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"While no one will refer to a terrorist in Northern Ireland or in
Central America or Germany as a 'Christian terrorist', yet one almost
invariably hears of 'Moslem terrorist' in connection with Middle Eastern
problems. We can no longer blame Islam because a person calling himself a
Muslim kills an innocent person than we can blame Christianity because a
person calling himself a Christian kills an innocent person.
The world is fast shrinking into one family and it behooves us to
try to get to know the viewpoints and ideologies of other peoples. It is
of vital importance to the West to understand Islam so we can deal with the
Muslim world with more understanding and tolerance" (Preface to "Islam: the
Misunderstood Religion"
by James A. Michener).
Islam is a religious faith that began in Saudi Arabia and continues
to be the primary faith in the Middle East. Many people confuse the terms
"Islam" and "Muslim." "Islam" is the name of the religion. "Muslim" means
"One who submits to the will of God," and are the people who practice the
Islamic faith.
Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. One-forth of
the world population is Islam. In many ways Islam is similar to Judaism
and Christianity. Muslims believe in God (Allah) and the Deceiver
(Dajjal), the Last Day, Resurrection, Judgment, Paradise and Hell. Like
Christianity, Islam has several denominations; some very conservative,
others more liberal. Muslims believe that Allah has sent prophets of each
race, period, and language to different parts of the world and recognize
Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Goliath, Job, Solomon, Jesus, Buddha and
Krishna as prophets of Allah. (Michener, J.A., 1955).
Muhammed was born about 570 A.D. in Arabia. At the age of 40
Mohammed was meditating near Mecca and visited by the Archangel Gabriel who
shared with him the word of Allah. These were the first five chapters of
the Qur'an. For the next twenty-one years Mohammed was given the rest of
Qur'an through divine revelation. He died at 63 in 632. Muhammad is
called the Seal of the Prophets because he was the final prophet and
brought the final Law [the Qur'an] (Michener, J.A. 1955).
Source:
Michener, James A. (1955).
Islam: The Misunderstood Religion. Reader's
Digest.
Women and Islam
This is a very heated topic, and it's important to remember that
there are different denominations of Islam. Some that are conservative and
others that are liberal. Both in Egypt and here in the States I have met
Muslim women. The more conservative Muslim women have their body
completely covered (hajib) showing only their face and hands. Others I
have met do not wear any cover at all.
In their youth, boys and girls are generally kept separate. Their
education is not coeducational and they do not socialize or date without
adult supervision. Marriage is generally arranged between the man and the
woman's families. It is believed that love comes after the marriage
instead of before. In the Islamic faith, women tend to be the caretakers
of the home and children, while the husband is the primary bread winner
(Haneef, S. 1996).
According to the Qur'an, a man can have up to four wives. This is
the result of several wars where large numbers of men were killed leaving
many women as widows with children to care for. It was considered a
sacrifice for a man to take on the responsibility of extra wives and
children.
While in Egypt, I met several men with more than one wife.
Traditionally, the first wife chooses the second wife; and they choose the
third wife. The man has little say over the matter. I was offered the
chance to be one man's third wife. He even offered to throw in a couple of
camels for me! Such a deal!
It is not my intention to gloss over inequalities between men and
women in Islamic countries. Depending on the country, there are huge gaps
between men's and women's rights in terms of legal rights, education, etc.
But I think it's important here to be mindful that there are a lot of women
who do not feel like they are brainwashed or being treated as second class
citizens and enjoy their role in the traditional Islamic way.
For further reading:
- Anway, Carol L. (1996). Daughters of Another Path; Experiences of American
Women
- Choosing Islam. Yawna Publications. Lee's Summit, MO
Haneef, S. (1996). What Everyone should know about Islam and Muslims. Des
Plaines, IL. Library of Islam. An excellent book explaining the
Islamic faith and
culture.
Female Circumcision
Female circumcision, or Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), is the
cultural practice of surgically removing a girl's clitoris when she reaches
puberty. It is generally done without anesthesia and the surgical tools
may be a piece of glass, broken razor blades, sharp rocks, etc.
There are various forms of FGM, the most severe being defibuation,
where the girl's entire genitalia is removed leaving only a hole, about the
size of a matchstick, through which the girl urinates and menstruates.
FGM is practiced primarily in parts of Africa and the Middle East,
including Egypt, Sudan. The practice is spreading world-wide as
individuals from Africa and the Middle East move to the U.S and Europe.
Female circumcision is not an Islamic practice. It is a cultural
one that predates Islam. I include it here because many who are aware of
this procedure claim that it is part of the Islamic faith, but it is not.
Further information:
For a personal, first hand account, read "Desert Flower" by Waris Dirie.
Waris is a world famous model who was raised in Somalia. At the age of 5,
she experienced circumcision without anesthesia with a broken razor blade
being the surgical instrument. An abridged version of her story is in the
June 1999 issue of Reader's Digest.
Alice Walker described the procedure and consequences of FGM in her novel,
"Possessing the Spirit of Joy."
You also may visit the World Health Organization's website at:
http://www.who.int/inf-fs/en/fact153.html
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