Islam in Modern Times: Teachings and Interpretations

I. Title Page

II. Introduction

Thesis: While there is a greater understanding of Islamic teachings and beliefs in the Western world now than during the dawn of the 21st century, especially in regards to Islam’s intersection with Christianity and Judaism, there is still much confusion over the role of the modern Muslim, particularly in America.

III. BODY

A. Teachings/Beliefs

1. Since, like most widely practiced religions, Islam is based on an ancient text, there has been a need to re-interpret the teachings of the Qu’ran for modern times. Tradition vs. reform (Taji-Farouki, 2004).

2. Role of women was always important in the Islamic faith, but the rise of feminism and so-called “Moderate Islam” has helped rewrite their role, allowing for fairer treatment.

3. More public figures promote what’s considered a moderate view of Islam, more practical for modern times while still retaining values inherent to the religion as seen in the Golden Age of Islam (Gross, 2012).

B. Intersection w/Christianity and Judaism

1. The role of religion in modern society is shifting, but in the media, the loudest voices are Christians. Viral Reza Aslan video shows this – lots of misinterpretation.

2. The three religions aren’t that different, all Abrahamic and monotheistic, with many of the same values (Gardner, 2000).

3. Interreligious dialogue must happen in order to move past isolation and radicalization (Segaert & Timmerman, 2007).

C. Modern Islam Worldwide

1. The Western World. “For the West, much of the history of Islam has been obscured behind a veil of fear and misunderstanding” (Gardner, 2000).

2. Greater acceptance is on the way but still difficult since the rise of Islamic extremist organizations. (Schaebler & Stenberg, 2004)

3. The Eastern World. Discuss the Arab Spring and rise of Muslims who decry Islamic extremism. Middle East is a hotbed of activity and gets unfairly stigmatized (Mernissi, 2002).

4. Recent problems involving Muslim extremists still crop up (al-Shabbab/al-Qaeda aiding in the Syrian revolution, Nairobi mall incident).

D. Modern Islam in America

1. Islam faces the biggest uphill battle in America by far. Even though findings show most American Muslims are mainstream and moderate, nearly a quarter of the public believes extremism is the norm (Conan, 2011).

2. Cultural ostracization is still the norm but becoming less common as a greater understanding of what the religion is all about begins to permeate the public dialogue. Articulation of values is of utmost importance (Webb, 2011; Lyden, 2012).

References

Conan, N. (2011, September 8). How being Muslim in America has changed since 9/11. NPR. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2011/09/08/140297257/how-being-muslim-in-america-has-changed-since-9-11

Gardner, R.H. (2000). Islam: empire of faith [Television series] Arlington: PBS.

Gross, T. (2012, May 9). Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf: Creating a new vision of Islam in America. NPR. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2012/05/09/152192549/creating-a-new-vision-of-islam-in-america

Lyden, J. (2012, March 28). Are Muslims treated as outsiders in their own country? NPR. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2012/03/28/149531711/are-muslims-treated-as-outsiders-in-their-own-country

Mernissi, F. (1992). Islam and democracy: fear of the modern world (M.J. Lakeland, Trans.). (2002 ed.). Cambridge: Basic Books.

Schaebler, B., & Stenberg, L. (Eds.). (2004). Globalization and the Muslim world: Culture, religion, and modernity. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press.

Taji-Farouki, S. (Ed.). (2004). Modern Muslim intellectuals and the Qu'ran. New York: Oxford University Press.

Timmerman, C., & Segaert, B. (Eds.). (2007). How to conquer the barriers to international dialogue: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Brussels: Peter Lang.

Webb, S. (2011). Islam in America. University of Maryland law journal of race, religion, gender, and class, 11(1), 81-88. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1192