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When I read the paper over The New Renaissance a couple weeks ago it really didn’t stick out to me too much. I thought that the author had some interesting things to say and I especially was interested to see what he had to say about morality and the different virtues of the Muslim community compared to that of more western values. Even with his interesting points I wasn’t too big a fan of his paper at first because he really didn’t seem to accept that both Islamic and Western culture have their faults, but it still had enough interesting views to keep me interested. However, earlier this week in my class on environmental philosophy we discussed climate change in detail, and I saw a very interesting map that showed exactly which areas of the world would be most effected by climate change. Sure enough the middle was one of the top areas that was most likely to be negatively effected by climate change. After seeing this chart, I revisited the paper on The New Renaissance and the first half of it suddenly had a lot more meaning when I read it. In a specific section in the first half of his paper he speaks on the “failure of the west.” In this section he speaks on the failure of the social principles on which western society has been built. He speaks on how we are constantly pushing forward with not much of a care for others, constantly flooding the world with mechanical products. Now that I read that section with climate change in mind it has a lot more meaning to me. Most western countries are causing the vast majority of climate change, yet poorer areas of the world like the Middle East and India will suffer the most for it. Although the author might not have been thinking this exactly while writing his paper, I think that it is an interesting interpretation.

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.

This article is about Women and Islam

For women, there are multiple societies in the Muslim community which treat them differently. Since Islam spread around many different countries, those countries and their societies had different traditions. In some countries, women are treated with respect and will have a large role in society because that’s what life was like during ancient history. Especially in Egypt, their history involved having female leaders in charge. Some societies in their ancient history were more male-oriented, so women in those Muslim communities are getting the short end of the stick. Women are treated differently not based on the Muslim community, but based on the ancient history of each country.

In Turkey, women have been starting to cover up their heads more often now. This isn’t necessarily all because of their faith and dress code, but to be connected to other Muslims in different countries. The veiling isn’t just for covering the head, but it’s more of a lifestyle they try to live by. Women are supposed to act pure in the eye of the public. It symbolizes their modest behavior and a lifestyle they have to live by because of the stereotypical mannerism they should live by. This result has an effect also on men through their sexual self-control. Men control their sexuality through how the women cover themselves up. This allows women to live their lives in a somewhat cautious environment and this action shows men that they don’t have to rely on men.

The hijab has been a very popular symbol in the Islamic community with multiple meanings. The meaning of the hijab has changed from symbolizing modesty to now just justifying itself as the symbol with no clear meaning. The hijab has no hierarchy over the concept of modesty, so the hijab has different meanings when it comes to identity. The symbol restricts and explains the identity of Islamic women. The hijab is used to identify who is Islamic, but the hijab has no religious meaning itself, so its meaning is based on different interpretations. The hijab is also seen as a symbol of oppression yet also a symbol of liberation. If it’s used to show modesty, then wearing it will be very enforced from people inside and outside the Islamic community. People assume that if they don’t wear the hijab that they can’t fully be Islamic. The idea of using the hijab for identification is being spread across different point of views, so people might assume the hijab is oppressing women for forcing them to wear something to symbolize who they are and their beliefs. The idea of the hijab means many things, some good yet some bad depending on the individual.

I really enjoyed reading this article because I didn’t understand the importance of the hijab in the Islamic community for women. When I think of the hijab, I just think of it like one is wearing a cross around a neck or having a religious tattoo. It’s just something people show off to express their faith and beliefs. However, the hijab is different because it symbolizes much more than one’s religious beliefs. It symbolizes a lifestyle these women try to represent. It defines not just their belief, but who they are as people in terms of behavior and lifestyle. I learned that some things have hidden meanings behind what the general population thinks of certain objects.

I think it is safe to assume at this point that most people know that the Chinese government is not always exactly honest about what kinds of things happen in their country. However, in my opinion these new developments are particularly striking. The Chinese government is actively trying to restrict the academic research of the deadly disease that is currently causing a pandemic on our planet. This CNN article details the efforts by the Chinese government to try to control the narrative around China and the coronavirus. “Under the new policy, all academic papers on Covid-19 will be subject to extra vetting before being submitted for publication. Studies on the origin of the virus will receive extra scrutiny and must be approved by central government officials, according to the now-deleted posts…The increased scrutiny appears to be the latest effort by the Chinese government to control the narrative on the origins of the coronavirus pandemic”. Also according to the article, some Chinese scientists and researchers have published findings concerned with the virus, and those findings seem to contradict the official government account of the outbreak. The Chinese government has obviously seen findings like these and are doing their best to squash them.

I can understand that the Chinese government does not want the PR disaster that would come with accepting that the outbreak began in China, but I think that there are far more important things to worry about right now other than how your country looks. The health of every human being on the planet is at stake right now and China is undermining important research that could help us end this pandemic.

I thought the recent Social Justice in Islam paper reading was an interesting piece for our class. I liked the comparisons that the writer made between Christianity and Islam. For many of us, Christianity is a faith that we are much more familiar with than certain aspects of Islam. I thought it was nice to have a credible breakdown of the two faiths that could be referenced in discussion.
My biggest takeaway from the article was the separation of life and the afterlife. Based on the reading, the Islamic faith doesn’t create a division between life and the afterlife. It also urges followers to not disregard life on earth in hopes of a better afterlife. This idea largely contrast with ideas of Christianity which puts a heavy emphasis on leading a virtuous life on Earth so that the afterlife can be even better.

“This moment, this love, comes to rest in me,
many beings in one being.
In one wheatgrain a thousand sheaf-stacks.
Inside the needle’s eye, a turning night of stars.”

I thought that poem 13 by Rumi was one of the more interesting selections. I also really enjoyed its message. I interpreted it as a message to not become overly obsessed with becoming larger than any one moment. As humans are always hungry for larger and greater experiences that will expand our reach to encompass everything. We all want to be so big that we don’t have to deal with tiny moments of everyday life. This piece urges that we let go of that urge and actually become smaller instead of urging to become larger than life. This message is why it was one of my favorites. I think it relates to the chaotic and busy lives that nearly all of us live.

Amid the shuttering of professional sports leagues around the world there is one league that will restart its season in the near future. I recently read about the Turkmenistan soccer league that will restart its suspended season even amid the coronavirus pandemic. Turkmenistan is located right next door to Iran, which is one of the worst-hit countries in that region. The eight-team Turkmenistan league is even allowing fans to attend games once the league restarts. Despite its location near Iran, Turkmenistan has yet to report a case of coronavirus, which has casted doubt upon the country. The Turkmenistan league is one of a handful, including the much publicized Belrausian Premier League, that will continue to play amid the the global pandemic. 

I grew up in Lawrence, Indiana a suburb of Indianapolis, and the school system in my town features some of the most diverse schools in the state of Indiana. As a result I was exposed to a variety of different cultures, including Islam, from a young age. In fact, without looking at the numbers, I can say that my high school had more diversity than Butler does. Many of my classmates were of Muslim heritage which meant I had been exposed some of the realities of the Islamic faith as opposed to stereotypes that popular culture and media portrays. Amid all this I still found the PBS Global connection reading to be quite informative. One thing that I found interesting was that Muslim women actually believe it is empowering to cover their heads and there is a “collective identity which is underlined” by covering their heads. Popular culture and media, which view it as oppressive for women, often portray the exact opposite idea of this.

After reading through Cairo House and reflecting on it, I think that I enjoyed it, and I was able to notice some similar themes that appeared in both Cairo House and The Bridegroom. With one of the big themes of Cairo house being a tribute to the changing of the times and the reflection on differences between a past and present life, it is easy to spot this theme in both stories. In my opinion the several Ha Jin stories that focused on similar themes to this were always some of my favorites. In Women from New York and Official Reply I think that this theme is very prevalent. In both short stories there is a focus on a main character trying to deal with a change in culture, either in their own culture or different cultures. The biggest parallel I think are the themes in a Woman from New York and Cairo House, yet an Official Reply still shares some of the broader themes. However, there are also key differences in the two books. Obviously, Cairo House is able to focus more on specific people and how they have changed along with the culture, which isn’t done as much in Ha Jin’s stories which focus more on the overall culture. Overall, I enjoyed Ha Jin’s short stories more than Cairo House, but it was still very interesting to be able to compare the themes from the two authors and see the similarities between them despite being from completely different cultures.

According to this Wall Street Journal article from April 8th, the Chinese government has elected to relax some of the restrictions placed on the people of Wuhan. The epicenter of the Covid-19 virus has been on total lockdown for 11 weeks and, “At the drop of midnight Wednesday morning, Chinese authorities began allowing people who can prove they are healthy to enter and leave Wuhan, and relaxed restrictions on many local businesses, in an effort to resuscitate a local economy devastated by the disease.” So, the Chinese government is not simply letting things return completely back to normal, but some of the restrictions they had placed on the people of Wuhan have begun to be relaxed. However, before we get too excited that the epicenter may be coming to an end, that is certainly not entirely true. As the quote suggested, these relaxing restrictions definitely do not apply to everyone, and it may simply be to restore some of the economy in the area, not because they believe the area is in better shape. “Millions of others in Wuhan, however, remained under effective lockdown in their homes after the city government said residential restrictions would remain in place—in part because of the recent discovery of dozens of asymptomatic cases in the city.”. So, yes, some of the restrictions on the people of Wuhan are being lifted, but those lifted restrictions may simply be a ploy to get the world’s attention and restore some of the area’s economy. The great majority of the city are still on lockdown and the end does not quite seem to be in sight, especially with the discovery of all of the new asymptomatic cases in the area, “The city has announced only three confirmed cases since March 18—the first day it reported none—but has revealed 194 new asymptomatic cases since it began reporting those numbers on April 1, raising fears of a second wave of infections in the city.”. The world may be incredibly far from the end of this pandemic.