10 Definition Essay Topics on Muslim Culture

10 Definition Essay Topics on Muslim Culture If you need some solid info for your next definition essay on Muslim culture, consider the 10 facts below: A great deal of attention is drawn to the fact that many presume the veil prevents men from thinking impure thoughts about women, thereby associating women and their bodies with sexuality and sin. It was incorrectly assumed that â€Å"the veiling of women to protect mens virtue and hence also the Christian emphasis on sexual abstinence and renunciation† (Barlas, 2009, p. 3). This in turn leads to the notion that â€Å"in traditional Muslim discourses, then, the veil is meant to protect men by hiding the impure, but enticing female body from them. However, the very power of this body to arouse men also makes it vulnerable to their sexual depredations which is why it must be veiled† (Barlas, 2009, p. 3). Islam literally translates to submission to the will of God. The religion is the second-biggest in the world and with over 1 billion people following the faith and its cultural implications today. Islam as a religion was revealed in Arabia over 1400 years ago. Those who follow the tenants of Islam are referred to as Muslims. Followers of this faith today believe that there is a single God, who is called Allah. God sent his prophets to man in order to teach them how they should live and follow his law. Some of the prophets of God include Abraham, Jesus, and Moses. The final prophet was Mohamed. As a Muslim followers believe that Islam has always existed but that the religion actually dates to the migration of Mohammed for practical purposes. Our laws are based on the holy book known as the Quran and we believe that there are five basic pillars to Islam. The five basic pillars include declaring your faith, praying five times per day, giving money to charities, fasting, and completing a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in your life. Among these tenants of faith there is no requirement to specifically share the message and convert those who are of a different face although many believers today do live by such a code. Today there are many religions in the world all of them believe in some form of deity which provides truths and codes by which they must live. But atheists do not subscribe to the idea of a god or gods and they live by the fact that creation is scientifically justifiable and supported and the creation. A God is not justified. But in any case it is imperative that believers of any face do not push their beliefs onto another group. The only way to truly understand the perspective, the rituals, and the belief system of another culture is to understand the history surrounding that culture, the current events surrounding that culture, and what the fulfillment of certain activities brings to those cultural beliefs. This is the foundation of cultural relativism and a better understanding and acceptance of all people. Homa Hoodfar is one author who has provided in-depth analysis of the history, purpose, and misunderstanding of the veil worn by Middle Eastern and African women. This author covers the influence of British Colonials on the Muslim culture and how their perception, although misconstrued, painted a picture of oppression for Muslim women. Hoodfar uses historical evidence to explain the social implication of the veil and its cultural heritage and to help the reader understand the political use of the veil by women. Although many mistakenly believe that the Quran orders the wearing of the veil (which means full body covering), the author provides insight into its misinterpretation by westerners and their subsequent assumptions that have created a defensive mindset for women who enjoy the comfort of the veiling and its role as a political tool for those who seek to bring change and improvements in their communities. There are many different types of religions in the world and they all believe in some form of deity from which they derive their truths and codes, however there is also one umbrella grouping, atheists, who don’t subscribe to the idea of god(s) but rather exists with the belief that creation by a god is not justified. The concept of atheism is that one does not believe in a God. This is the exact opposite a very devout religions around the world particularly the second most popular, Islam. Other religions are much more comfortable with the religious practices and customs of faiths from around the world in spite of differences they may have because all religions have some form of deity from which they derive their truths and their codes. And yet it can be a challenge for various people of faith to avoid imposing their ethnocentric beliefs upon atheist, and vice versa. Atheist do not subscribe to the idea of a God and they believe that the creation of a god is not justified and does not promote an excuse for action, in action, or beliefs and cultural practices that cause harm. It is the concert of cultural relativism that must be promoted in its fullness in order for members of devoutly religious groups to understand and accept practices of atheism, and for atheist to understand and accept the practices of devout religions. Supporting these beliefs and opinions is not necessary to be culturally aware but not imposing the beliefs of one system on another is. Cultural relativism is the concept that the beliefs of a particular culture and the practices of that culture need to be understood within the context of the cultures background, their history, and the current events which surround that culture. It is imperative that people do not ethnocentrically impose their beliefs and their opinions onto others because these beliefs and opinions are products of enculturation. Cultural relativism is not the same as moral relativism but it does require that people do not confuse their own feelings about a custom with a thorough understanding of a custom. People must investigate the meanings of customs for those practice them and the functions that each custom for fills with in a different society in order to truly understand them. Overlapping themes in many articles about Muslim culture include the veil as a symbol of oppression, used to evoke emotions of sympathy or contempt from the west. For some, the veil remains a symbol of oppression. â€Å"Muslim women are completely and utterly subjugated by men, and the veil is a symbol of that† (Bullock, 2002 p.13). We hope these will help with writing an essay, please also check our 20 topics and 1 sample essay on Muslim culture as well as a complete guide on writing a definition essay. References: Barlas, A. (2009). Islam and Body Politics: Inscribing (Im)morality. In Conference on Religion and Politics of the Body Nordic Society for Philosophy of Religion (pp. 1-12). Reykjavik: University of Iceland. Bullock, K. (2002). Rethinking Muslim women and the veil: challenging historical modern stereotypes. Herndon, VA: International Institute of Islamic Thought. Hoodfar, H. (n.d.). The veil in their minds and on our heads: Veiling practices and Muslim women. Retrieved from umass.edu/wost/syllabi/spring06/hoodfar.pd Kemper, Michael, Anke von Kügelgen, and Dmitriy Yermakov.  Muslim Culture In Russia And Central Asia From The 18Th To The Early 20Th Centuries. Berlin: Schwarz, 1996. Print. Ostle, Robin.  Sensibilities Of The Islamic Mediterranean. London: I.B. Tauris, 2008. Print. Reichmuth, Stefan, Jörn Rüsen, and Aladdin Sarhan.  Humanism And Muslim Culture. Göttingen: V R unipress, 2012. Print. Syrjänen, Seppo.  In Search Of Meaning And Identity. Helsinki: Finnish Society for Missiology and Ecumenics, 1984. Print.

3 Sentences with Misplaced Modifiers

3 Sentences with Misplaced Modifiers 3 Sentences with Misplaced Modifiers 3 Sentences with Misplaced Modifiers By Mark Nichol Phrases that provide additional information in a sentence are often haphazardly situated within that sentence in such a way that the reader might be confused about what the modifying phrase refers to, or at best must reread the sentence to confirm that he or she has comprehended the correct meaning. Here are three sentences that benefit from relocation of a modifying phrase. 1. After twenty-seven years of marriage, I can only imagine how shocking your wife’s revelation must have been for you. Because the subject I immediately follows the modifying phrase â€Å"after twenty-seven years of marriage,† the erroneous implication is that the fact that the writer has been married to someone for that long enables him or her to imagine how shocking the revelation of the other person’s wife must have been for that person. (Here, only is an intensifier, making the meaning of the phrase â€Å"I can only imagine† akin to â€Å"I can well imagine,† rather than a diminisher, as in â€Å"I only have a few minutes to talk†- which should, technically, read, â€Å"I have only a few minutes to talk.†) However, the point is that that the other person and his or her wife have been married for a long time, and because of that fact, the wife’s revelation is shocking. To make this point clear, the sentence should begin with the subject and continue to shocking (the adjective that is the key word, and thus the fulcrum, of the sentence) before the modifying phrase is inserted as a parenthetical: â€Å"I can only imagine how shocking, after twenty-seven years of marriage, your wife’s revelation must have been for you.† 2. The project could require another two billion dollars to finish construction and ensure safety, which is about 7 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. Because safety immediately precedes the final phrase of this sentence, the statement describes safety as being a certain proportion of the country’s gross domestic product- obviously an error, because common sense tells the reader that the phrase about the GDP refers to the dollar amount, not to an intangible quality. To unambiguously represent that connection, the parenthetical reference to the dollar amount should appear immediately after the figure: â€Å"The project could require another two billion dollars- about 7 percent of the country’s gross domestic product- to finish construction and ensure safety.† 3. Smith’s company is unusual because it doesn’t pay any of its workers in exchange for stock equity. As written, this sentence suggests that Smith’s company is rare among businesses in that it doesn’t provide compensation to its employees with the understanding that the workers will offer his company stock equity in return; presumably, it has some other, unusual arrangement with the people who staff the company. This nonsensical impression is eliminated by changing the focus from what his company doesn’t do to what it does do and reversing the references to stock equity and pay, along with rewording the latter reference: â€Å"Smith’s company is unusual because it offers its workers stock equity in lieu of a salary.† (The modifying phrase â€Å"in lieu of a salary† could also be inserted parenthetically after because.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 Idioms with HeartBest Websites to Learn EnglishWord Count and Book Length