GHS208-05 Fall 2019 China and the Islamic Middle East

On the 17th of October, a few classmates and I journeyed to the Indianapolis Museum of Art to see some of the exhibits that expressed Asian culture and art as well as art from the related time period. I had never been to the IMA before and it was extremely fascinating. The garden area was huge and beautiful and the exhibits were spectacular. The one exhibit that was the closest relation to class was a Samurai exhibit that held a private collection of all sorts of ancient Japanese artifacts along with the history of the different objects. This exhibit was connected to an exhibit that displayed ancient Chinese artifacts, such as silverware and clay pots and pans, most of which were from the Ming dynasty. There was a really neat piece from the Oriental period which I thought was fitting for our course so I will attach a photo of that as well as a photo of one of the Samurai uniforms from the Japanese exhibit.

On Sunday, October 27th, one of the most powerful leaders of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed in an operation by the United States. I first read about the operation in this news article in the Associated Press: https://www.apnews.com/2c2c48e64f934d329c72a7af3dc284b1 The article talks about who al-Baghdadi was, he was one of the most powerful leaders of IS and has been the top leader for the past five years. He is responsible for the cultivation of the legacy of beheadings and the attacks in Europe. The United States started planning this operation several weeks ago, trying to find his location out from captured prisoners and others in the region. His whereabouts were found out by his brother-in-law, and then US troops were sent on the ground and eventually chased him into a tunnel where he detonated a suicide vest that he was wearing. This event is huge in international relations and counterterrorism. People do not know how detrimental this attack will be in trying to completely diminish ISIS, but without their leader, there are hopes that the group, that has been shrinking for a couple of years, will completely stop. The reason that I am writing this as a blog post is that ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, is based on the goal of creating a pure Islamic State. I thought that this article is beneficial in the class discussion of how extremist groups affect the reputation of certain religious groups. Since the rise of ISIS, I believe that the Islamic religion has been seen as much more aggressive and is now associated with terrorism- which is not true.

Out the readings in the Qur’an that we had to do for class, I actually was able to read some of the Surah’s in-depth at my ICR site. We deeply analyzed a couple of Surahs with one of the Sunday school teachers. I thought I would share what I learned from her in this blog post about Surah 1, which is called “The Prologue”. This Surah is the opening prayer and is one of the most important Surah’s to know within the religion (or at least that is what the Mosque I volunteer at follows). This is the Surah talks about some of the fundamental and most important beliefs of Islam. The Surah starts with “All praise be to Allah”- which means that all praise and prayer is going to Allah, who is the god of Islam. It then goes to talk about how good Allah is, saying he is the “most beneficent, ever-merciful”. It then talks about how to follow Allah who will “guide us to the path that is straight” and to not follow others. This opening prayer is to show the importance of Allah and who he is, and how important it is to follow Allah and Allah only. It also talks about if people do praise and follow Allah will be on the correct path in life. This is the Surah that I wrote on the board for the children to memorize, and they have to know word for word because of how important this Surah is in Islam.

This Friday was my second time at the IPS newcomer program and I was able to experience and learn so much more. I was placed in Mr. S’s science classroom. The students were learning about the solar system and planets. The students in the first class were still in the very beginning stages of learning the English language so a lot of the time was spent working with them to make sure that they not only understand the reading they were assigned but also understand what is being asked of them. Most of the students spoke Spanish so they relied on each other to work through the homework, however, there were 2 students in the class who spoke a different language. I focused a lot of my attention on the students who did not speak Spanish because they had no companions to rely on due to the language barrier, they couldn’t even rely on each other because they had no way of verbally communicating.

I began to reflect on how non-English speakers must feel in everyday situations such as going to the grocery store, the bank, or work. I do not speak any Spanish and I felt like an outsider in the classroom because I could not understand what the students were saying. Language and communication are so important for inclusion. I realized that this classroom is probably one of the only places where the students feel empowered because they have other classmates they can rely on who understand them. I feel like this classroom creates a spirit of camaraderie for the students as they all work together to learn the language. Camaraderie and community are so important in a learning environment because they create a feeling of security that facilitates openness to learning.

During the second class period, I was able to work with older students who were more advanced English speakers. They did not need much help in understanding their homework, but they did need more practice with everyday conversation. My role was to engage the students who finished their homework in conversation. This was really fun and interesting because I was able to learn more about the students’ lives apart from school. I learned about their likes and dislikes, the country which they came from, and their families. The students were also very interested to learn about me and about Butler University. This was a nice break for the teacher who could focus more on helping out with homework where needed while I encouraged the other students to practice their English instead of resorting back to Spanish. In the beginning, the students were very shy and did not know how to approach me, however, once I showed a genuine interest in they became more and more excited. One student even wrote me a nice note! I think this experience really showed me how feeling uncomfortable can come off as looking unapproachable. Many times I find myself avoiding someone in the room who is standing off to the side because I feel like they are choosing to not interact with anyone, however many times that person is looking for a person who is more comfortable in the setting to approach them!

Overall, I think that the most important thing we can do as humans is to keep an eye out for those who might be new to a setting that we’re already comfortable in and to check in with them. It is always nice to feel included and cared about by other people!

Surprisingly,  I have enjoyed reading this book!!! Reason why I’m surprised is because it isn’t anything like The Bridesgroom, which I enjoyed a lot. This book isn’t fictional and gives the history on the origins and evolution on faith as it relates to Islam. So far in the first two chapters I have gotten a deeper insight on the story and process to Muhammad as it connects to him being a prophet. I am not familiar with a lot of the Islamic culture, traditions, and religious readings people follow. However, I am looking forward to discovering new information in this reading, as well as, hearing about the information/experience those who go to the mosque for their ICR.

After some research I found this website, which goes into similar detail on Muhammad the prophet. In addition, this site is about “The Met,” which is a place found in New York. There are three in total located in New York and all have various exhibits/artifacts/readings on cultures around the world. It would be really interesting if we could have a guest speaker or another lunch in to talk with someone who can give some information more on the culture that cant be found in a book. Plus, here is a cool page on some interesting facts just for fun (since its a new unit ya know)!!!!

Wednesday- I always find the joy of still going because its always something new when I get there. This week the topic for english class is about gender and the stereotypes types put on them. Examples for males was masculine, strong, tall, sports, and not being sensitive to anything/expressing emotions. Examples for females was feminine, polite, “stay at home mom,” plays with dolls, and being dramatic. These stereotypical labels have been put on both genders for years or enforced by various parents.

However, today we say girls and boys can be who they want to be, play with whatever they want, dress anyway, get a degree, and any career. It shows how much we have come along the way because not since maybe late 2014 till now genders have been able to express how they want too. Furthermore, there are more genders people identify as other than their biological gender, such as transgenders. I remember watching a story a couple years ago about a kid who was a boy but only wanted to be a girl. His parents let him express himself by letting him dress up as princesses and wear clothes people would label for girls. The part of the story that shocked me was when it was around halloween time and the boy and mother were shopping for a costume for him. The young boy picked out a princess costume and a mother nearby approached them and said she shouldn’t allow him to dress like a girl because he is a boy. Which was very harsh to watch because he was standing right there as the other mother shamed him for trying to identify as something society didn’t approve of back then. Today, there are support groups and society has shifted that boys can be sensitive too, girls can play sports, and people can identify their gender in various ways. Although, I am unfamiliar with the view on different gender identities in other cultures. In this article, illustrates how someone identifying differently is viewed different and on how they feel when in the United states or homeland , when entering a mosque.

Next class was math advisory, the assignment/worksheet handed out continued the unit on calculating volume but with larger and different shapes. Sometimes this really tests my basic math skills learned in middle school. Anyways, I was able to explain to a couple students on how to approach the problem and how to multiple double digit numbers. I enjoy math advisory since its way more hands on than english. Furthermore, Mr. G plays music during this time since its more like a study hall with a class assignment. One female student asked me what type of music I enjoyed and I listed some genres. She then proceeded to put on of those genres but in spanish. It was a pretty good song! Even though, I can slid by in conversing with students in spanish I couldn’t comprehend the words since I struggle when the language is spoke rapidly. But my spanish gets better  not only for my spanish class but every time I go back to IPS Newcomer. The ability to speak in another language to converse with others is so much fun. Being able to reply in spanish to students who do not know english at IPS-Newcomer makes them feel more comfortable, and welcomed to be in class.

I found this recent video which show a woman’s soccer match and how the other component’s hijab started to fall off, while trying to get the ball from the other team. The opposite team around her ran and formed a tight circle around her to make sure she was hidden and protected while she fixed her hijab. Watching this video made me so happy to see the respect people have for one another no matter the scenario, especially when it comes to religion. The surrounding team expressed sportsmanship, respect, and a simple act of kindness, to make sure this woman was not embarrassed or scared. I have known from prior education the importance of covering women’s hair with a hijab and the privacy it gives to a woman. Very nice to see women come and support one another!

The information from the prior reading of Cairo House mentioned traditions as they come into play with daily life routines (prayers, sacrifices, etc.). Moreover, I did not know how more laid back following some of these traditions were, for example, when she mentioned missing some morning prayers due to oversleeping. I was shocked she wasn’t panicking, scared, or have a punishment. We are often told dramatized statements on traditions of other cultures. I feel as if we were more educated and open-minded to finding the truth about these traditions we wouldn’t assume. As well as, if people were to converse more with other people of different cultures they can get a real insight and education on that culture. Also, this would cut back on the teasing and stereotypes put on a lot of cultures.

When we were talking in class we were talking about how you can’t tell someone’s religious background from just looking at them, this got me thinking of famous athletes that are Muslim! One of the most popular people I found was Mike Tyson! I’m sure all of you have at least heard of him! If you haven’t heard of him, he was one of the best boxers ever! According to research he converted to Islam while he was in prison, and has been practicing ever since. “I’m very grateful to be a Muslim. Allah doesn’t need me, I need Allah.”- Tyson in a Fox interview in 2013. He has also been very active in speaking out against Islamic extremists, “Religion is not bad. It’s people that make religion bad”-Tyson.

I thought it was super interesting to learn this about one of the most famous athletes! It’s funny how we praise people for their athletic capabilities but we tend to not know much else about them as people, we are just familiar with their athletic performance. I didn’t know this until doing some research, now when I see other famous athletes I might do some more research on them, just so I know more about them as a person not just an athlete!

I actually really like religion, having a belief in something greater, a guidebook for life and having an established moral compass that generally adheres to the culture in which you are born (generally). Religion helps nations establish laws, determine what is good or evil and to some extent helps better design a nation if founded and designed with a religious aspect to it. religion in any form can be a marvelous attribute to society.

But, I still dislike it. What I consider great about religion can also create a rift between nations or people who have different religious beliefs. The two largest murderers of human history has been Religion, and Government, when zealously combined they can become the most dangerous concept man has ever created.

When I look at the three Abrahamic religions I see more absolutism when it comes to religion and government. Compared to the eastern religions that too have strong religious to government ties but I wonder why one region and religious group has become more violent than the other. Though I know it has happened Confucius, Taoist, and Buddhist ideas have lead to less death and destruction by themselves than Christianity, Judaism and Islam. All 6 religions actually have many overlapping ideas but why the violence? The only thing I can really see that differentiates them is the belief in a slightly different God, maybe because the 3 Abrahamic religions are so similar the differences become highlighted whereas in the eastern religions the beliefs seem more in contrast, yet because it is clear they are different there is less violent debate as to who is right.

I guess a simple example would be dog people and cat people, Dog people know dogs are the best and do not even care that cat people exist, and vice versa. Who cares right? just don’t touch my dog. But, if we look within the dog community there is much more debate about what kind of dog is the best, Is it the Hound dog with its hunting and tracking skills, or the Shepard dogs for their ability to help in keeping flocks together or maybe its the Maltese for its cuddling and comfort abilities. that may be a extremely simple comparison but i think one for simplifying the differences in eastern religions and Abrahamic religions that can help us understand why so much bloodshed exists in the Middle East, where the bloodshed is less prominent in the East Asian regions.

In class today when we were talking about creating a website, it was mentioned how this assignment could end up helping society. Then censorship in china was brought up, which made me want to do more research about the degree of censorship that is currently going on and how the people in china are trying to get through it.

The research I did led me to this article by the New York Times, which talks about the people who work to censor the internet. People are trained on what to look for, so they can know what to block. These people scan the internet for hours to find code words, memes, and hidden language or symbols that the Chinese government doesn’t want people to be able to read about. These people work for companies, because they want people on the lookout so they can stay on the good side of the government. Since the government expects these companies to censor themselves the companies panic and hire thousands of people to censor content.

Having this big need for people working in the censorship field has created a booming industry, creating censorship factories. Although their job is just sitting behind a computer all day their job has high stakes, if they miss just one post there could be negative ramifications.

If you get the chance to check out this article, it’s a good read. It’ll help you gain some perspective, and really be thankful for the freedoms we have here in the U.S.