Importance of Islam in Cultural Diversity, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Islam is derived from the Arabic word ‘Silm’ or “Islam” which translates to submission, yielding and obedience (Guillaume, 1961, p. 4). In this case Islam is the complete submission to the will of Allah (God). The religion of Islam was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad who was the last prophet to be sent by God and, therefore, his mission was to guide all mankind for all time.

There has been a lot of debate regarding Islam in recent years, especially in the issues concerned with terrorism. The West has viewed Islam as a religion that condones terrorism leading to the linkage of Muslims with terrorism. This has been happening in an environment where there are many Muslim faithfuls in the West living peacefully with non-Muslims. The study aims at trying to understand cultural diversity from an Islamic perspective through the study of the Islamic doctrines and beliefs.

Foundation of Islam

Islam originates from the teachings of Prophet Muhammad dating back to the seventh century (Esposito, 2002). The religion has much resemblance to Judaism and Christianity, where the three religions share various historical aspects and a number of their laws.

Islam started in Saudi Arabia and has since spread to be the world’s second largest religion, after Christianity (Esposito, 2002). The religion is divided in to two main sects, namely: the Sunni and the Shia (Darwish, 2009). Essentially the two sects share similar doctrines but differ in the teachings on the history of Islam and the order of the caliphate (Esposito, 2002, p. 7).

Islam is based on the foundations of the Unity of God, which is in contrast to the teachings of Trinity in Christianity; this is one of the key arguments that separate the two religions. The religion asserts that there is no god, but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger (Darwish, 2009).

Islamic doctrines

Islam is based on six pillars of faith that constitute the main doctrines that govern the religion (Guillaume, 1961). The religion can best be understood when one has a clear understanding of the six pillars of faith that are discussed below.

Belief in the oneness of God

This is the major belief that governs Islam, where on accepting Islam, one declares his belief in the oneness of God (Darwish, 2009). This pillar teaches that one should not associate the worship of God with any other party.

This pillar is similarly held in Judaism and can be contrasted with the doctrine of trinity found in Christianity.

Belief in prophet hood

The second pillar exerts allegiance to the belief in prophet hood. Islam was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, who is believed to be the last prophet in Islam. A Muslim is expected to believe in the prophet hood of all the prophets, starting from Adam to Muhammad (Darwish, 2009).

The close resemblance with Judaism and Christianity can also be found in this belief, where Jesus Christ is among the prophets in Islam (Voll, 1994, p. 32). The prophets are considered as messengers of God who bring God’s revelation to mankind.

Belief in angels

Islam also teaches about the existence of angels created to serve God (Darwish, 2009), and Muslims are supposed to believe in their existence.

Belief in the holy books

Another point of the close resemblance between Judaism, Christianity and Islam, is found in the belief in the existence of the holy books. Islam acknowledges the existence of the Koran which governs Islam; the Torah used in Judaism; and the Bible, which is the holy book in Christianity (Darwish, 2009).

The holy books which carry the revelations from God were compiled in to a book after the demise of Muhammad (Voll, 1994). The Koran carries the fundamental teachings of Islam and is revered, where many Muslims have memorised the entire book in its original Arabic language.

Belief in the day of judgement

Just like Christianity and Judaism, Islam upholds the teachings on the belief of the day of judgement (Darwish, 2009). This is the day where God is expected to judge and reward those who adhered to the teachings appropriately, and reward those who did not believe (Esposito, 2002).

Belief in the divine powers of God

Closely linked to the first doctrine, Islam also teaches in the belief of the divine powers of God (Darwish, 2009, p. 27). This constitutes the belief in the supreme ability of God who is the only holder of divine powers.

The six pillars provide the basic guidance in Islam guiding the conduct and beliefs of all Muslims. Prayers also reflect the pillars of faith by the recitations Muslims make while praying (Esposito, 2002).

Cultural diversity in Islam

One needs to have a clear picture of what is meant by culture to appreciate the concept of cultural diversity. The term culture has considerably been misused as a result of lack of a single clear definition. Various attempts have been made to define culture, but it is well understood when defined according to what constitutes culture. In this case we can take E. B. Taylor’s definition as stated in Chryssochoou (2004) that culture is that complex whole that constitutes beliefs, values, norms, materials and capabilities acquired by man as a member of society ( p. xx).

Cultural diversity is found in Islam as stated in (Tibi, 2001, p. 53):

Cultural diversity in Islam contradicts the political notion of Islam as a monolithic unity and of Muslims as one umma. This notion can be found…in both Islamophobic writings and in the fundamentalist apologia of the Islamists. In contrast Islamic symbols are contingent upon both time and place, and social behaviour also changes, both directed by these symbols….While acknowledging cultural diversity in Islam, there is a specific view of the world shared by all Muslims.

Islam has condoned cultural diversity in a sense that is different from the conventional cultural diversity, where different cultural practices are condoned within a single domain. Being the second largest religion after Christianity (Esposito, 2002), Islam has a large following that cuts across the entire globe.

Much as the religion has a distinct code of conduct that governs the Muslims’ way of life, the religion has incorporated a collection of diverse cultures found in all the continents. This provides the basis for the argument that Islam condones cultural diversity, but this cannot be appreciated without understanding the unity found in this cultural diversity.

Unity in Islam

Islam has a distinctive form of cultural diversity, where we find some symbols and ways of life practiced by people from different cultural backgrounds (Tibi, 2001). The uniqueness of this diversity stems from the unity found in Islam.

Unlike Christianity, Islam has a different religious connotation where the religion governs ones way of life much as a culture. In cases where the original cultural practices are in conflict with the teachings of Islam, the Muslim is supposed to shed off such cultural practices and replace them with the Islamic teachings (Darwish, 2009).

The unity found in Muslims across various cultures across the globe brings about a sense of unity in diversity. This sense of unity in diversity is to a certain extent shared by Christianity, where one finds people of diverse cultural backgrounds adhering to similar beliefs.

Misconceptions about Islam

For a long period there have been various misconceptions about Islam, where recently Islam has substantially been associated with terrorism (Esposito, 2002). The misconceptions have been influenced by the absence of Islamic literature, especially in the West (Tibi, 2001, p. 3).

With increasing studies conducted to understand Islam, these misconceptions have increasingly reduced. This has also been a result of the effects of globalisations, where people from different parts of the world are increasingly in contact.

Christianity and Islam

The relationship between Christianity and Islam is remarkably close on closer scrutiny. Islam is thought of as a religion that arose in order to correct misconceptions that arose out of Christianity (Darwish, 2009). The two religions are closely interlinked and share a number of doctrines.

The conflict between the two religions usually are based on the understanding of single beliefs, for example, Christianity acknowledges that Jesus Christ died and resurrected after three days, while Islam refute such claims. The belief in trinity is the other main point of departure between the two religions. While it is contained in Christianity, it is refuted in Islam (Darwish, 2009).

Conclusion

The concept of cultural diversity in Islam plays a fundamental role in bringing out a new perspective. Cultural diversity in Islam can well be understood through the use of unity in Islam, a condition where one finds people from diverse cultural backgrounds adhering to a similar way of life. On closer observation, one finds that the different people have a number of differences where Islam is practiced within the confines of their cultural background.

References

Chryssochoou, X. (2004). Cultural diversity: its social psychology. Victoria: Blackwell publishing Ltd.

Darwish, K. (2009). The Islamic doctrine vs. the Christian doctrine: In the realm of reason. New York: AuthorHouse Publishers.

Esposito, J.L. (2002). What everyone needs to know about Islam: answers to frequently  asked questions, from one of America’s leading experts. Oxford: Oxford University press.

Guillaume, A. (1961). Islam. Michigan: Penguin Book Tibi, B. (2001). Islam between culture and politics. New York: Palgrave.

Voll, J.O (1994). Islam: continuity and change in the modern world, (2^nd ed.). Syracuse: Syracuse University press.