A (Hopefully) Unbiased Look at Islam

So a while back I was given a challenge to read more about the religion of Islam. The original challenge was to read the Hadiths, or traditions started or approved by Muhammad. In the process, I found an interestng book that I've felt worthwhile to use as a basis for my explanation of Islam and how it's used - and abused - the way I understand and view it.

What I've found is a sort of "question and answer" session with Georgetown University Professor John Esposito, in book form, called What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam.

In the book, he goes into a number of things about the religion of Islam. The parts that appear to get the most praise are those that cover the more "mundane" aspects, such as origin, rituals, and rules of Islam. For the scope of this blog, this is pretty much exactly what I didn't know I was looking for.

The topic in the blog that started this whole thing was along the lines of Islam's similarities to Christianity and Judaism. My original assertion was that there are fundamentally few differences between Judeo-Christianity and Islam, and so far, there hasn't been much, if anything, that has been able to dispute that. So, finding this book, which I will more than likely reference a number of times, especially when its author, a specialist in the study of Islam, continues to reassert the similarities and connections between Islam and Christianity, was certainly intriguing. While most of the following is based on what I read from that book, it is also supplimented with research from other sources, which are cited throughout the text (though the Qur'an citations are simply noted by their chapter and verse).

How Islam relates to Judeo-Christianity

Islam, Christianity, and Judaism are all what are called Abrahamic religions. They are called such because they all worship the god of Abraham. In other words, Yaweh, Allah, and Jehovah (and whatever else you want to call him) are all the same being. The New Testament refers back to the Old Testament, and the Qur'an refers back to the Bible, both do so a number of times.

In fact, the Qur'an specifically states "Say, We believe in God, and in what has been revealed to us, and in what has been sent down to Abraham and Ismail and Isaac and Jacob and their offspring, and what has been revealed to Moses and Jesus and to all the prophets of our Lord. We make no distinction between them and we submit to Him and Obey." (3:84)

"..what has been sent to Abraham...and Issac and Jacob...what has been revealed to Moses and Jesus..." Well, now, those names sound familiar, don't they? That's because Islam and the Qur'an regard the Jews and Christians as "People of the Book," or those that have seen and believed the books (the Torah and the Bible) that God has revealed to them through their prophets (Moses and Jesus, respectively). Or, it used to, anyway. Conflicts since the time of Muhammad and early Islam have since changed the views both sides have on each other.

In short, Islam is to Christianity what Christianity is to Judiasm. It basically builds on what the other two already have, in much the same way Christianity builds on what Judiasm has in place.

The Taxes Imposed by the Muslims

One of the things that was brought up in the conversation was the fact that in the Muslim-dominated countries, the Jews and Christians were taxed. Yes, they were taxed, but this was during the late 10th century, when most conquerings resulted in "convert or die" ultimatums. In contrast, Christians and Jews were allowed to practice their own religions without fear of persecution. Christians and Jews were able to own land, as well as keep high-level positions, such as engineers and architects. Basically, they weren't as much "second-class citizens" as "second in command" in Muslim nations.

The Treatment of Women and the hijab

Another, rather large, matter that came up was the treatment of women. In the Middle East (as well as many American Muslims), it is generally traditional that women wear garments that cover most, if not all of their bodies and aren't form-fitting. The Qur'an and Hadiths mention covering everything but the face and hands in modesty not toward men, but toward God. This is interpreted in different ways, depending on the country (Wikipedia has some good pictures that show the different ways it's interpreted). For example, Afghanistani women are completely covered, while other countries only require the head scarf part. Men also have a basic dress code, though some people may consider it more lenient than that of women. In my opinion, it's simply different. For example, men cannot wear silk or gold, but women can. The differences between how much is covered is a political thing, not a religious thing, hence the differences between the countries.

Islam teaches that men and women are equal parts of a whole. Women cannot be inherently evil without men being inherently evil. In the eyes of God, every Muslim is a follower, a servant of God, regardless of gender. While it does distinguish the different roles (as with American and European traditional roles, the wife generally has the primary role of taking care of the family), Islam also permits women to work outside the home (so long as family needs are met), own property, and even vote. (Source)

Now, have been women been abused in the name of Islam? Certianly, just as women have been abused in the name of Christianity. The question is, does the Qur'an (or in Christianity's case, the Bible) condone this behavior? In both cases, the answer is accepted by scholars as a resounding "no."

Many (usually non-Muslims) believe that the hijab is oppression. Many modern Muslim women, on the other hand, find it the exact opposite. When interpreted as the entire outfit (ie - loose-fitting clothing that covers the body except for the hands and face), a woman is wearing comfortable clothing that allows her to move freely (the type of cloth, from what I've found, is not restricted to any certain kind, so long as it doesn't show anything off, so it doesn't have to be something like, say, wool). When dealing with others (specifically men), she does not have to worry about them paying more attention to her breasts (and whether or not they are larger than another woman's) than to what she's saying. (One of many sources)

Think about the stereotypical Western woman - tight pants or tight, high-cut skirt, tight shirt or tank top that she nearly falls out of, 6" stillettos, some hairstyle that probably uses a good amount of gel and/or hairspray, and half a pound of makeup. Don't believe me? Open a magazine (yes, I know, not all women dress like that; however, that is considered the bar for Western women, even by our own, regretful admission). Women in this country are often used as sex symbols. Women in the past have been considered property. If you are part of a religion that emphasizes submission (to God) and modesty, would you not want to set yourself apart from the others?

Islam 101 goes more into detail about the rights and privledges of Muslim women.

The Corruption of Islam

Like Christianity and Judiasm, Islam has been corrupted over time by the political powers that be and translations of the holy texts (though Islam has at least tried to keep the Qur'an from translation corruption by keeping it in the original language).

Seneca the Younger once stated, "Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful." I don't think you can get much more true about the last segment of that statement. Rulers have used the name of one religion or another for political gain. Constantine, among others, did it with Christianity and several rulers today are doing it with Islam.

One of the contentions I was faced with in the other blog was that Constantine and the other things done "in the name of Christianity" were done hundreds of years ago, while those doing the same things "in the name of Islam" are doing it today. The only difference is the timing. We are currently living in a time that will be looked back upon by those in the future as the time Islam went through a phase not unlike Christianity's "literal phase," where extremist leaders used a bastardized version of the religion to control people.

(Note: if you are of the Muslim faith and have found error in what I have posted here, by all means let me know. I am still learning about it and would like to learn more, especially from a Muslim's point of view.)