A Western Approach to Islam Essay - 2020 Words

A Western Approach to Islam Islam is a highly recognizable and one of the most practiced religions in the world. It is a religion that brings hope, a meaning for life, and ultimately peace to those who follow its teachings. The Western world sees Islam as a violent and threatening religion that produces terrorists and radicals. If such a religion brings so much meaning to the lives of those that practice it, why does the West see it with such suspicious eyes? My research included reading books published by authors that attempt to explain the teachings of Islam to a mostly Christian audience. I also read versus of the Quran, the holy book of Islam. While trying to answer the question of what makes people perceive this as a violent†¦show more content†¦Thus we carry this knowledge which shapes our opinions on the Muslim community as a whole. The best way to approach this subject is with an open mind and a will to release the blame from the religion as a whole to the individual. I started my research by going to the best place I thought I could find information, an actual Mosque. As I stated earlier, I went to a mosque in Carmichael, California. Carmichael is a suburb in the greater Sacramento area. While visiting the mosque I noticed that the majority of the people there were Middle Eastern and African in ethnicity. The mosque itself is a fairly simple building but it has a style that is distinct to Arabic architecture. The area is gated but upon entering the gates you are welcomed by a building with a distinct rounded entrance with columns and archways leading to the main doors. The mosque is topped with a dome which is gives it its Middle Eastern look. The top of the dome has a gold spire and at the tip of that is the star and crescent moon symbol of Islam. The flag of the United States is also flown high atop a large flagpole at the entrance to the Mosque. I was able to interview a few people at the Mosque with the help of my friend Amira, who is a second generation Iranian and Muslim. With her help I was able to comfortably talk to members of the mosque and ask a few questions without being too much of an annoyance. I was completely accepted by theShow MoreRelatedIslamic Modernism : A Multiple Modernities Perspective1611 Words   |  7 Pages individualization, urbanization, and secularization for a long time. Hence, sociologists believed that the consequences of modernization were unavoidable and common destinations for modern or all modernizing societies. Sociologist also expected western modernity will be a single modernization path and it would ultimately take over in all modernizing and modern societies; with the expansion the basic premises of modernity, they would prevail throughout the world until the last decades. 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