Theo 195

Posted by: studentsrockaroundtheworld on: February 5, 2012

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This week in class, we spent time hearing stories about Muhammad’s life, and the signs that people witnessed.  I realized that unlike Jesus, Muhammad did not know his calling until he spoke to the angel Gabriel at the age of 40 years. So he was not a prophet from when he was very young, he just should the qualities of what would be a great man amongst his people. The last story we heard was of a man who denied his faith in order to avoid death. I guess it takes a special being to stand and even die for what they believe in and with this story I honestly did not understand how it is ok to walk away from something you believe in and seeing your loved ones being killed because you convinced them that this “new religion” was the right one. So Muhammad telling the man that he knew what was in his heart, and that what he did was okay- I don’t understand.

I am truly learning a great deal thus far about Islam and its origins. Coming from a family where my grandmother is Persian Muslim and a grandfather on my father’s side was German catholic has been a mixture of religion. I did not get the chance to fully understand what each stood for or meant and the history behind each. So now reading the Hadith of Muhammad and learning how all these religions have a similar origin is amazing and it has also given me a better understanding on Islam as a religion

In response to lightgreen111 on France and there ban of the Hijab. I think with the French this type of restriction came due to their secularist ideology. It’s sad because the French government considers the Muslim population as the minority and do not see them as citizens of their state. Muslims are not integrated because they are not seen as part of the western heritage (similar to what Hobbes said about Jews in Germany). The restriction of the Hijab was also witnessed in Turkey when Atatürk wanted Turkish women to dress as European women. I see it as cultural oppression and Muslim women who wear the Hijab should not feel like they have to fear when they make the choice to wear it.

On the news I was intrigued by the family in Canada that killed their three daughters and called it an honor killing. The Afghan family was found guilty of killing three teenage sisters and another woman. So my question is firstly, what is an honor killing? Who decides that an honor killing is necessary? Is this type of action part of what the Quran teaches? Prosecutors said the defendants allegedly killed the three sisters because they dishonored the family by defying its disciplinarian rules on dress, dating, socializing and using the Internet. Dose this honestly happen in this day and age? I really do not think God or the Quran teaches on the killing of one’s own or any other person.