Symbolism in Islam
When we think about religious symbols, many can recount that Christianity is marked by the Cross, and Judaism is represented by the Star of David. But when recalling the symbol that signifies Islam, the crescent moon, with or without a star, seems to denote the religion accurately. However, there is no historical or religious basis for the crescent moon or the star to symbolize Islam. Actually, Muslims don’t believe in symbolism, and therefore do not identify with any particular symbol to represent their religion as a whole. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the crescent was used to represent “the worship of Near Eastern goddess Astarte (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014).” For this reason, many have erroneously believed that Muslims worship a moon god, symbolized by the crescent moon. Instead of being a longstanding Muslim tradition, the Byzantine and Ottoman empires were the actual peoples to use the moon shape for their respective reasons. But because the Ottoman Empire adapted the symbol and the Islamic faith, the crescent moon and Muslims become synonymous. It is important to note that Muslims are adamantly against idolatry, and believe that even seemingly harmless symbols can result in transference of worship from Allah to a mere representation of Allah. Therefore, symbols are not recognized within the faith, and instead, artistic representations of Islam, such as calligraphy and the use of geometric shapes in architecture, distinctively characterize the Muslim identity.
The Communication Channels of Muslims
The Islamic culture focuses on three major channels to transmit messages both internally within the community and externally throughout the world.
The first transmissi...
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The Qur’an is believe to the ultimate source of God by many Muslim believers. It contains 114 suras for the believers as the core practices of the Islamic religion and Muslims throughout the world recites its verses (Chang, Lecture. 1/21/14). They believed the prophet of Allah was Muhammad, who received the words of Allah through Angel Gabriel, and was passed on with the Qur’an during Ramadan. Angel Gabriel one night came to Muhammad “in clear human form” (“Scripture and Tradition in Islam- The Qur’an and Hadith” 104), and gave the messages from Allah to him. From the establishment of the Qur’an, Muslims have viewed the book as the last revelation of their god Allah, and thus are the true words from God for their ways of life and in reaching Allah in their afterlife. The book also teaches “mankind’s responsibility assigned by God” (Gordon 115). Therefore, Muslims practices in ways to prove their devotion towards the new religion of Islam by being faithful, and performing religious practices.
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.
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Thomas W. Lippman gives an introduction to the Muslim world in the book Understanding Islam. He has traveled throughout the Islamic world as Washington Post bureau chief for the Middle East, and as a correspondent in Indochina. This gave him, in his own words, "sharp insight into the complexities of that turbulent region." However, the purpose of the book is not to produce a critical or controversial interpretation of Islamic scripture. It is instead to give the American layman an broad understanding of a religion that is highly misunderstood by many Americans. In this way he dispels many myths about "Muslim militants," and the otherwise untrue perception of Islamic violence. In this way the American reader will become more knowledgeable about an otherwise unfamiliar topic. However, the most significant element of Lippman’s book is that it presents Islam in a simple way that makes the reader feels his awareness rise after each chapter. This encourages him to continue learning about the world’s youngest major religion. Understanding Islam dispels many misconceptions about the Muslim world, and presents the subject in a way that urges his reader to further his understanding of Islam through continued study.
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In recent modern times, the Islamic faith and culture has been scarred by bad publicity and criticism worldwide concerning terrorism, fanaticism, and the treatment of women. All these issues have existed in most religions throughout time, but the treatment of women is different in which most other cultures and religions have minimized the issues and Islam, under its attempts to also end it, has failed to create a society in which the treatment of women is equal to that of men. The treatment of women, beginning from the time when they are born, to the time of their marriage, to the moment of their death, has not been equal to that of men despite the actions taken to end the injustice.
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