Krishna Doodnauth

Islam in the World

9/12/19

Within the first article “Pious and/as/is Modern”, the idea of the modern society is discussed in

the introduction brilliantly. The woman “Hajjeh Umm Zein” yells at the television and accuses

the Taliban of backwardness. In classic fashion CNN reports these extremists as followers of the

stigmitised Islamist faith which made me think about how propaganda and just a few sentences,

arranged with fear and hate, can move a country to dismiss and prejudice a religion. Further

along in the article the idea of what it means to be modern and pious, essentially the general

theme of the article, is debated over. Before the author even compared the idea of being modern

with being “superior” or having higher “moral values, I was thinking that the word modern can

allow for so many negative connotations. It allows for the West to, first be utterly confused by

another countries social, political, and religious, and then either become egotistically sympathetic

or develop a fiery hate. I had recently seen a news article reminding me of France’s ban on face

covering, which can be directed at no other social group other than the large immigration of

Muslims into “Western” Europe. The author, a woman of faith, made me question the “burden of

traditions,'' as one Islamic woman stated within the article. I imagined the household in France

from the view of a woman, as well in relation to her family and all the social connotations that

arises. Would some woman secretly look at France’s actions and believe that she won’t have to

wear a headscarf even if her family tells her to? Would that give her freedom? Would that make

her modern? Or would a woman of faith look at this and feel oppressed and view this, indeed, as

backwardness? Another scene, if you will, within the article that surprised me is the guessing
game of religion that people in Lebanon. I am quite used to people asking me where I am

“really” from but it was never to decide what sect I was. Lebanon isn’t the religion central yet

people still try to decipher your religion instead of what I am used to, which is my racial

background. I am rarely ever asked what sect I follow, let alone whether I am religious at all.

In the article “Anthropology of Islam” by Asad he speaks to the conflicting ideas of what

Islam is. Followers of the religion deem each others views of Islam incorrect, therefore boosting

their own idea of what Islam is. This relates back to the first article I discussed as people can say

what they deem as backwardness and what is modern (civilised). Asad goes on to say that no one

can define the true Muslim practice as “ A Muslim's beliefs about the beliefs and practices of

others are his own beliefs.” This deserves praise, as with religion people seem to impose their

one true way of following a belief, even though everything in the world can be seen as

subjective. Some people will frown upon someone else’s practices, while contradicting their

own. Asad begins to evaluate the different aspects of Christianity and the Islamic faith, which I

found fascinating. Today in the modern world people deem that Islam is a “backward” religion

even though that durings Islam’s golden age Christianity was dealing with their barbaric

medieval age. I believe people tend to forget the gruesome nature of Christianity, as they dismiss

the progressive of the Islamic faith.