Year of the Elephant

I’m sure that there are different versions of some of the literature that we are reading for class and I know that sources can have different numbers or specifics, but I’m not gonna lie – it kind of frustrates me. I don’t just mean with this course but in general. An example of this was today in class when we went over the elephant story it had a couple of different aspects that had variables such as if there was one elephant or an army of them. I actually really liked this section because even though the elephant was commanded by Nufayl, it still seemed pretty impressive to me that the elephant had listened to someone that it did not know very well especially since it seemed that he had almost whispered the command to the elephant.

god vs. God

In class today, we were talking about difference between god and God.  At first, I thought that they were the same thing.  Then after we started talking about it for a while, they were two very different things.  It seems that we turn to everything but God in times of despair or confusion or danger.  For example, we look at money as if it were God.  If we didn’t have it we would feel like we were in danger.  But if we had an abundance of money, we would be worry free.  Another example is that we turn to our parents when we are confused or in need of something.  According to class today, however, we shouldn’t turn to any of these things.  Instead, we should turn to God for guidance.  My problem with that is why should we always look up when we have the ability to change things ourselves?  If we keep looking to God for guidance then we will never get anywhere in this world.

Iran

I read an article today that dealt with how Iran recently outlawed a ban on polygamy. The article states that under Islam a man can have up to 4 wives. The new bill that was looking to get passed in Iran would have made polygamy legal, however, the man must first get permission from his first wife to be allowed to marry other women. The bill was turned down, and the article stated that this was not much of a surprise because polygamy is looked down on in Iran. Other Muslim countries that outlaw polygamy are Syria and Tunisia. Woman in Iran are forced to wear headscarves and conservative clothing and must get their husband’s permission to work or travel abroad and a man’s court testimony is considered twice as important as a woman’s. There are, however, 35 million women enjoying greater political rights than those in neighboring Arab states. Women hold offices in parliament and other government officials but are not allowed to be president.

What did you just say?

I was recently with a group of people I had never met before and somehow, religion became the topic. People were discussing what they think happens after life on earth and what/who they define as their god/creator and such. Then, someone asked one girl (who is Hindu) what she thought of other people and faiths and God /gods, etc. She replied with something along the lines of “I like everyone just as long as they are not Muslim”. My jaw hit the floor. I had never heard anyone say something so blatantly prejudiced in my life (at least to my face). It was especially shocking because the girl is incredibly nice and well-mannered and polite, I would never have expected something like that to come out of her mouth. I had never heard of Hindus disliking or even hating Muslims before. Did I miss something?

Culture and Religion

I read a blog today that addressed this issue but i do not know how to attach a response/comment.  In it the author described a situation where a “man of the house” refused to consult with his wife because his God would not allow him to in such a matter.  The writer then went on to illustrate circumstances in which the female plays an integral role in the household and the community as a whole.

I think what the writer was trying to convey that he/she was angry that non Muslim people see the husband’s acceptance of God as a refusal of his wife.  this is a very interesting circumstance.  For one, i would assume that such a relationship could only be upheld if the wife was also Muslim(just assuming) otherwise the explanation of the husband might seem insufficient or even at odds with her own beliefs.  For instance, if the wife were an agnostic, she may value communication between spouses higher than her husbands relationship with God.  In this example, the wife might look at it with a cultural perspective.  Religion is practiced in culture and will forever be identified with it.

Moving away from culture…

Another interesting circumstance i thought about dealt with a Muslim man and a Muslim woman in the same predicament.  However, what if the woman felt her duty to God conflicted with the husband’s response.  Such a dilemma would be very sensitive and even ruinous to the marriage.  How can both partners disagree and cite the same reasoning for their actions?

Religion and State

In our last couple of classes we have discussed the issue of church and state. Today, it was pointed out that Islam, ideally, would be immersed in the politics any righteous state. When I speak with my friends this is something they find fault with inside the religion. Growing up in America, it is ingrained in us that this is a disastrous combination and should be avoided at all costs. While I do feel that it is important to allow civilians to choose their own belief system, it would be foolish to think that there is sign of a Church and State relationship within our own society.

For an example, the Protestant work ethic is a principle which influences our economy and politics to a great degree. For example, in 1996 when President Clinton chose to cap the amount of welfare going to needy families, it could be seen as the result of the influence of the Protestant work ethic. This was not something that was voted for, but was pushed upon citizens of many different religions. There is no such thing as a separation of Religion and state. Religions are guided by principles. These principles chape our values and then guide our actions.

Gerard Manley Hopkins

Ok, GM Hopkins is a Catholic Jesuit poet. What does that have to do with anything Islam? Not very much I guess, but it never ceases to amaze me how very similar faith tenets in religions like Islam and Catholicism are. In one of his sonnets titled “No worst, there is none.”, Hopkins questions God over his felt absence from his life. He writes this in a time of great pain and depression in his life and feels that God is much more distant than he was formerly.

He ends the poem with the words “all Life death does end and each day dies with sleep.” My first thought was not about an christian theology after I read this, but rather the al-Ghazali piece in which he in part speaks of the physical world as a trial to reach the spiritual afterlife and of dreams as a sort of bridge between the two worlds of sense and spirituality. Hopkins seems to feel this way as well – that he is suffering a trial  and takes comfort in his hope that he will feel a more fulfilling presence of God that will eventually come in the afterlife.