October 22nd Readings

I am excited to learn about Islam and the Middle East because in all honesty, it is a religion and region of the world that I don’t know very much about. So far, the readings have been interesting, and I already know more than I ever have based on the little we’ve done with the unit thus far. To begin, in the prologue of No god but God, the author explained how the prejudices, misconceptions, and hostility between the West and the Middle East wasn’t necessarily rooted in cultural differences as many may believe, but rather in religion differences. He phrased this as a “clash of monotheisms” (Aslan xxi). But, as comparisons between Christianity and Islam can reveal, the two religions have similar beliefs from similar histories and mythologies. So, it seems surprising that so much violence and fear can be formed against a people that are seemingly so closely related through religion. But the book also brought up the important idea that monotheisms breed absolutism when a passion is present, which is why history is repeating itself today. The Cairo House also had an interesting prologue about how humans can act as chameleons. She explained how the change can occur at an airport whether it be an international or domestic flight. The change can even occur from person to person in one’s life depending on what the relationship between them consists of. I think this is something than all humans participate in regardless of culture or background and I know that I do this all the time.