Islam Culture Versus Islam Religion
Islam Culture Versus Islam Religion
Throughout this course we have learned several different aspects of Islam as a culture and as a religion we have also been able to put to rest several myths that have plagued Islam in the eyes of the Western World. In this paper I will discuss the significant difference of Islam as a religion versus Islam as a culture as seen through the eyes of a Malay Muslim. I will then go on to discuss how the Western world views Islam and how it is progressively changing for the better.
Islam is a religion based on the teaching of the Profit Mohammad, passed down by the angel Gabriel. But, to many Malay Muslims, Islam is a culture. It is a practice handed down by their fathers, and their father 's father before that. It is something they do out of habit and tradition that than from principles of the religion. That is why by taking shadat, non-believers convert to Islam, and referred to as "Born Again Muslims" they seem to make better Muslims, because they are able to embrace the religion whole-heartedly.
Converts learn the religion from scratch and throw away their old beliefs on becoming Muslims. Newly baptized Muslims re-learn the religion and are able to differentiate between Islam as a culture and Islam as a religion. They are brave enough to reject what is unIslamic as learned through their new understanding of the Qur 'aan. They fallow this religion, separate from the culture even though they run the risk of being branded fanatics.
Unfortunately, the majority of Malay Muslims confuse what is religion with what is culture. They take both as one and the same and practice religion as if it was part of the Malay culture, or adopt some of the old cultures thinking they are doing an Islamic thing.
Sometimes even the culture over-rides religion and they rush out to implement a cultural practice as if it would be unIslamic in not doing so. Culture takes precedence over everything else and, if they miss one or two
Throughout this course we have learned several different aspects of Islam as a culture and as a religion we have also been able to put to rest several myths that have plagued Islam in the eyes of the Western World. In this paper I will discuss the significant difference of Islam as a religion versus Islam as a culture as seen through the eyes of a Malay Muslim. I will then go on to discuss how the Western world views Islam and how it is progressively changing for the better.
Islam is a religion based on the teaching of the Profit Mohammad, passed down by the angel Gabriel. But, to many Malay Muslims, Islam is a culture. It is a practice handed down by their fathers, and their father 's father before that. It is something they do out of habit and tradition that than from principles of the religion. That is why by taking shadat, non-believers convert to Islam, and referred to as "Born Again Muslims" they seem to make better Muslims, because they are able to embrace the religion whole-heartedly.
Converts learn the religion from scratch and throw away their old beliefs on becoming Muslims. Newly baptized Muslims re-learn the religion and are able to differentiate between Islam as a culture and Islam as a religion. They are brave enough to reject what is unIslamic as learned through their new understanding of the Qur 'aan. They fallow this religion, separate from the culture even though they run the risk of being branded fanatics.
Unfortunately, the majority of Malay Muslims confuse what is religion with what is culture. They take both as one and the same and practice religion as if it was part of the Malay culture, or adopt some of the old cultures thinking they are doing an Islamic thing.
Sometimes even the culture over-rides religion and they rush out to implement a cultural practice as if it would be unIslamic in not doing so. Culture takes precedence over everything else and, if they miss one or two
References: 1) Kuala Lumpur. "Mahathir badly hurt as Malay Muslims vote for Islamic party" (Muslimedia: December 1-15, 1999). 2) Abu Talib Ahmad. The Malay Muslims, Islam and the Rising Sun. 3) Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad and Adair T. Lummis, Islamic Values in the United States (Oxford University Press, 1987). 4) Council on American-Islamic Relations, "Report Outlines Political Attitudes of American Muslims: 96 Percent Believe Muslims Should Get Involved in Local and National Politics" (December 22, 1999). 5) Jeffrey Lang, Even Angels Ask: A Journey to Islam in America (Amana, L.L.).