What I find most interesting about Islam is that it began as a religion of social change, equality and brought a lot of changes to tribal life yet today it is often portrayed as a backwards, misogynistic religion in the media. From all of the readings and films, I learned the Islam is practiced differently by different sects and the laws of Islam vary based on the country or state where one resides.
When Islam first came into being, the laws and practices gave more rights and assistance to orphans, widows and the poor. Laws included that women and children should not be harmed, and women must not be raped. Muslims were, and still are, encouraged to give to charity and care for those who cannot take care of themselves. Even slaves were treated as humans, in a stark comparison to the Atlantic slave trade. In addition, the tradition of Hijab is meant as a principle of modesty in dress and behavior for men and women, not women alone. While it is encouraged that women be covered from males that are not close relatives, there is no one set of clothing that must be worn. The veiling of women also needs to be their choice, because it shows their obedience to Allah. This is most interesting to me and I can respect a women who chooses to cover herself for her religion and is not forced into it.
The ideas that resonate most with me are the ones about equality. I am particularly moved the equality that one should experience on the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca. All Muslims, male and female and from many different countries and ethnic backgrounds, make a pilgrimage to Mecca during the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. Everyone is dressed the same, men in a two piece white garment and women in a simple white dress and head covering. Women are not allowed to cover their faces, despite what rules are in place in their country of origin. Equality in the mosques, with everyone sitting on the ground in prayer is another interesting facet.
There are a great number of similarities between Islam and the other Abrahamic religions, Judaism and Christianity. To begin with, Islam believes in monotheism just like Judaism and Christianity. In fact, Islam believes that they are worshiping the same god, just that Jews and Christians are doing it wrong. The pre-Islamic mythology is also very similar to the stories of the old testament, containing many of the same important prophets and other figures. Muslims believe that they are descendant of Abraham/Ibrahiam, just like the Jewish people, but born from Abraham's first son, Ishamael/Isma'il, whereas the Jewish/Christian faith comes from Issac. Islam also hold Moses and Jesus as important prophets to their faith, although Jesus is a more human figure.
According to the theory presented in the audio lecture, Islams continued growth can be attributed to meme theory. In order to be a successful meme, the meme must be simple, included an incentive and promote itself to be copied. Islam has a simple core message that "there is one God and Muhammad is his Prophet" and conversion is as simple as repeating this message 3 times in front of witnesses. Islam also includes the value incentives of heaven and hell, and also has the advantage of drawing on the already popular memes of Judaism and Christianity. I agree with this assessment of Islam from the perspective of meme theory. Not only is the message simple, easy to copy and include a reward, heaven, Islam is a cultural way of life.
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