Technically this blog is a week late, but I am going to space this one from the third one by a couple days so it should not be too bad. Looking through my notes from last week, a lot of what we had discussed in class had to do with the history of the Middle East and more specifically the spread of Islam and its political affect on the region. It is undeniable that its effect has been felt, Islam is currently the 3rd most practiced religion in the world with close to 800 million people. Throughout history, the world from Europe to the United States have felt the impact of the Middle East and its distinct culture and values. It is seeped in tradition and makes it specifically unique more so than many other places in the world.
One of the most elementary of characteristics one notices is the impact of Islam. Many of the countries in the region today are Parliamentary Theocracies. This means that these countries practice Sharia Law (Islamic Law) as a way of governing over the people. Notable countries that practice this philosophy include Iran and Saudi Arabia which double as two of the more progressive economically in the region. Iran has long been trying to modernize and Saudi Arabia has always been a hub for culture and business with its vast amount of wealth derived from the OPEC and the oil trade.
Having taken Islam as a world religions minor, I love being able to relate much of what we study historically with the Middle East, into how religion may have affected these events. The Middle East represents an area of religious conflict as three major religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) all have roots in the region. From the Crusades to the sacking of Constantinople, to the present-day Israel-Palestine conflict these events represent examples of these conflicts and it will be interesting to see how various viewpoints interpret these events.
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I enjoyed your post, mainly because I wrote something similar in my blog but you seem to know more about Islam than I do. I chose to write about the connection Islam has to Christianity. Although all the knowledge I have on Islam thus far comes from this class's reading and lectures, I was able to find interest in its relations to other religions.
ReplyDeleteI too enjoyed your blog and admired your knowledge you have on the subjects discussed. Taking this class has really opened me up to an entire new world. I now look into reading about current events in the Middle East when before I didn't. Keep the great blogs coming.
ReplyDeletethe relations between Islam and the other God believer religion, is that they all come from the same god, God that created us all to believe in him, we as humans today forgot the real reason, why were all these religions sent to us as humans, not to fight about which religion is more real and affective.
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