can you please answer the question and respond to the re
Question 1

As noted in the lecture, Islam is covers both familiar and unfamiliar territory. What was the single most interesting thing you learned in this week’s reading? What struck you as different or notable? How is Islam related to any of the religions we have previously studied?

Question 2
One of the supplemental videos is from Irshad Manji, a Muslim feminist who writes on issues of liberty and rights from a Muslim perspective. This video is one of the best explanations I have ever heard of relativism and pluralism. Relativism and pluralism represent ethical stances one can take. Some people argue that in a diverse society, such as our own, relativism is the only stance one can take. After watching the video, explain both relativism and pluralism. Which stance does she advocate for and why? How would taking this stance allow us to engage in hard conversations with other religions and cultures?

rsponse 1

 

It was fascinating to know that even before the Dark Ages from about 900-1285, Islam made great contributions on the academic fields. In addition to that, they led in different learning training grounds: cultural, education, etc. Consequently, scientific breakthroughs, math discoveries and philosophical realizations bloomed more than that of Europe. It was interesting to know that Islamic philosophy flourished on that age. With Islamic philosophers become lovers of wisdom, they continually search for knowledge in answering ultimate questions. But their urges in solving the mysteries had stopped because they viewed God as divine and it really showed that they respect and feared God.

What I found notable is that how the Islam religion puts so much emphasis on being able to live a holy and peaceful life. The different practices were inclined on having an intimate relationship with God. Muslims obey these practices as if their lives are on the line. The value taught on the Qur’an imparts the value of showing kindness to others which is very surprising because most people viewed Muslims as terrorists.

Islam is associated with various religions like Judaism and Christianity in a way that it is stemmed on the belief that there is an ultimate transcendent being. The acceptance that there is a supreme one proves that there are things which the even the most intelligent human can’t fathom. Moreover, its similarity is also relevant in the portrayal of angels and prophets. The prophets which are the messengers of God are recognized by Islam in the character of Moses and Jesus (though other religions viewed Jesus as God). Likewise, the inclusion of supernatural beings like angels, especially Gabriel (who Muhammad stated that it was him who gave God’s revelation), makes the religions somewhat connected.

Respose 2

My understanding of relativism is the way a culture, or society, looks at the moral standard of something. What is wrong to some people, may not be wrong to another set of people. I think in simpler terms, relativism comes down to right and wrong, but it’s your perspective of what is right and wrong. Other people may disagree with you and have a different perspective of that.

Pluralism to me, is the understanding that there could be not one correct logical view, or there could be multiple logical views that are correct. Pluralism, to me, looks for a path of coexistence. Can we agree that maybe we’re both correct? This will give people personal freedom in having a choice and being able exist with one another in society.

In the video, Irshad Manji, is advocation pluralism. She’s saying that we should have freedom to make a decision, decide what is true or false, right or wrong and make decision with the information we have, BUT, also be able to change our mind once we get more information. With this approach, the goal of humanity will be for all of humanity to show dignity and caring views towards others that they may not understand.

Having these conversations can lead to meaningful change and understanding. It’s important to be understanding and want to understand why someone, or some society / religion do certain things. It follows the conversations we had earlier in class, are we accepting or are we just being tolerant? With pluralism, we can make a better effort to be more an accepting society and not a society that is rooted in fear or hatred. I think in this country, there is a lot of fear over what we don’t understand. We tend to fear people of different religions or cultures. If we can become a bit more of a pluralism culture, you’ll begin to see meaningful change in our societies.

References

Van Voorst, Robert (2017) World RELG – Introduction to World Religion (3rd.) Boston, MA: Cengage Learning