Author: kpenry

The last task I was presented with for my ICR final project assigned by the IACA prompted me to create a public service announcement that would focus on the importance of empathy and understanding during the current pandemic. I was also asked to discuss ways in which misinformation relevant to our unique situation can be disputed. Recently, I have seen many public service type announcements that focus in on many different aspects of the pandemic. My goal was to create a short announcement that would encompass several of the main points needed in order to make informed decisions during the difficult time. The outline that I used while creating my public service announcement is included below:

During this unprecedented and uncertain time, we must stay informed on important information shared with us about COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus. We need to be aware of the facts and necessary steps we must take in order to protect our families and those around us.

With the recommendation by President Trump for Americans to shelter in place, we must have empathy given the current global pandemic that we are currently experiencing. Medical professionals are working around the clock to treat patients with the coronavirus, and medical researchers are working hard to test medications, create vaccines, and track data on patient treatments, as well as their outcomes. We must have empathy as we experience this pandemic and do our best to follow the guidelines that are set forth.

Even if you are not worried about your own health and safety, we must realize the impact that this can have on others, if we don’t follow the guidelines put in place. For individual’s with compromised immune systems, the elderly, and young children, the virus can be detrimental to their health. It is therefore important to be considerate of the lives’ around you at all times.

There are many things we need to consider when going out into public. Keep in mind the difference between essential and non-essential needs. When you must go out, please keep a minimum distance of six feet between yourself and those around you. Important items to have with you at all times when you are out in public include: hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, a mask, and gloves (if you choose). It is wise to shop early and take advantage of any early shopping hours provided for the elderly or immunocompromised. When returning home with your essential items, it is crucial to take the necessary precautions in order to protect your household. It is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (also known as the CDC) that you wipe down groceries with a disinfectant wipe before using. For those who choose to support local restaurants during this time, it is important to follow the previously recommended guidelines. Medical research has shown that hot meals are less likely to harbor the coronavirus, and experts suggest reheating the food if concerned, as the virus cannot maintain itself in high temperatures. If possible, it is best to take advantage of online shopping and delivery services for essential items.

Given the circumstances, we must realize that we will be exposed to several opposing viewpoints through social media, news outlets, and our friends and family. Keep in mind that some information shared may be deceiving. Following the guidelines from the CDC, as well as from the World Health Organization, is key to staying informed on the facts. Although this is a challenging time for society as a whole, it is important to remember that there are many people who are fighting for their lives, while many of us are still in the comfort of our own homes. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay informed, and most likely follow the guidelines.

COVID-19 has majorly impacted the world, in more ways than one. Countries as a whole have went to shelters in place, and the global economy has taken a major hit. Even though many workers have began returning to work, things do not look promising yet. Personally, I am not sure that things will ever fully return to normal. After learning more about the impacts that COVID-19 currently has on Chinese individuals and restaurants, many of my concerns were amplified. I was therefore motivated to look further into the change in China’s international perception as a result.

In San Francisco, California, many reports have shown the negative impacts that COVID-19 has had on their Asian population. Studies have shown that people of Asian descent, Chinese Americans included, have been “shunned, verbally abused, named-called, coughed and spat on, even physically assaulted” (USA Today). Hate crimes and harassment related to the pandemic unfortunately span far beyond the borders of California and even the United States. However, it is important to reflect on the actual issue at hand; COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, is not a result of actions taken by Chinese Americans nor the entire Chinese population.

Similarly, statistics reported on business shutdowns as a result of the pandemic show the effect that it has had on Chinese restaurants. According to a CNN Business article written by Chauncey Alcorn, “59% of independent Chinese restaurants across America have completely stopped taking debit and credit card transactions” as stated by data subscription service Womply (CNN Business). This indicates that operations are currently ceased. It was therefore stated that without the help of targeted government intervention, many Chinese restaurants will not be able to survive.

After discovering the harsh reality that Chinese Americans are now living in daily, I was interested in looking at the broader evolving perception of China as a whole. Internationally, there are many different factors that influence how others may view Chinese nationals and dependents. Some of these factors may include, but are not limited to, political motive, economic interest, and environmental impact. Instead of focusing briefly on several varying opinions and perceptions, I decided to look deeper into the specific ways in which the United States’ mindset has been altered.

The current pandemic has brought to light many negative perspectives that some Americans may possess. Major news channels have been reporting on several different theories, while social media is continually exposing information that they believe to be true. By publicly declaring information to be fact before having access to all of the particulars, conflicting viewpoints are now rampant. Economically, sources show that Americans now view the United States as “the world’s leading economic power” (Pew Research). With this in mind, it can be expected that negative perceptions will continue to therefore shift internationally traded commodities to more domestically made products. Unfortunately, this will ultimately impact China’s workforce, economy, and unemployment rates.

While it is hard to look past the realities associated with our current situation, I have gained an increase in understanding and awareness for the difficulties that both Chinese Americans and China face daily. In the upcoming weeks, it will be important for the United States to open up our own economy and keep in mind the harsh realities that others will still be facing.

While reading No god but God, I was intrigued by many of the particular statements Aslan made. Aslan’s perspective on Islam in chronological order provided me with an understanding like no other. From this reading, I have gained an interesting perspective on Islam as a whole that I will carry with me outside of this class.

Although Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all have many monotheistic commonalities, Aslan points out from the beginning that they are constantly and wrongfully portrayed in very different ways. In hopes of breaking away from many of these misunderstandings, Aslan points out that Muslims do believe that Jesus was an important spiritual leader and messenger. The key difference is in Christianity’s supplemental belief that Jesus is the Son of God. Through explaining this in relation to the concept of jihad, I gained a better understanding for jihad as simply striving for what is just. Although extremist groups have taken this concept out of perspective, Aslan focused in on the importance of understanding its true meaning.

Additionally, I gained a lot of insight from Aslan’s perspective on Muslim woman within the modern era. Within chapter three of No god but God, Aslan discusses Muhammad’s approach to marriage. During Muhammad’s time in Medina, he was married to a total of nine different woman. Eventually, Muhammad’s wives began wearing a veil to signify their relationship with him. I was most surprised after learning that Muhammad had married some woman who were not Muslim. However, Aslan continues to point out Muhammad’s exemplar of both a compassionate and family style union. Muslim women and families are now guided by many of Muhammad’s foundational principles.

For my ICR this semester, I partnered with the Indianapolis Association of Chinese Americans (IACA). While on campus, we were able to learn more about their organization as a whole. Both Kwan and Benny provided us with an insight into their own lives as well. Through chatting with both of them, I learned a lot about what it has been like for them to live within Indianapolis themselves. I was inspired by their motivation to really learn about and get involved in the culture they currently live in. Although I am greatly saddened by the fact that we are not able to complete the rest of our ICR hours on campus, I found the first part of our ICR final project to be quite interesting. I enjoyed the opportunity to give back to the IACA in a way that can hopefully provide incoming Butler University students with the same experiences that I was able to have while patterning with them myself. While creating this flyer for the IACA, I did my best to exhibit the opportunities that I had encountered in the hope that it would convince someone else to do the same.

As an Actuarial Science major, I had an initial interest the significance of Islamic finance. Reflecting upon Sharia Law therefore led me to research its usefulness and the substantial differences between conventional finance practices still used to this day. Unlike its conventional counterparts, Islamic finance is governed by Islamic Law in addition to the finance industry. As a result of the controversy this therefore created, Islamic finance was suppressed for several decades; prior to making its modern appearance in the early 1970s.

The foundation of Islamic finance is centered upon the idea that “Allah is the owner of all wealth in the world, and humans are merely its trustees.” This understanding provides the establishment of Islamic finance’s distinct core principles. Foremost, Islamic beliefs adhere to the ideas of a free – market economy. Muslims believe that by prohibiting the government to dictate supply and demand, they are advocating for social justice. Other key principles that Islamic finance adheres to includes, but is not limited to: prohibiting interest, avoiding gambling, and abstaining from investments involving prohibited industries (Jamaldeen).

Within the United States, church closures have been widespread as a result of COVID-19. Many churches and religious organizations have therefore turned to online forms of worship in order to fill the void that has occurred as a result. Although this unexpected change has been hard, it appears as if most Christians (including myself) have adapted appropriately. That being said, I was interested in gaining a deeper understanding for how this has impacted Muslims, and Islam as a whole, throughout the world. Through reading Shaykh Sajid Umar’s article Closing Mosques – Islamic Justifications for Coronavirus Lockdowns, I learned a lot about Islam through their response to this current crisis.

Umar began by acknowledging that this is the first time that the world’s mosques have been closed to the public since Bilāl, a Sahabah of Muhammad, had initially raised the call to prayer. This initial doing was over 1400 years ago. This unprecedented motion is therefore seen by many Muslims as a despiteful action by Shaytān. According to my research, Shaytān is most commonly transcribed as being a devil like spirit or jinn. I found this reflection to be very insightful and revealing. Although as a Christian it is very unfortunate that we aren’t able to have regular religious gatherings at this time, my first reaction isn’t to blame satan for “hijacking” life as we know it. Additionally, Umar commented heavily on the way of the Sharia. Within our previous in-class discussion on “Sharia Law,” I gained a better understanding of its meaning, as well as its close relation to beliefs found within both the Qur’an and Hadith. According to the Sharia, preservation of life holds great value. Within the Hadith, the profit is reported to have said: “If you hear of a disease outbreak in a land, do not go there, and if you are there during an outbreak, then do not flee from it” (Umar). Both of these revelations ultimately do support the Islamic jurisdiction’s decision.

With all of the changes that COVID-19 has brought to our everyday lives, it was inevitable to dismiss that celebrating Easter would look a little different this year. As a Christian, Easter is arguably the biggest celebration within the Church along with Christmas. Throughout learning about Islam this semester, I have noticed many commonalities between my own religion, Christianity, and Islam. I was still surprised however to learn that many Muslims also relate to the purpose and representation that Easter holds.

Frasat Ahmad, an American Muslim, begins his personal account by acknowledging that Muslims don’t technically celebrate Easter. However, Ahmad still sympathizes and relates to the many changes that are happening within the church. Although Muslim’s don’t believe that Jesus is the literal son of God, they do believe that he is a “metaphoric son of God,” as are all prophets within their eyes. Surprisingly, both religions also believe that Christ will appear once again. That being said, Ahmad’s perspective on Christianity in comparison to Islam provided me with a deeper understanding that brings many of the concepts I have learned throughout this semester into full circle. Ahmad’s purpose was primarily to break down judgment and barriers with the hope of directing our focus solely onto the importance of community during this indescribably time. In conclusion to the many connections Ahmad made, he focused in on Matthew 22:39 to drive his point home; “love your neighbor as yourself.” Within this confusing time we are in today, it is important to keep in mind the ways in which we can live with intention. By staying inside and watching church services from the convenience of our homes, we can actually be seen as doing society a greater good. Similarly, Ahmad brings to light one of the many ways in which Islam has been serving those around them as well. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has partnered with the American Red Cross to “combat the severe shortage of blood donations.” Throughout the craziness of today, I find it calming to know that Americans have united together in order to conquer the inevitable.

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to learn about a traditional practice that has taken place in China for centuries from Kwan, a Chinese American. During our hour of instruction and practice, I gained a better understanding of how the lion dance is performed. Although it may seem easy from the perspective of an outsider, Kwan informed us of the difficulty and art that truly goes into this short performance. Traditionally, the lion dance is executed by two partners; many of the skilled performers have practiced this form of art with the same partner for upwards of a decade. Although this level of performance would take us years to master, in just an hour myself, along with five other Butler students, were able to learn the basics. After our hour of practice, I was curious as to what historical significance this tradition had within China. I therefore took the initiative to research some of these larger questions.

The tradition itself can be traced all the way back to 220 B.C., when humans would wear bear skin masks to dance. Early versions of the Han dynasty texts introduce the use of the word lion and its significance within Central Asia. Afterwards, there was a split between the northern and southern lion. The southern lion, which is believed to have originated from Guangzhou, best resembles the lion that we traditionally see used within the Chinese lion dance today.

China’s communistic practices have isolated Christianity from all aspects of their daily lives. Their current regimen has taken extreme measures to even arrest those who are apart of any religiously affiliated online chat group. As a Christian myself, I found it quite difficult to imagine living in a country where my religion was outlawed. However, this is a reality that Chinese Christians have to face every day.

Within college campuses specifically, Chinese authorities have been vigorously monitoring online activity from students. A group of fifty students from a college located in the eastern province of Shandong were summoned after internet police suspected that they had Christian affiliations (Zhang Feng). Currently, this involvement can be punishable with imprisonment. Although their offenses were not enough to place them in prison, their participation did lead them to intense interrogation and penalizations from the government. They were forced to answer questions about their fellow group members’ levels of involvement and attend specific anti-religion classes created by the authorities. Students involved were then subject to cancellation of scholarships and grants. Eventually, they were all pressured into fully giving up their previous religious beliefs.

Some of the students penalized later reported that they were still unaware of how their previous religious affiliations had been discovered, as nothing had been explicitly mentioned within their online chat group. Although before researching this subject matter I had originally believed that I would still be able to live out my faith silently as a Chinese citizen, I know have started to realize that it would not be this easy. Chinese authorities have clearly intensified their search for identifying “undercover” Christians.

Recently, the coronavirus gained additional attention as the death toll in China reached 1,106; 108 of these deaths have taken place within the last twenty four hours. That being said, a lot of the news coverage has been focused solely on the epidemic at hand and the disease itself. Outside of the obvious however, the coronavirus has impacted several other aspects of daily life. The Chinese economy, as well as the global economy, is being negatively impacted by this outbreak.

With one of the “world’s largest economies” being idle at the moment (The New York Times), the economy as a whole is at risk. When businesses and factories were initially shut down, it was assumed that things would have begun to reopen by now. But given their indolence, there is now worry that this may be an ongoing ordeal. It has therefore been predicted that production as a whole will begin to decline in the foreseeable future. That being said, trade has already been negatively affected; even before businesses recently began running out of parts and manufacturing necessities, countries were hesitant to continue interacting with the previously active supply chain that China has played a big part in because of the risk associated with the coronavirus.

Within China specifically, inflation has been pushed to an eight-year high (The New York Times). Although this is mainly to an increase in food prices, as it has been especially difficult to maintain a sufficient amount of products within the current market, nonfood related prices have also rose slightly. Hopefully, the coronavirus will begin to decline within the upcoming weeks. If not, the economy will continue to suffer.