Danielle Novak
Abby Ruby, Ph.D.
Sociology 1
November 24, 2014
Islam - A Religion of Peace?
The headlines out of the Middle East in recent months have been horrifying. American and British hostages beheaded, captured prisoners executed in the thousands, and children brutally murdered. There have been entire communities starved to death and murdered in cold blood for refusing to change their religious viewpoint. Much of the modern world is shocked by such depraved brutality. It appears incomprehensible to the Western mentality. What is driving such cruelty and barbarism that has been unfortunately witnessed in recent memory? In reality, the answer is simple. The individuals or groups who are behind these horrors share a single, common denominator. They are unapologetic in stating they are doing what they are instructed to do by Allah, the Qur’an, their Muslim religion. The religion is Islam. Is Islam a religion of peace?
In the United States media, Muslims are portrayed as fervently dedicated to the worship of Allah, but non-violent. The media tries to separate Muslims from Islam by reporting the latter as radical extremists that do not reflect the fundamental beliefs of Islam. It is true that many Muslims are peaceful, and are equally horrified by these events. Ever since the horrific hijacked-airliner terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Western leaders have gone out of their way to describe Islam as a religion of peace. The following are quotes from American leaders since that time, outlining how Islam is peaceful:
• Six days after September 11, 2001, that killed almost 3,000 Americans, former President George W. Bush, speaking at the Islamic Center of Washington D.C., said: “These acts of...
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"Muslim Opinion Polls - Challenging the 'Tiny Minority of Extremists ' Myth." The Religion of Peace. Thereligionofpeace.com, 2014. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
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Following 9/11 individuals who have ties to the Middle East have been scrutinized. “Muslims have endured alarming rates of prejudice, discrimination, and hate crimes.”(Amer&Bagarsa,2013). According to Amer hate crimes against Muslim Americans have significantly increased since 9/11 to the point of being “the most prevalent hate crime taking place on American soil.” (Amer&Bagarsa,2013). “The racialization of an ‘Arab-Middle Eastern-Muslim’ Other has been constituted by a dual process of cultural racism and the racialization of national origin… This solidified the racial
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I share the view of Edward Said who responded to Huntington’s thesis in his 2001 article, “ The Clash of Ignorance”. He argued that Huntington’s categorization of the world’s fixed “civilizations” omits the dynamic interdependency and interaction of culture. Said (2004) also argues that the clash of civilizations thesis is an example of “ the purest individious racism, a sort of parody of Hitlerian science
"The Noble Qur'an - القرآن الكريم." The Noble Qur'an - القرآن الكريم. The Noble Qur'an, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. .
Islam in America has historically been misunderstood, and this is due to the misconception of culture and religion as well as lack of education and incorrect portrayal in the media, which gives a skewed idea of Islam. Especially in the United States, Islam has been seen as the “terrorist religion” or a religion for the extremists and a religion in which freedom is not an option. Among the countless misconceptions, the basis of stereotypes by Americans is due to the mix up between religion and culture. Furthermore, the media only fuels fire to these misunderstandings and lack of factual information about Islam causing Americans to lash out on American Muslims without reason.
Sacirbey, O. (2007, December 4). Does U.S. tolerate anti-Muslim speech? Retrieved May 30, 2010, from The Christian Science Monitor: http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1204/p02s02-usgn.html
In a book he wrote about Islam, Khan says “Islam is a religion which teaches non-violence. According to the Qur 'an, God does not love fasad, violence. What is meant here by fasad is clearly expressed in verse 205 of the second chapter. Basically, fasad is that action which results in disruption of the social system, causing huge losses in terms of lives and property.” (Source 10) There is no better quote to explain how Islam is a peaceful religion. In the Qu’ran, it states specifically that God does not love violence. Those who follow a non-violent life as an Islam are truly following the word of God. The radicals that choose to follow their own interpretations of the Qu’ran are the ones creating a poor reputation and fear of
In years following 9/11, scrutiny and backlash has intensified for Muslims regarding issues concerning mosques and questions of terrorism. There has been a series of public controversies related to Muslims, followers of the Islamic faith. One of these controversies are the construction of Islamic worship centers or Mosques in the U.S. Another controversy is the association between terrorist attacks and Islam. Due to the misrepresentation of Islam, most Americans have developed a misconception and have associated Islam with radicalism and violence.
A brief illustrated guide to understanding Islam. 2nd ed. of the book. Houston: Darussalam Books, 1997. The Holy Bible: giant print ; containing the Old and New Testaments translated out of the original tongues ; and with the former translations diligently compared and revised, by His Majesty's special command, authorized King James version ; words of Chri.
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.
G. Esposito, John L (2002) Islam; What Everyone Should Know. New York. Oxford University Press Inc.
The rise of terrorism and extremism in the Middle East during the time this piece was composed prompted Mohi-Ud Din to engage in a passionate argument about how these terrorists have ruined the image of Muslims. He explicitly highlights the main points of his argument by using transitional words such as firstly, secondly, and thirdly. He initiates his argument by proposing that the media’s one-sided focus on Muslim extremists prevent the viewers from recognizing that the majority of Muslims are not violent. Next, he debunks the stereotypes Americans have about Muslims and then he shifts his concern to how America’s political and military actions have exploited Muslim countries. He concludes his argument by explaining why Islam is not a threat to
In 1992 within a lecture Samuel P. Huntington proposed a theory that suggests that people's cultural and religious identities will undoubtedly be the primary source of conflict in the post-Cold War world, this theory is known as the Clash of Civilizations. Therefore this essay provides a criticism of this theory, whether I agree or disagree with it and also the aspects I like or dislike about the theory as a whole.