism, forcing followers of these “abominations” to flee. The grandeur of the aftereffects concealed the extent to which the so-called “Heretics” aided and catapulted Spain’s
By reading one of Richard Wilbur’s poems, one can get extremely confused while trying to find the actual meaning of the poem. Someone could take the easy way out and not try to get deep down into the poem to find the real meaning, or one could investigate the poem and learn what Wilbur is trying to get across to the reader. In "Orchard Trees, January," one could pick up what Wilbur is trying to say if one takes the time to think about it. On some of his poems, though, it is nearly impossible to know what he is talking about. Only the interpretation from Wilbur himself could help one who is completely baffled by one of his poems. Authors often write their poems at the spur of the moment, and the mood that the poet is in reflects the meaning of the poem. Centenary College was lucky enough for Richard Wilbur to come to the school and explicate many of his poems. This helps in dissecting Wilbur’s poems.
After all these tragic events not only in the Traore family but also in Segu there was one thing to be noted that every person had the right to practice his or her own religion and the war that took place between El-Hadj Omar and the Fulanis of Mecina and Segu was not a war of religion but a war to gain personal pride.
Was Islam the real controversy causing the conflict, or were the Bambara people stuck in their own worlds?
“Culture belongs to the imagination; to judge it rationally is to misunderstand its function” (Wilson 79). In “The Butterfly Mosque” by G. Willow Wilson, she acknowledges culture and explains why cultures can differ so greatly. She emphasizes why its highly inconclusive to try to find a meaning behind ones culture. As a young American Muslim women she is faced with cross cultural ironies as she tries to find her identity and where she fits in. Her conversion to Islam brings into light her internalized prejudice and the different perspectives of Westerners towards the Middle East and vice versa. In her memoir, she depicts both positive and negative aspects of both cultures and, her struggle to find a common ground between the two.
Islam, a religion of people submitting to one God, seeking peace and a way of life without sin, is always misunderstood throughout the world. What some consider act of bigotry, others believe it to be the lack of education and wrong portrayal of events in media; however, one cannot not justify the so little knowledge that America and Americans have about Islam and Muslims. Historically there are have been myths, many attacks on Islam and much confusion between Islam as a religion and Middle Easter culture that is always associated with it. This paper is meant to dispel, or rather educate about the big issues that plague people’s minds with false ideas and this will only be touching the surface.
Although “Araby” is a fairly short story, author James Joyce does a remarkable job of discussing some very deep issues within it. On the surface it appears to be a story of a boy's trip to the market to get a gift for the girl he has a crush on. Yet deeper down it is about a lonely boy who makes a pilgrimage to an eastern-styled bazaar in hopes that it will somehow alleviate his miserable life. James Joyce’s uses the boy in “Araby” to expose a story of isolation and lack of control. These themes of alienation and control are ultimately linked because it will be seen that the source of the boy's emotional distance is his lack of control over his life.
Pinault, David. "The Thousand and One Nights in Arabic Literature and Society." Journal of the American Oriental Society 119 (1999):536-537.
Islamic Spain can be seen as one of the only societies that has grasped the importance of synergy and placed this notion above the typical need for absolute control. It is here where adherents of three religions coexisted and thrived culturally, economically, and intellectually. Two works explain the history of Islamic Spain, one being a documentary by Gardner Films, Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain, and the other a book by Tamim Ansary called Destiny Disrupted: A History of The World Through Islamic Eyes. While both Ansary and Gardner Films explore the themes of Spain under Islamic rule, Gardner Films provides the viewer with a more thorough history of the region whereas Ansary remains brief and narrow with his narration. The documentary Cities of Light provides a view of Islamic Spain from its beginning to its very end. This documentary touches on every aspect of what life was like in Islamic Spain and the significance of the events that occurred there.
The Islamic tradition, as reflected in Naguib Mahfouz’s Zaabalawi, has over the course of history had an incredible impact on Arab culture. In Mahfouz’s time, Islamic practices combined with their political relevance proved a source of both great power and woe in Middle Eastern countries. As alluded to in Zaabalawi, Mahfouz asserts the fact that not all Muslims attain religious fulfillment through this common tradition, and other methods outside the scope of Islam may be necessary in true spiritual understanding.
Al-Jabarti’s accounts were written with a criticism and tone that lacked very little neutrality. Clearly described is the questioning of Napoleon’s sincerity. They did not believe that a Christian could be a redeemer for Islam and distrusted him immensely. The disdain for Napoleon’s attempts to gain the trust and favor of the Is...
Islam culture in a way that was not seen in JudeoChristian ones. ( Murray 91). The
Joyce, James. "Araby." 1914. Literature and Ourselves. Henderson, Gloria, ed. Boston, Longman Press. 2009. 984-988.
The “Tales of Juha” are a collection of comic tales as well as some pieces that reveal information about social problems, religion in daily life, the link between religion and punishment and mortality. These pieces are important to read in order to understand what the daily life and culture of the Muslim empires was like according the citizens. These tales give a great inside look at some of the occurrence of a Muslim citizen.