Political Islam And The Middle East - 1330 Words

Political Islam is an interesting phenomenon that impacts law, policy, and international relations with the Middle East. In order to understand what Political Islam is one must first understand, as much as possible when starting from a Western Christian worldview, what Islam is. In addition to simply describing Islam a comparison to another similar or related religion, such as Christianity, is helpful. Once an understanding of Islam is established one can begin to see how it touches on every facet of Muslim life including law and policy, which affects those living within that system and the relationships it forms when engaged internationally. Islam was founded by an Arab man named Mohammed, a citizen of Medina, in the early 7th century A.D. and is considered by Muslims to be a prophet. It is said that while meditating in cave outside of Medina the angel Gabriel appeared to Mohammed and began to give him the first of over 6,000 versus of what would eventually become the Qur’an, Islam’s equivalent of the Bible. Islam is considered an Abrahamic religion because Arabs are, according to the Bible, descended from Abraham’s son Ishmael, while Jews are descended from his son Isaac. Christianity was in turn founded by Jesus Christ who was Jewish, but in creating a new covenant between God and men freed adherents from the strict and complex Jewish prescriptions. While Christianity and Islam can trace their roots back to Abraham and are similar in that they both give guidance toShow MoreRelatedSocial, Cultural And Political Features Of The Middle East1140 Words   |  5 Pages Cultural and Political Features of the Middle East The term Middle East is used to refer to the region between Afghanistan and the Atlantic Ocean on the east and west respectively. The area generally referred to as the Middle East is made of nineteen countries with a population of 3% of the world’s number (Murphy and Hussein). Although there is a heterogeneous group of people living in these countries there are some characteristics of the region that are unique to the Middle East. One of the mostRead MoreIslamic Fundamentalism is based on Islamic ideology. It is also seen as a group of religious800 Words   |  4 PagesIslamic Fundamentalism is based on Islamic ideology. It is also seen as a group of religious ideologies trying to return to the fundamentals of Islam. Muslim Brotherhood started in Egypt in the year of 1928. Muslim Brotherhood is an anti-colonial, transnational Sunni Islamist movement, it is attempting to integrate Islam into politics and government. Members of the brotherhood believe the Quran and Sunnah should be the basis of the government (Johnson, 2014). 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To understand how the Muslim world reacted to Western influence, we must understand what they were reacting to. With the fall of the Ottoman Empire, European political ideas permeated the Middle East. Muslims were forced to respond