Week 1, Blog 1

Posted by: snowmakesmehappy on: January 23, 2012

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To say that the first day of class was what I expected would be a lie. From meeting the professor, hearing the syllabus, and seeing my classmates, I had to reexamine my previous ideas. I came to class expecting to see familiar faces. Instead, I was happy to see a very diverse class. I agree with Mozaffar that education comes through exposure to differing viewpoints and opinions, and I’m glad this class has that potential. I was similarly unprepared to watch My Name Is Khan…again. The half of the movie that we have seen had a somewhat good balance of bollywood dramatics and political correctness. The movie did a good job of showing how Khan’s upbringing shaped him into the man he became instead of making it seem as though that was solely through his religion.

I found the article “Mercy: The Stamp of Creation” by  Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah extremely appealing. One of things that most interested me was the root for God in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. The names were all very similar had a common meaning, “the true God”. I was also intrigued by the depth of effect that mercy has on Islam. I always knew mercy to be important to Islamic teachings, but the article helped me see it as more than that. Mercy is not a trait reserved for God. Rather, it is something that all Muslims should act upon more. Reading the stories about the Prophet reminded me of how much of a better person I can be.

The controversy surrounding the TLC drama “All-American Muslim” surprises me. To be honest, I watched only about the first three episodes before I lost interest in the show. With the kind of name that it has, I expected the show to cover a wider range of Muslim peoples. Regardless of what I wish, I do not think the show called for any drastic actions such as immediate removal from public television. The fact that there were groups actively trying to shut down the show came as a complete shock to me. It saddens me to learn that there are people who think so badly about Islam. Sometimes, it makes me feel guilty for not doing more to correct others.

In response to princessprobs, I am glad that you are finding Islam to be so interesting. I get happy when I hear about people like you who actively try to learn more about Islam instead of relying on media or popular beliefs. I hope you learn more on Islam and Muslims  both in and outside of class so that you may form a learned opinion on the religion. I agree with jkdsc89316 that watching My Name Is Khan was better the second time around. Instead of focusing on plot and story line, I could appreciate the message the movie was trying to convey. However, without revealing any spoilers, I think that the second half of the movie will still be too far-fetched and dramatic for me.