Holy War The Islamic And Christian Context Religion Essay

Holy War The Islamic And Christian Context Religion Essay For centuries Christians and Muslims have fiercely engaged in battles and wars because they believed they will be rewarded by God for waging war in his name. In recent times we have become very familiar with the Jihad; as the media has covered this topic extensively after the September 11 attack that took place in the United States. This act of terror made the Islamic community a focal point of the media, which educated the populace on the violence of Islam or as they choose to call it Holy War. The truth is that, Islam is not the only religion that has committed violence in the name of God. Christianity also has its history of violence and Holy Wars, they were called the Crusades. There were three main reasons given for the Crusades; Rescuing fellow Christians from Invasion and persecution, Conquering or retaking lands in the possession of other religions and fulfilling personal vows to go on a crusade (The Crusades 1). Today we refer to Holy wars as Killing in Gods name, but war an d religion have gone hand in hand for centuries. People go to battle after praying and making sacrifices to God, making them believe that God is on their side because they are fighting for his cause. An example is when Joshua destroyed the Anakites in the Bible. Involving God in such violent acts is not supposed to make a war holy. Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress limitsAnd slay them wherever ye catch them. And turn them out from where they have turned you out; for persecution is worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the sacred Mosque unless they (first) fight you there; but if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who reject faith. But if they cease, Allah is oft-forgiving, most Merciful. And fight them on until there is no more persecution. And the religion becomes Allahs. But if they cease, let there be no hostility except to those who practice oppression (The Quran, Surah 2:190-193). The Quran is the holy book of Islam; the above quote is from the Quran it encourages the Holy war. Partly this explains the numerous battles the Muslims were involved in few centuries ago, fortunately in modern times the Jihad is no longer carried on a large scale as compared to the past but there are still some exceptional cases. The Hadith is another important book in Islam and it is second to the Quran. The Hadith contains the recorded sayings and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad and he encourages the Jihad, saying that anyone who dies fighting for Allah will be rewarded, by going to paradise. Many of these sayings have been interpreted in different ways and people have acted according to these interpretations which have lead to brutality and wars. Although in this modern age, with the help of globalization and westernization the frequency and scale of religious wars have declined over time. However, a small percentage of Muslims, the extremists and anti -western ones still dwell on the verses in the Quran that talk about war, conflict and violence. This is what has lead to terrorism and suicide bombings in recent times. In addition, the duty of all Muslims is to do the utmost against those who do not believe in Allah, this was meant for nearest enemies of Muslims but as more Foes arose with time, the statements supporting the Jihad were updated. (Holy War 123) The Muslims are acting according to what they read in their Holy books, most do not feel remorseful for whatever damage they have caused because they believe this are divine instructions of the holy book. Today we do not hesitate to link the word Jihad which means struggle in Arabic to Terrorism, especially after the September 11 attacks. Religious wars and violence happen in some other countries like Nigeria which is one of the most religious countries in the world. In Nigeria, Muslims and Christians clash frequently, fighting and rioting over one problem or the other, but yet the opposing religions know very little about each others believes. Religious wars in Nigeria are fueled by ignorance, tribalism, poverty, politics and struggle for pow er. Another country that has experienced religious war this modern time is India; with a high population of Hindu, a small number of Muslims and a few Christians. Approximately hundred Christians were killed in a recent religious battles and another ten thousand left without a roofs over their head, telling us that religious wars may have reduced but still occurs in some societies. Furthermore, there are two forms of Jihad the greater and lesser Jihad. The phrase internal Jihad or greater Jihad refers to the efforts of a believer to live their Muslim faith as well as possible (Internal Jihad1).This definition is thus because after a battle the prophet said this We are finished with the lesser jihad; now we are starting the greater jihad. He explained to his followers that fighting against an outer enemy is the lesser jihad and fighting against ones self is the greater jihad. (Holy war) This means that the lesser Jihad will refer to the struggle against Unbelievers. Muslims set a great effort to live the way Allah instructed them, the personal Jihad has to do with the teachings while the Jihad against unbelievers is the Practical. However, some scholars find the Quran teachings of morality and encouragement of violence very contradictory. Many historians believe that the true meaning of Lesser Jihad does not necessary encourage fighting and brutality but states that Muslim should take a stand for their religion only when Islam is threatened. The misinterpretation of the lesser jihad, as a cause or reason to fight and engage in violence and brutality does not make it holy. If Islam is not threatened and Muslims wage war against non-believers then this cannot be referred to as Lesser Jihad. Over the years various people have interpreted the Quran, their interpretations were influenced by the struggles that they were experiencing at that time. Factors such as oppression, depression, anger, suffering, hunger for power, hatred and other factors have influenced the interpreters perception of the scriptures. For instance, the Taliban strict and extreme version of Islam has even made other Muslim countries view the Ta liban with suspicion. Osama Bin Laden, the leader of the terrorist group Al Qaeda has quoted the Quran on several occasions to justify their violent actions on the west. Political leaders use religion to convince and justify their selfish desires. Using religion makes their argument convincing because they twist and interpreted the scriptures to serve the purpose and believers easily embrace them and believe it is just. Al Qaeda has used suicide bombing as tactics for attacks and the Quran forbids this. (burk /Norton) By large, Christianity is a religion that preaches peace but the record of killings and destruction in the past is contradictory to its teachings. In the past, wars were fought against those who opposed Christianity; the wars were fought primarily against Muslims. This is because the rise of lslam slowed down and threatened spread of Christianity. lslam under the rule of the Umayyad Caliphate spread from what is now Saudi Arabia in the Arabian Peninsula to Spain and parts of France. (The Origins of the Crusade 1) This made lslam a treat to Christianity and the Catholic Church, which was very powerful during the medieval times. The Church had enough political backing to crush anything or anyone that disobeys or treating the beliefs of the Church. Some have argued about the religious cause of the crusades and these are some of their arguments. Some argue that they were a necessary response by Christendom to the oppression of pilgrims in Muslim-controlled Jerusalem. Others claim that it was political imperialism masked by religious piety. Furthermore, others argue that it was a social release for a society that was becoming overburdened by landless nobles. (Crusades and religious violence 1) Whatever the reason, it does not change the fact that a lot of lives and property were lost in the process. The first Crusades were organized by Pope Urban II in 1095. His main aim was to take Jerusalem from the hands of those he believed were non believers. Pope Urban II helped lay the foundation for many years of bitter and violent fighting between Christianity and other religions. The Crusades were triggered by popes at that time like Pope Urban ll and Pope Eugene III who called for the second crusade (the crusades1). The crusades were also used as a form of regaining the lost lands of Christians and getting more power for the Church. The periods of the crusades were from 1905-1291 CE. In total, there were either eight or nine Crusades, depending on your view. Most historians consider the 9th Crusade to be part of the 8th. It was not only believers of other religions that suffered persecution, some Christians also suffered. Church theologians or leaders dealt with anybody who followed another religion or come up with rational thoughts that threatened Christian beliefs an example is the case of Galileo. Galileos teachings during the 17th century threatened the geocentric view of the universe. He said that the earth revolved around the sun. The church maintained that the earth was stationary and the sun and heavenly bodies revolved around it and this was an accepted fact. Thus were Galileos claims, labeled as the ranting of a heretic and he was confronted by the church leaders and told to recant his theory or face the consequences (which generally meant death). In addition, right after the civil war in the United States, the protestant-led white supremacist Ku Klux Klan members engaged in destruction of property, cross burning, beating, arson, murder rape and whipping against Jew, Catholics and African Americans and other social ethnic minorities. These are grave crimes exhibiting extreme violence and brutality. This was pure Christian radicalism. In addition The Arm of God (AOD) is an underground Christian terrorist organization active in the United States. This gr oup has been involved in anti-abortion violence such as murder, property crimes and kidnapping. All these organization believe they are fighting for the morals of their religion and in the name of God. Consequently, religious violence has lead to religious and ethnic profiling in society. The recent terrorist attacks have found to be rooted to religion and ethnicity thus causing countries to use profiling as a context for law enforcement and counter terrorism. Profiling can be defined as the use of racial, religious or ethnic stereotypes, rather than individual behavior, as a basis for making law enforcement and investigative decisions about who has been or may be involved in criminal activity. The global generalizations about a particular ethnic or religious groups propensity to commit a crime has made life difficult for people with certain ethnicity or religion. Society begins to look at such people as potential threats and this affects their daily lives at school work and social interaction. Finally, today religion is not really considered an act of violence, Christians especially Catholics are not proud of the crusades that happened in the past. This point in history, are now looked upon as a dark period In Christianity. A group of Western Christians recently formed a body, their aim is to repair the damage caused by the crusades by apologizing to the other religions that were affected during that time. But when have Christians demonstrated this love to Muslims or Jews? We have gone to them with swords and guns. We have gone to them with racism and hatred. We have gone to them with feelings of cultural superiority and economic domination. We have gone to them with colonialism and exploitation. We have even gone to them with the Gospel cloaked in arguments of superiority. Only a few have ever gone with the message of Calvary We must do more than carry the message, we must be the message Reconciliation Walk. This kind of movement helps to show that Christians are not will ing to carry out the crusade; no recent case has been heard. Todays Christians want to practice their religion without harming anybody. The same can be said for most Muslims, although some Muslims extremists are obsessed with fighting the west. I believe Muslims and Christians can live together if only they are more welcoming and try to understand each other. In addition, if they abide by the morals and holy teaching of their scriptures then there would be some level of peace and acceptance. Violence in the name of God does not make it holy nor justify it.

Analysis of To My Dear and Loving Husband by Anne Bradstreet Essay

Analysis of To My Dear and Loving Husband by Anne Bradstreet Anne Bradstreet, the author of â€Å"To My Dear and Loving Husband† was a Puritan. This had great influence on the meaning and theme of her poem. This poem was actually not published until almost 40 years after she died. She lived in a harsh religious world where it was looked down upon for women to be courageous and smart. She lived a life that where she was unspoken and obedient to because of her religious belief. She had many concerns and doubts about her puritan beliefs and lifestyle. These doubts are presented in her poem. The main theme of Bradstreet’s poem is her undying love for her husband. In this paper I will discuss how tone and imagery help the reader to understand the theme of this poem. Tone is the manner in which a poet makes his statement; it reflects his attitude toward his subject. Tone is hard to hear in the written word so therefore the reader must make a distinction of how the poet is attempting to sound in the reader’s own mind. In this poem, Bradstreet delivers a tone that is soft and...

John Berger Ways of Seeing Essay

In John Berger’s article, ’Ways of Seeing’, it explains European eighteenth century art and how it relates to many of todays cultural transitions. Before Berger begins explaining the art itself, he tells us about the cultural constructions that exist today. These cultural constructions are enforced and were highlighted through European eighteenth century art. He began by explaining the difference between a man and a woman’s presence. Men’s presence depends how much power he is able to successfully portray. This power can be social, economical, sexual, etc. A woman’s presence expresses her attitude toward herself and in turn how she will allow other to treat her. This explains why women are so critical of them and critique their actions no matter what the situation may be. Berger begins to explain how the art ties into this when he says, â€Å"men act, women appear.† He further explains how men look at women, while women watch themselves being looked at. Thus, a woman is turned into an object. He even provides an interesting example of how women supposedly became subservient to men. In the book of Genesis Eve gave Adam an apple they weren’t supposed to eat. After they ate the apple they became aware and self-conscious of the fact they were naked, so they made clothes for themselves. Eve was punished for eating the apple and giving one to Adam by being made subservient to the man. This relates to art because, in Berger’s words, â€Å"women in paintings are there to feed an appetite, not to have any of their own.† He also explains the nude women in paintings appeal to the men’s sexuality. In European oil paintings the painter is never painted, yet is always assumed to be male. The women in these paintings were treated and/or portrayed as objects, and this view still exists today. It is an unequal relationship that in Berger’s words, â€Å"still structures the consciousness of many women.† The insecurities women feel in a large part comes from the way they have been viewed as object, always needing to be perfect. This is proven through the European eighteenth century art as the way the women are portrayed in the paintings. These views still exist in the media today. Commercials show seductive women gazing into a camera with an equally attractive man staring at them.

Murder of June (A Poem)

Murder of June (A Poem) There ¢Ã‚€Â™s no subject in our parting There ¢Ã‚€Â™s no object in our parting There ¢Ã‚€Â™s no complete sentence in our lives The sleep not knowing the negatives, grumbles We renew at the every turning of ally in the morning The old afternoon voice lacks vowel sounds In the evening, arouses dry laughter with two sneaky hands A day ¢Ã‚€Â™s time is the voice of a murderer, Becomes more insensible as it disguises June! It becomes silent with growth of the sprouts The witch ¢Ã‚€Â™s Sabbath grinning out loud, Hikoboshi, your tender name, Repeating like a imbecile Taking out the old wings of worn-out feelings Presses with silver abstraction The glance upon the stairway of past myth, Becomes more comforting.Call out the name of her crying at the pond of memories Smell your breath, still shaking its head after the season vanished Water spreading and begging to close the backdoor of time The spiritual of June, steps in slowly and murders you The blue garden of June, when the poppy arouses the half-century tongue of fire irons the skin of weak solitude

The Fermentation Process in Wi essays

The Fermentation Process in Wi essays The Fermentation Process in Wine Making Wine making is a long process. After the best grapes have been harvested and pressed they have to go through a process called fermentation. During pressing, when the grapes' skins are broken, yeast, or Saccharomyees ellipsoideus, from the skins comes in contact with the sugar from the insides of the grapes. The yeast enzymes convert the sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. They also make various by-products that may add to the wine's flavor and aroma. The carbon dioxide escapes into the air, but the alcohol stays in the grape juice, or must. The longer the must ferments the less sugar it will contain. Dry wines are made by letting complete fermentation take place. This lets the yeast change all the sugar into alcohol. If fermentation is stopped, there will be more sugar left in the wine, and it will be sweeter. Sparkling wines are made by adding more sugar and yeast to the wine after it has been transferred to bottles. A second fermentation builds up carbon dioxide in the bottles and this then produces the bubbles. Fermentation gives off heat, so most wineries refrigerate the must so the temperature stays constant throughout the process. White wines are usually kept at about 59F, and red wines are kept at around 86F. The higher temperature in the red wine allows the color and flavor of the skins to transfer to the wine. Yeast isn't only used in wine making. It is a very useful fungus. ...

The Claim for Negligence - Law Cases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

The Claim for Negligence - Law Cases - Essay Example Sue is shown the report by her building society. On the basis of this favorable report, she buys the house. She later discovers the dry rot and has to spend a good deal of money to have it rectified. c) Marianne has bought from Ann the house which is ten years old. When the house was built by Brick Ltd., the plans were approved by Greatshire local authority on the basis of a report of independent consulting engineers. The consultants had failed to report on a problem with the foundations. Cracks have now appeared on the kitchen wall which collapses and falls on Tom’s car which is standing beside it. Marianne is so worried by the state of the house that she sells it at  £20,000 less than its market price. She wishes to sue Brick Ltd. I am British Law student so can you please use British English and British resources. That is a coursework in Tort law it is very, very important to use relevant cases and statues. At the moment we are using a book "Streets on Torts" 12th edition by John Murphy it is also important to use this book in the coursework. As a law student, we have to argue everything all the time from both sides, it is not enough just to describe sth, there have to be arguments. The starting point in a claim for negligence is to show that there has been a breach of a duty of care. In this particular situation, there are several issues to be discussed in respect of liability. It is important to note in all of the above claims that no one has been physically injured in any of the occurrences and therefore all claims will be for pure economic loss1. In establishing who can be claimed against it is necessary to discuss the principles of negligence. Firstly it has to be shown that a duty of care was owed, that the duty of care was breached and that as a direct result of that breach harm was caused to the complainant.

Multi-Culture Britain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Multi-Culture Britain - Essay Example 144). Therefore, Great Britain is a major destination for immigrants and it is referred to as Multi-Culture Britain today. China has been a major contributor to immigration in Great Britain and it is essential to investigate more about Chinese immigrants in Britain - how the Chinese started their immigration to Britain, what is the current situation of these immigrants, what are the general problems concerning immigration and general racism towards Chinese people and specific problem likes culture shock and people trafficking, etc. There is an important group of British Chinese (otherwise called Chinese British), the oldest Chinese community in Western Europe, including British-born Chinese in Great Britain today and they are of Chinese lineage and were born in or have migrated to the Great Britain. The Chinese immigrants in Britain today, which has been more widespread and decentralized in comparison with most ethnic minorities in the UK, face several severe issues and this paper un dertakes an investigation on their history, their current situation, and their general problems relating to immigration and wide-ranging racism. Tracing the history of Chinese immigration to the Great Britain, it becomes lucid that the first settlement of Chinese people in the United Kingdom started in the early 19th century, though the first recorded history of a Chinese inBritainis that of the scholar Shen Fu Tsong who visited King James II's court in the 17th century and spent time cataloguing the Chinese collection in the Bodleian Library. The first Chinese settlers, who were originally seamen, naturally settled in the port cities of Liverpool and London, and the first Chinatown in Britain was set up in the Limehouse area in East London. "However, the largest wave of Chinese immigration consisted mainly of male agricultural workers from Hong Kong and took place during the 1950s and 1960s Despite restrictions in immigration from current and former British colonies beginning in 1962, significant Chinese migration to Britain has continued, largely by relatives of settled Chinese and those qualified for skilled jobs. Today, a significant proportion of British Chinese are second or third generation descendants of these immigrants." (Chinese Immigration). Most of the immigrants the 1950s and 1960s were employed in Chinese restaurants and laundries, though it is no more the case with recent British Chinese community. Several Chinatowns, where Chinese restaurants and businesses prevail, were also established in numerous British cities and they have become tourist attractions. Significantly, the most important Chinese immigration, characterized by the relaxed Chinese restrictions on emigration, started in the mid-1980s onwards and has continued until today. The present situation of the Chinese immigrants in UK raises serious concerns of national and international characteristics. Along with the general issues of immigrants in the Britain and the issues that arise from the multicultural background of the nation, the Chinese experience several specific issues which distinctive of their immigrant experience in the country. Thus, a major issue is caused by the difference in language and the ensuing isolation and depression are common to the Chinese immigrants in Britain. Though there have been several attempts of support and