Islam…again!

Although this week we continued to struggle with the idea of Islam as the East  we also made headway as to why it has been labeled thus.  In my last blog I was quite perplexed why this Universal religion is still discussed as though it is can be restricted to one part of the world.

This week we learned more about the more of the modern day struggle between East and West.  That is not say that this is in any way a modern idea but just focusing on the 20 and 21st cent.  It was interesting to see how quickly focus shifted after the cold war era.  After so much time preparing for and fighting one enemy people seemed at a loss with the collaspe of the Soviet Union.  Suddenly Islam became the new big threat.

Some may say the shift of attention to the east was quite reasonable.  Afterall, by the end of the Soviet Union the East was well equiped with arms, money and political uprisings.  Unfortunately no one seemed to really pay any attention to how the countries like Afghanistan aqquired so many arms.  What is more frustrating is that after 9/11 when all the world was in an uproar even the most academic circles decided to ignore the fault of the West, not just the East.

During the Cold War era when it was US vs. Russia alot of the war took place on foriegn soil, for example, once again, Afghanistan.  In the States attempt to overthrow the Soviets they purposely funded the most extreme surgents they could find.  They gave them money, and they gave them arms.  Not only did they provide extremists with the wherewithall to attack the Soviets…but once all was said and done, and everyone went home, these insurgents had everything it took to overthrow and overrun their own people.

Now, this little summary is hardly the whole picture.  It is simply a short blog noting some aspects of a very complicated situation.  However, it does raise some very very Frustrating issues when it comes to todays incredibly political and bias studies of Islam.  This is one of the complications that come when the study of a religion is tied into the study of a political system.

Islam

The study of Islam is unique in many ways.  In the twenty first century this ‘uniqueness’ provides many insights as well as barriers.

The best place to start with the study of anything is the very beginning.  In our case, or the case of Islam, that is Saudi Arabia (more specifically Mecca & Medina) in the 7th cent C.E.  Not only is the beginning the best place to start, but also the most important for understanding the development of any religion or culture; however, we must be willing to branch out and move away from our starting point.  Unfortunately, with Islam it is here that many people seem to hit a wall.

In modern times there is an obvious association between Islam and the East, and why not?  There are numerous nation states that specifically declare themselves Muslim, and it is there that a large percentage of the worlds Muslim population resides…Pakistan, Palestine, Bangladesh, Afghanistan….ect…ect.  However; one cannot forget that Islam exists outside of the ‘East’.  It also exists in America, Canada, France, ect….ect.  It is imperative that we make this realization, and from this realization the distinction between Islam and the East.

When talking about a distinction between Islam and the East, what are we talking about?  While religion is part of our culture it does not dictate the latter, nor does the latter the former.  Unfortunately much study into what it means to be Muslim is coloured by the study of the culture of the Middle East.    Clearly the customs of these people affect the way they practice their religion, and it even makes a direct impact on what it means to be Muslim.  However, in the broad sense these cultural and ethnic distinctions cannot speak for the Muslim community around the world.

As stated earlier, it is important to understand where and how a religion began.  By looking at Saudi Arabia and surrounding countries since the 7th cent we can see how Islam developed and matured.  By looking at Islam around the world and drawing focus to the overlaps and distinction between Muslims around the world we can hope to highlight the Universal aspects or what truly is a Universal relgion.