Transcript Middle Eastern Culture

Middle Eastern
Culture
Islam & Muslims
• Islam is as diverse as Christianity
• It is experienced differently depending on the
culture
What is Islam?
• Islam means seeking peace by submitting to
the divine will
• Islam is an Arabic word derived from the word
peace, which also means submitting to a
higher will
Who Are Muslims?
• Individuals to completely and peacefully
submits to the will of God, believe in the
Articles of Faith and practice the Five Pillars of
Islam
• Muslims make up 1/5 of the World’s
Population, about 1.4 billion people
Who is God & His Prophet?
• Islamic God is Allah
• The Prophet is Muhammad
– Born in Mecca
– Received his 1st revelation from Allah at the age of
40, through the Archangel Gabriel (Holy Spirit)
– Revelations continued for 23 years, and are
recorded in the Qur`an
What is the Qur`an?
• The primary source of Islamic guidance
• The Qur`an is the record of the words of God
revealed to the prophet Muhammad through
the Archangel Gabriel
The Five Pillars
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Declaration of Faith (Shahadah)
Prayer (Salah)
Obligatory Charity (Zakah)
Fasting (Siyam)
Pilgrimage (Hajj)
The Crusades…
• This was a series of 4 crusades between 1096
and 1270 urged by the Pope to reclaim
Jerusalem from the Turks
• Jerusalem is the Holy city for 3 major religions
(Christianity, Islam, & Judaism)
• Muslim Turks defeated the Byzantine Empire
and cut off Christian access to Jerusalem
Society
• Most tension comes from modernity and
tradition
• Islam is viewed by many not only as a religion
but as a cultural identity and heritage
Society
• Many Middle Eastern qualities are shared
– Honor (self respect & self pride) and the
expectation of equal treatment
– Fierce sense of independence and resentment of
imposed rules or decisions not sanctioned by
social norms & customs
– Loyalty to extended family and friends
– Hospitality to guests and visitors
Family Role
• Family loyalty and obligation is paramount
• Family is seen as a person’s ultimate refuge
and support system
• Children are taught profound respect for
adults
Men & Women
• P.D.A. is considered offensive
• The maintenance of family honor is one of the
highest values
• Promiscuous behavior can be extremely
damaging to family honor
• Most Middle Easterners prefer arranged
marriages, family plays a huge role in the
decision to wed
Islam & Modernity
• The shock of Modernity
– Colonialism and the loss of independence
– Westernization that the loss of tradition
– Fragmentation and the loss of Unity
• Islamic Reassertion
– Rejection: Radical Islam
– Reconciliation: Reform Islam
– Dualism: Traditional Islam
Middle Eastern Women
• Women’s status is society depends on the
country
– Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt: Women are
educated and are active in levels of society
– In Persian Gulf States Women do not work, unless in
an all female setting
– Traditional Women wear a Hijab
• Traditional Men and Women do not see the
customs as restriction, but as protection
Middle Eastern Women
• Women in many Muslim countries are not considered
equal to men. Beyond that, they are often subjected to
unimaginable injustices.
• Fathers have killed their own daughters for marrying
outside of the Muslim faith. Such murders, or "honor
killings" have even been recorded in growing numbers in
the United States.
• Women are expected to be covered in excessively modest
clothing from nearly head to toe. In many countries
operating under Islamic Sharia law—such as Iran and
Saudi Arabia—women are subject to the ruling of
undercover dress code police. Officers can arrest women
who are deemed to be dressed too liberally.
Women and the Hijab
• Syria’s government placed a ban the Hijab in
the 1980’s
• Turkey and Tunisia persecute women who
wear the Hijab since the 1990’s
• Iran & Saudi Arabia enforce the Hijab
• France outlawed the Hijab in 2003
Sharia Law
• This is Radical Islam
• Under Muslim Sharia law, the clothes you wear, the
music you listen to, and the television you watch
would all be censored. Behavior in public is legally
restricted and controlled.
• Radical Muslim societies ruled by Sharia law
provide men with a clear advantage. According to
Radical Islam, women are considered subservient,
second-class citizens expected to conform to
specific moral codes.
Sharia Law
• intolerant system that threatens the Western ideals of
“liberty and justice for all”.
• views non-Muslims as second class citizens, sanctions
inequality between men and women, prescribes cruel
and unusual punishments for crimes, and promotes a
restrictive business environment that strangles the
freedoms of capitalism.