Islam
Al Andalus, ha-Sefarad, Andalucia: "a remarkable medieval culture rooted in pluralism and shaped by religious tolerance," (Menocal, 2000, p. 2). Al-Andalus was a region of cultural convergence and confluence. There, Jew, Muslim, and Christian culture coincided with remarkable intensity and mutual respect. For hundreds of year, as many as eight hundred, Andalucian culture represented the pinnacle of peace among the all the People of Abraham. Such a time of peace seems like an outlandish dream in the 21st century but it was real until the 13th century.
The relationship between the different communities of Al-Andalus was collaborative, with each stimulating and inspiring the other. However, clearly it was the Umayyad culture brought originally from Abd al-Rahman that spawned the Golden Ages of Sephardic Judaism and Andalucian Islam. Abd al-Rahman was half Syrian, half Berber: an already bi-cultural being. His example set the tone for the multiculturalism that characterized Al-Andalus for eight centuries. When the Abbasids overthrew the Umayyads and moved their political center of power to Baghdad from Damascus, it was like the east-west schism in Christianity that is symbolized by Byzantium and Rome. Abd al-Rahman drew upon his Berber roots and set forth on a peripatetic journey through the Maghreb, ultimately landing in the Iberian Peninsula. There, Abd al-Rahman established a new caliphate for the Umayyad dynasty.
Abd al-Rahman established the government in Cordoba, and built there a fantastic mosque, the Great Mosque of Cordoba. The Great Mosque of Cordoba is the reverse mirror image of the Hagia Sophia in Isbanbul, because the former was originally a mosque that turned into a cathedral, and the latter originally a cathedral that turned into a mosque. What is now viewed as cultural appropriation and blatant displays of religious power struggles were, in the times of Al-Andalus, simply coexistence in a diverse society. As Menocal (2000) points out, the great synagogue in Toledo is a fusion of Jewish and Islamic traditions because inside the synagogue there are inscriptions in both Hebrew and Arabic, including verses of the Quran.
Verses are the most important feature of Arabic culture, and of Islamic culture in general. As Blair & Bloom (1999) point out, there are five main themes in Islamic art: the art of writing; the aversion to iconography; the use of geometric features in arabesque style; the "exuberant use of color," and "willful ambiguity" (p. 222). Of these five elements, all of them are visible in Al-Andalus. Poetry, which belongs to the first feature, the art of writing, was the hallmark of Arabic culture both before and after Islamisation. Even before Muhammad, Mecca was the mecca of Arabic poetry. An annual poetry competition there started the tradition that is now completely cloaked with the symbolism of Islam to the point of forgetting its Bedoin roots: the tradition of the cloth draped over the mysterious black stone at the Ka'aba. Now, that cloth bears verses from the Quran, but prior to Muhammad, it bore poetry.
As Menocal (1999) points out, the vibrancy of Arabic language, culture, and poetry inspired the Jews living in the Iberian Peninsula. The Jews had been living in the Iberian Peninsula since the Roman occupation of the region. However, the Jews were severely oppressed and even enslaved by the Visigothic rulers. Their culture was suppressed, and Hebrew was only a language used for liturgy. When Abn al-Rahman established the caliphate in Cordoba, he transformed the political and social landscape of Iberia, especially al-Andalus. The Jews were liberated from their oppressors, and welcomed by the caliphate along with Christians as "dhimmi." They were not forced to convert to Islam, but many voluntarily and enthusiastically learned Arabic. Arabic was not only a lingua franca; it was the language of the learned peoples and the language of poetry. Thus, Christians and Jews, were both "thoroughly and mostly enthusiastically Arabized within a relatively short period of time," (Menocal, 1999, p. 6). Jews spoke Arabic, which is why there are Arabic inscriptions...
Jewish values neither ban the rights of abortion, nor do they allow undiscerning abortion capabilities (Yadgar, 2006). Women who are the solitary carriers of their babies have the right to do whatever they want with their bodies; however in Judaism, abortion is only allowed if there is some deathly threat to mother. After testifying, men are obliged to have education as similar to the God who strived for improvement
Islamic Teachings and Their Practice in Different Cultures Islam a highly controversial sensitive issue today's world, misconceptions beliefs, values, goals. For, Americans Muslims live Middle East, reality Indonesia people Islamic faith. What means Islam, Islamic teachings and their practice in different cultures Islam developed in the 7th century, in the Middle East. It is a monotheistic religious tradition. Islam which means submit or surrender literally, is founded upon the teachings of Prophet Muhammad,
Islamic Civilization Islam, as a religion, has been adopted and is practiced by a variety of different ethnic groups and cultures around the world; and each ethnic group has had an influence on Islamic culture. As Islam spread out from its home in Arabia, the followers of Mohammed were joined by a number of different ethnic groups who adopted Islam. From Spain to Persia, India to Indonesia, Islamic Civilization is a
Islam and Christianity have a lot of history to share dating back to some years before the birth of Jesus. Although the members did not interact freely, the current 'animosity' characterizing the two religions was unheard of. In fact, they appeared to be focused much in solving their individual problems which unique but almost similar. This study shows that the two religions were affected by problems related to political succession
Islam in the Age of Globalization The three major religions in the 21st century are all Abrahamic in historical basis. These religions, Judaism, Islam and Christianity remain at the edge of political, social, and cultural issues, particularly now in that globalism has become so predominant. These religions are noted as Abrahamic because each uses the basic teachings of the Prophet Abraham in their general world view. All three faiths are monotheistic
The new and ancient technology that was being imported from Middle East together with the turn to rebirth Europe was a representation of one of the greatest transfer in the field of technology to have been recorded in history (Wallace, 56). Conclusion The Muslims specialized a lot in the sciences that existed and civilizations reliable with Islam and established them. All this was accomplished thanks to the Islamic conditioning and conscious
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