Islam: a Religion of Peace and Community Essay Sample

As I stepped into the place. I instantly began to experience welcomed. I entered the place of the parents of one of my wife’s pupils to larn about their civilization. Having an involvement in larning more about Islam and Muslims. I had arranged to run into and sit down for an eventide in an unfastened treatment about both our civilizations and faiths. I wanted cognize how they were the same. and how they differed. This was the start to a long. deep. and one of the most interesting conversations I have had in a long clip. We started with the exports of Morocco. its adjacent states. and who had controlled it. Our treatment expanded and evolved to include subjects such as the beginning of bondage and how it related to the Bible. the 5 pillars of the Islamic beliefs. and the beginning of the name America. Equally good as many more subjects that twisted. turned. came back. and seemed to take on a life of their ain.

As I met Saliem at his door the first thing I noticed was he didn’t suit the “typical” Muslim profile as represented in the media. The chief difference being he was Afro-american. I knew that many Muslims and people of the Islamic religion were non all Arabic but this still caught me a spot off guard. He greeted me and took my coat and chapeau before ask foring me to the life room to run into his married woman. Manana. Siting down I opened with the rudimentss of the assignment and what I was trusting to larn. I wanted to larn. and experience every bit much of their civilization as I could in this one eventide. I let them cognize that I knew a spot about their faith from speaking to a trainer I had had a few old ages back. and a few speedy Google hunts I did to acquire the rudimentss. We started with discoursing Morocco. where Manana is from. and how they met. I was surprised to happen out that Saliem met Manana’s male parent on his Hajj. a spiritual pilgrim’s journey that is one of their five pillars. When he mentioned he was looking for a married woman. Manana’s male parent said he had a girl at place for him. Saliem did non take him earnestly but make up one’s minding to look him up on a return visit. On this return visit he ended up run intoing his lovely married woman.

At this point in our treatment I experienced one of our civilization differences and one that about clashed with my spiritual beliefs. Manana served us tea that she had prepared along with some biscuits and little cocoa cookies. In my faith. frequently referred to as Mormonism. it is out to imbibe tea. The exclusion is herbal teas. Do I hazard offended them so early in our meeting by declining the tea? She had merely explained that in their civilization you ne’er allow a invitee leave without giving them something to eat. Even if all you have to portion is a piece of toast. The tea smelled lightly of batch and after a spot off speaking she confirmed it was made with batch foliages. With an inward suspiration of alleviation I took my first sip. thankful to hold avoided holding to decline her offer.

Our treatment continued and shortly I had gotten even more so I had expected. Having expected to come over and larn merely about the Muslim civilization. I was besides treated to larning about black civilization. With this being Martin Luther King Day. there could non hold been a better twenty-four hours for it. We begin to speak about how faith played a function in bondage. Most the slaves brought over were Islamic and subsequently converted to Christianity and so told that it was God who said they were inferior. This was a agencies to command the slaves. unable to read or compose. they could non seek out the Bibles for themselves. The treatment continued along these lines for a long piece before being tied back into the Koran and their beliefs. We spoke of how Mohamed taught that all work forces and adult females were created equal. This was about 1200 old ages before the United States declared it in there fundamental law. It would be many more old ages before the United States really set this into patterns.

We talked long into the dark. As we spoke I learned a many great things about their civilization and faith every bit good as expanded thoughts about my ain. I learned how. like my ain faith. they have a great sense of community. Muslims actualy regard adult females. alternatively of how the media portrays them repressing them. I learned that at its nucleus. Islam is a faith of peace. It is a faith of balance and non of extremes. The Muslims we frequently see on the intelligence and read about in the paper are those that live in those extremes. and as such. are non following their beliefs. The Muslims respect other faiths ; they owe their start to Christians. who gave them safe seaport when they were persecuted. They believe in one God. fasting. supplication. and charity. These along with Hajj are the five pillars of their religion. They believe many of the same things my ain faith Teachs. There is a transition from some of my ain Bibles known as the Pearl of Great Price which states “We believe in being honest. true. chaste. benevolent. virtuous. and making good to all work forces ; so. we may state that we follow the warning of Paul-We believe all things. we hope all things. we have endured many things. and hope to be able to digest all things. If there is anything virtuous. lovely. or of good study or applaudable. we seek after these things. ” This transition non merely sums up the basic beliefs of my faith. but theirs every bit good. demoing that we are non all that different after all.