Struggling to Surrender: Some Impressions of an American convert to Islam, is about the author’s journey into Islam. The author, Jeffry Lang, is a white professor teaching mathematics at University of Kansas explains about why he converts to Islam, his experience, his struggle after converting, and his views on revolutionizing Islam. The book starts off with the author telling how he was raised as a Christian and went to Catholic school, but he seemed to never understand the teachings of the school and would always wound up being kicked out of class for misleading other students. He could not make sense of how his religion came to be, so he then decided to become an atheist, a person with no religion. For years he become an atheist, and at …show more content…
Lang studied about Islam thoroughly and reflects about the issues such as the validity of the hadith and the position of woman in an informed way. He also argues about the rationality of Islam and that it can be more than just another religion if Muslims understand the rationality of the religion better. Lang used his book to explain about his experience and his struggles to help fellow new western converts as he knows that it is harder for them to grasp the idea, and said “converts can be the most severe and rigid in their ideas and practices” and are also “ often among the least tolerant” than Muslim-born. The book was written so that other American and western-educated Muslims could benefit from it and eventually find …show more content…
But what I found most interesting is his write-up on the status of woman. Lang wrote and entire topic on the status of woman in Islam. He depicts how woman are actually much more valued than they are made to believe. Lang described the status of woman as the “biggest barrier between Islam and its acceptance in the West (pg. 148)”. Lang write about how the portrayal of Muslim woman in the western eyes were always presented as veiled Middle Eastern woman. Although it is not true, the westerners usually depict them as being submissive to their male counterpart. Americans thought that woman who wore veil to cover their faces were force by their male partner and a sign of male domination, Muslims on the other hand view woman’s dress in the United States as exploitative. This is one of the examples given by Lang to show how different culture and thought had affected the view of Islam in every country but mostly bring bad perception of oppression towards the western community. While Christianity depicts early on how Adam was tempted by Eve and Eve was the one that should be hold accountable for seducing Adam thus showing male bias, Islam teaches that Adam and his wife were tempted and sinned, and that they both repented and were forgiven. Based on it, scholars used it to show equality of men and woman in Islam,
Black Hearts tells the story of a few bad soldiers from 1st platoon, Bravo company of the 1-502nd Infantry Battalion of the 101st Airborne Division, that was plagued with toxic leadership and lack of control over soldiers. The book documents the events that led to the ultimate demise of the soldiers involved in the horrific incident that occurred on March 12, 2006. Four soldiers were arrested in the brutal murder of an Iraqi family, which was a result of the lack of leadership and structure these soldiers received. Black Hearts takes a deep look into what happened to this troubled platoon and what unfortunate events occurred during their deployment.
A true war story blurs the line between fact and fiction, where it is neither true nor false at the same time. What is true and what is not depends on how much you believe it to be. In the chapter “How to Tell a True War Story” from the novel “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, the author provides various definitions to how the validity of a war story can be judged. The entire chapter is a collection of definitions that describe the various truths to what a true war story is. Unlike O’Brien, who is a novelist and storyteller, David Finkel, the author of “The Good Soldiers”, is a journalist whose job is to report the facts. Yet in the selection that we read, chapter nine, Finkel uses the convention of storytelling, which relies heavily on the stories the combat troops tell each other or him personally. Finkel attempts to give an unbiased view of the Iraq war through the stories of the soldiers but in doing so, Finkel forfeits the use of his own experiences and his own opinions. From O’Brien’s views on what a true war story is combined with my own definitions, I believe that Finkel provides a certain truth to his war stories but not the entire truth.
“Culture belongs to the imagination; to judge it rationally is to misunderstand its function” (Wilson 79). In “The Butterfly Mosque” by G. Willow Wilson, she acknowledges culture and explains why cultures can differ so greatly. She emphasizes why its highly inconclusive to try to find a meaning behind ones culture. As a young American Muslim women she is faced with cross cultural ironies as she tries to find her identity and where she fits in. Her conversion to Islam brings into light her internalized prejudice and the different perspectives of Westerners towards the Middle East and vice versa. In her memoir, she depicts both positive and negative aspects of both cultures and, her struggle to find a common ground between the two.
John Dower's "Embracing Defeat" truly conveys the Japanese experience of American occupation from within by focusing on the social, cultural, and philosophical aspects of a country devastated by World War II. His capturing of the Japanese peoples' voice let us, as readers, empathize with those who had to start over in a "new nation."
Understanding Islam gives a broad outline which could help to erase American misconceptions about this religion, and could be helpful in easing global racial tensions. The book is not top of the line scholarship about Islam; it is for the uninformed or otherwise unaware beginner. After reading this book the reader has a basic understanding of Islam, devoid of many American or western misconceptions. However, Lippman explains that the holy book is not spelled "Koran," but rather "Qur-an," though he uses the first spelling throughout the book (56). The real version is written in arabic, but I would have rather him used the more authentic spelling. In this way I see that this book was beneficial, but not the final word. It is a good book because it lays a positive foundation for Americans, and hopes to inspire them to continue their study of a fascinating religion.
2. Religion and the Rebel. 1957. The second book in the "Outsider" cycle. Translated into Arabic and Japanese. Philosophy.
But irrespective of the different manifestations and different practices, finally all streams of Islam find their mission and identity in their beloved prophet, religious history and sacred texts As it is such sources that will finally define and guide Islam of the future as it goes on spreading around the world, we must consider them as seriously as a serious Muslim does (Wilson). We should understand what is there in Islamic texts and instances and life of their prophet for understanding the growth and nature of Islam. On such historical-theological foundation, then we can best understand and contrast the objectives and state of Islam in today’s world for its true mandates and motivations.
Burns, Thomas J. "Islam." Religion and Society. OU Campus' Dale Hall, Norman. 14 Apr. 2014. Lecture.
Islam, a religion of people submitting to one God, seeking peace and a way of life without sin, is always misunderstood throughout the world. What some consider act of bigotry, others believe it to be the lack of education and wrong portrayal of events in media; however, one cannot not justify the so little knowledge that America and Americans have about Islam and Muslims. Historically there are have been myths, many attacks on Islam and much confusion between Islam as a religion and Middle Easter culture that is always associated with it. This paper is meant to dispel, or rather educate about the big issues that plague people’s minds with false ideas and this will only be touching the surface.
In my opinion, parents are the result of a young person’s actions. Parents or caregivers have the biggest influence in their children's lives. I think that the way you raise your children will reflect who they become and their morals. Growing up, a child learns by copying what their parents do for example for me, I got the habit of biting my nails from my mother. Cooking, cleaning, driving, are taught to us by our parents, therefore; children learn to carry on those skills they learn and use them in the future.
Christianity has been in America since the Colonial Era (1600’s - 1700’s), and for over three centuries has dominated and deeply engrained itself into American Society . Islam, however, has only been introduced recently, and this has caused Islamic Believers (or Muslims) residing in America to be misinterpreted. After the September 11 bombings in 2001, there was a huge hatred for Muslims as they were interpreted as a religion that promotes destruction in the name of ‘Jihad’, or as it is often mistranslated as ‘Holy war’ . Although, the meaning of ‘Jihad’ is much wider than just ‘Holy war’, it is an internal struggle, within each Muslim, “…to be a good Muslim as well as advance the cause of Islam.” The Western understanding of ‘jihad’ however has been twisted to become related to terrorism. Whereas, Christians claim to promote the qualities of hard-work, honesty and moderation, and are therefore highly thought of in American Society, not only because of their supposed all encompassing teachings, but also because of their dominance as a religion in the Western World.
5. Smith, J. M. (2011). Becoming an atheist in America: Constructing Identity and Meaning from
G. Esposito, John L (2002) Islam; What Everyone Should Know. New York. Oxford University Press Inc.
...writer starts the essay by stating the basic fudamentals of Muslim's beleif and action. Then she connects this idea with beleifs and actions shown and inplied through the media. After that, the media images are connected with the fact that the images cause fear and stereotypes; the teachings that correct the stereotypes are also linked. Next the teachings are connected with the Quran and the leaders and groups who misunderstand and violate the teachings. After that, the five pillars of Islam are explained, described and defined. Finally, it is explained how the pillars affect Muslims by defining their character and lives. All of these ideas are organized so that they are logically linked with the writer's strategy. The writer's strategy includes explainations, the use of examples, and comparison and contrast, to support each idea claimed and to define a "true" Muslim.
In this book , Esposito provides a succinct, up-to-date survey of the Islamic experience, an introduction to the faith, belief, and practice of Islam from its origins to its contemporary resurgence. He traces the emergence and development of this dynamic faith and its impact on world history and politics. He discusses the formation of Islamic belief and practice (law, theology, philosophy, and mysticism), chronicling the struggle of Muslims to define and adhere to their Islamic way of life. Equally important is the essential information Esposito provides on the contemporary world of Islam, from Muslim responses to the challenges of colonialism and modernization to the reassertion of Islam in politics and society.