Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Islam Paragraph
Please post a one paragraph description of what you would like to learn about in Islam. You can do some initial research, but keep the research brief. I'm more interested in you explaining what question you want to explore and why it's interesting to you. Your paragraph should be about four sentences long, and should begin with "I am interested in learning more about ..."
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15 comments:
I am interested in the interactions between government and religion within Islam. I have read and heard that there wasn’t a definite line drawn between the two as there was with other religions and civilizations. If there wasn’t a line, I would like to know how the government and Islam interacted and/ or learned to coexist. I would think that it would be hard to have a flawless interaction, so where did problems occur? Did the laws revolve around religious mandates? How did the laws apply to people practicing other religions? This is a topic that I would like o know more about. It would help me better understand what is happening today, too.
I am interested in the Kaaba. I am interested in this because I think it is cool to learn about different religions, and the Kaaba is the holiest place in Islam. I would like to learn about the Kaaba's history and compare it to now. I would also like to know how exactly people worship around it (what times of day, how many times, for how long, etc).
I want to learn more about the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. I think that it is very interesting how every Muslim that is able too, must go on this journey. I would like to learn more about what they do on the journey and what the significance of it is. I also want to learn about the significance of the Islamic month. I also want to learn about the significance of the number seven to the Islamics. I am interested in this journey because I think it is interesting how it is somewhat of a requirement in this religion to go and pray at a certain place. I think it is interesting how thousands of people go during this certain month every year to Mecca, just to express their faith in God.
I would like to learn more about women's rights in Islam. There are a lot of conceptions about what Muslim women can and can't do, and I want to learn what they really are. I also want to find out more about Islamic customs pertaining to women- such as wearing the a headscarf (which has made a lot of news in France!) Since Islam has always been seen as a religion that oppresses women, I want to form my own opinion on whether that is true or not, and think writing a paper on the subject would be a good way to find out.
I am interested in learning about Islam and its relationship to other religions. I know we covered how the Muslims were tolerant of other religions, but I was wondering not only how the followers interact with each other but how the religion resembled other religions. For instance I saw a article recently that the teachings of Islam resembles the old testament a lot more than previously thought. I also would be interested in investigating if Islam took and thing from other preexisting religious practiced by people in the Middle East.
I would like to learn more about the Art and Architecture influenced and used by Muslims. The building "The Dome of the Rock" sparked my interest in this, because of it's beauty and detail. I noticed how it was covered with mosaics, which made me wonder if the Muslims were the people that first thought of mosaics. Also, the fact that Muslims always pray to Mecca made me wonder if the design of Mosques was/is influenced by this. Finally, I wondered if buildings, other than mosques, were/are influenced by Islam.
I am interested in the aspect of expression of ones own religion that was talked about in the movie. Mr. Goldberg touched on it and how it was different than ours because it was expressed and debated more openly. I am wondering how it is expressed. Do they have a holy day in the Islamic Religion that is designated for religion, sacrifice, and prayer. Is it illegal to express religion openly, or do you have to abide by religious rules. Are the laws based around the religious system, therefore expression religion through law? I just would like to know how and when you are allowed to express religion or if you have to have special privileges to do it.
I would like to learn how the Islamic arcitecture is tied to the religion and how they came up with the ideas for the religion-reflecting arcitecture. I'm interested in this topic because I think that the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock are really interesting because of their differences [even though they are considered by the government to both be part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque] and their beauty. Both Mosques also have histories that are very intriguing that I was wondering if it influenced the arcitecture at all.
I would like to learn more about the 5 Pillars of Islam. Specifically the Hajj, how it differs from Shia Muslim ritual practices, and how the Five Pillars came about. I think that learning about these rituals will give me a new respect for other religions and peoples beliefs, and how they relate to some of the religions we have studied.
I am very interested in learning more about the concept of holy war, "Jihad". Jihad is mentioned in the Qur'an as a struggle in the way of God. Holy war is the reason for much of the war we see in present times...the suicide bombings, the terrorist attacks..etc. I feel like it would be very helpful if not only I, but others understood this concept that appears in present times. I can make more educated comments about current events when I am discussing them if I learn a bout this concept.
I would like to learn more about the Shia and the Suni. I am very interested this because it is what is left of the Islamic religion after Muhammed died. I always here about either of these groups, but never really know who they are. I would relly like to know the beliefs of each group and their daily lives are. This will further my understanding about the Islamic religion and what is going on in the Middle East between the two.
I am interested in the Hajj or pilgimmage to Mecca, mainly the rituals associated with it (like walking around the Kaaba and wearing the Ihram clothing). I am also interested in why they perform these rituals; what is the story and explaination behind the rituals.
I want to learn about how the religious wars the Islam fought, affected the spread of Islam. I want to see maybe what would happen, if Mohamed didn’t when there war against Mecca? Would Islam have stopped there? Are there any other major wars that spread the religion?
I want to learn about Islamic architecture and the ideas and inventions that came out of Baghdad. I personally love architecture and I want to know more about the specifics and things that they perfected like the Romans perfected the arches…I'm not sure why I want to learn about the ideas and inventions, it just seems interesting to see what came out of an area that ???
I am really interested in learning more about modern day Islam as a whole. I am interested in learning about how people; not only in the Middle East; but all over the world practice their religion. In class when we first discussed the Islamic Religion we learned that they pray five times a day, and the women must cover their heads, and sometimes faces, with scarfs and so on and so forth. I am interested in learning how these things came about. When did women start having to cover their heads and faces? Have they always had to do this? I also want to learn about how the Islamic Religion is perceived all around the world; from Dubai to New York. I also would like to learn more about the Five Pillars because I think some of my questions about the Islamic religion could be answered, by learning more about the Five Pillars.
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