In the contemporary world Muslim religion is regarded to be one of the most successfully growing religions, the fastest growing religion in the world. According to the video with Zarqa Nawaz, Islam teaches the right things, especially in the context of the modern life in the North America, and particularly in Canada. People in these countries are open-minded, and the video presents the main principle of Islamic view towards enemies, like go and negotiate with those oppressing you.The main idea of this video is to suggest correct solutions to the problematic aspects of Muslim spiritual life and the role of women in mosques. For example, in 52% of mosques in the Northern America, there are special curtains between men and women areas which does not allow distracting attention of the men from the prayers. Undoubtedly, if there is a will, there is a way, so it would be very good, in the opinion of some women, to remove this curtain. The interviewer in this video suggests such barriers between men and women be overcome, basing his suggestion on the idea of equality and avoiding so called spiritual loneliness of the visitors of these mosques. According to the video, there is greate controversy in the opinions of people, some of them do support the the idea that men and women should pray divided by curtain, as nothing should distract mens attention from the prayer in the church. Esposito supports this opinion in some figurative way, so do Rippin and Mernissi, who focuse on the religious practices in Islam in relation to women and their role in religion.
Islam includes religious practices that are easy to comprehend and help to understand the role of the humanity in the modern world. Islam explains many religious things, historic eventsand social issues in its own unique way, so they become very clear and easily acceptable by the believers and practitioners all around the world. Islam values are the concepts that can be treated differently by many religious and political leaders, but in any case, Muslim religion stands on many common grounds with other religions. The growth of Islam is explained by the so called easiness in understanding and practicing. Undoubtedly, it is very good to treat Islamic values in the context of modernizing and developing even new concepts, including the attitude to life. In any case, Muslim style of life includes not only rituals and worship practices, but also the complex of beliefs and attitudes to life. Many Islamic religious leaders explain many things in their own unique way, and some even treat traditional concepts differently. Of course, such attitude can be used for making judgments about religious experiences in many other religions all around the world. Islam is a system of beliefs that includes many useful things in the context of modern civilization. Speaking about Islamic values in the context of the USA, it would be very good to mention that democratic and free way of life of the United States of America includes equal attitude towards any religion. Many religions exist in the USA, and the law and equal opportunities allow them to practice religion in the context of modern world. The USA government and law give equal opportunities to everyone, irrespective of their religion, only if their practices are useful and do not hold back the development of the modern civilization.
Islamic Religion Practice in the Modern Context
Modern Islamic values include the type of behavior that would be very useful to understand the key concepts and models of human behavior. Undoubtedly, in the contemporary world, there is a great need to understand how religious practices can be adjusted to the modern circumstances. It would be very useful to understand the necessity of new changes, particularly in the context of the United States of America.
The United States of America is one of the leading countries in the world. Many things are valued very much, especially in relation to freedom of religion. Religious practices are many in the US. And the role of Islam inside the country is huge, as many of citizens of the US accept Islam practice as one of the most important for the modern context.
What does Islam look like in the modern world? It is one of the leading religions in the US and is considered one of the most important in the context of a good style of life.
The Advantages of Islam
Islam has many advantages that are common to many other religions. Islam comprises many features that are very important for the further development of the human civilization and its attitude to life, morality, philosophical values, technology, nature and many other things that are very useful for the further development of the modern world. The relation of Islam to other religions proves the fact that it has a strong power that should be developed .
In my opinion, the main advantages of Islam are:
1. Clarity. Muslim religion can be easily understood by anyone who is aware that life is a gift of God, and should be cherished best of all. It is very good to see that much in life depends on circumstances and the attitude to life, and these issues matter much in other religions. So Islam has much in common with other monotheistic religions, including Jewish and Christian religions. Islam is a complex of rules and beliefs that are good to be accepted by various members of the society.
2. Easy practices that can be easily treated as useful in the modern context. When comparing Islam with other monotheistic religions, it is worth to point out that they are different, and some of them are outdated. For example, some members of Eastern Orthodox Church practice many things that cannot be well accepted by the other representatives of the modern society. In some countries, the leaders of the Orthodox Church set rules that cannot be applied tothe modern world. For example, when it comes to wearing hijabs in Islam , it can be mentioned that this rule can not be accepted by all representatives of the given religion. Of course, rules are dictated by society and religious leaders, but there should always be those who find the way to protest against social norms. In my opinion, it is up to people to decidewhat they wear and how they are dressed. And of course, it matters much what we keep inside our heart, and it is of greater importance than just formal things . Even according to the Gospel, we all need to seek for the so called kingdom inside. When people are ready to find the kingdom inside, they can lead a good life according to the principles of modern civilization.
We live in the world, where everything is changing so fast, and we often have no opportunities even to find out our role and place in this world. Religion helps much in this, but it is not the only way to understand the key issues of the modern attitude to life. We should care not only about religious practices, but also about our spiritual and ethical life.
Islamic Values and the Modern World
Islamic values are easily adjustable in the context of modern world. Many things can be treated as very important when applied to the modern context. For example, in reference to the modern situation in the U.S., it would be very useful to watch how Islamic values can be applied to the current situation.
Islamic values can be treated differently, but their only aim is to build good relations inside the society and in the inner world of people. In addition, community plays a very important part in understanding the role of Islam in the society.The values can be applied in a very good manner in order to understand how the community can function in the society. It is very important to measure all risks, strengs and weaknesses, so that we can evaluate the importance of the position of Islam in modern society. Community plays a very important role in the society, so it can contribute much to the development of the major principles of the righteous life. Of course, all we need is love, friendship, car, etc. That is why we can contribute much to changing the attitude to religion in the society. Religion should play a very important role in the society; either it is Islam, Christianity, or Judaism. We should care more about religious values than about the role of religion in the community.
Attitude to Women
Many researchers from different countries and especially the representatives of some human rights organizations do believe that the attitude to women in some Islamic countries is not that good, actually far from perfect. However, these issues shoul be thoroughly examined and discussed. For example, if we take such countries as Pakistan, Afghanistan, or Iraq, we can observe that in the past centuries, under the former rulers, women were really oppressed in these countries. In any case, the reason was not Islam , but the oppressive regimes. When the United States of America sent its troops to Iraq or Afghanistan, the USA government was criticized by many countries, including European. However, in my opinion, this was for good, as only by force it was possible to grant people of these countries freedom and to grant them the rights to survive in the struggle with the oppressive regimes. It was very useful, and was really for better, as none could stand such oppressive governments that functioned in these countries. It was not about Islam at all, but about those groups that supported these regimes and struggled against freedom.
In this context, the controversy is related to the attitude to life in relation to Islamic values, whether they are good or not. In my opinion, any religious values are good if they are applied to reality and are followed. The notion of the kingdom inside is very useful in this context, as this concept is very good and easily understood in many aspects.
However, reality dictates many other issues that can be understood only through modern realities. The attitude to people in Islam and especially to women is stated as good and respectful in Koran. Women can raise children and do activities that help them to understand their roles in life. It is always good to bring up leaders, not losers, as the main task of the leaders is to change the world and the other peoples attitude to life.
Islam teaches a very good style of life, but this religion is much spoiled by those who misunderstand the main issues of the religion. The problem is that many radicals misunderstand the key concepts of this religion, and even more that they dictate some out-dated principles that cannot be used for good in religion. The reason is that the world is developing, and the Earth is going round and round, while many things do not stay the same, especially these days, when people are interested in money more than in moral values. It would be very useful to understand how Islam can change the types of behavior and help people to find out the real and righteous way in life. Many things may be similar in different religions, but it would be useful to clarify the priorities in the spiritual activities of each.
Of course, there is much use in applying Islamic values to everyday life, including family and social life. As for women, they should play an active part in social life, in spite of the opinion of some men that they should just stay in kitchen, do the house work and bring up children. The role of women in modern world is significant, and they can accomplish many tasks. Women should play equal roles with men in every aspect of life. It is very useful to find out how these roles can be applied to life.
The role of the woman in Islam is significant. According to this religion, a woman is a mother that gives life to children, so some narrow-minded men think that women should stay at home, just cook and take care of children. Modern life challenges women to do other things. For example, nowadays the perspectives of women have grown much . The problem is vivid in relation to the modern concepts and understanding the role of every member of the society.
The challenges of Islam are many nowadays, and they include changing the attitude to life and even rearranging some values according to the modern contexts. It would be very good for theologians to understand how Islam explains the relations between people and how it treats the main roles of humanity, nature, world affairs and governments. The opportunities of Islam are many in the contemporary worlds and this religion is one of the most progressive and most rapidly growing in the modern world, especially in social and political contexts. Those who understand the perspectives of Islam are thinking very deep and well. They can understand that the roles of many religions are different, and any religion suggests good values for humanity. But people prefer going other ways that are broad and not trying to find an appropriate way for themselves. People are obsessed with power, money, adultery, and many other things that cannot be accepted by religion. Of course, material life matters much for satisfying needs, but the priorities of people should be concentrated on spiritual life first of all. People should realize that it does not really matter what we get, but it matters much what we have inside. Does a kingdom or darkness exist? Are there the things that God created, or that we created by our sins? It is up to us to decide and to make the world better.
Islam is a religion that no doubt should be modernized, like any traditional religion, including Christianity and Judaism. The reason is that these religions are founded very long ago, and they do not meet the needs of the modern world. The United States of America is the land of endless and equal opportunities that can be very useful to make significant changes in understanding religious experiences in the variety of contexts. People should care about spiritual life more than they care about expensive cars, money, and even healthy food. People should realize that what we get is not as important as what we give. The opportunity to give and to take care of others is the main priority and the main need that we can obtain in the contemporary world. Human life can be very good, if we apply a system of values to it, no matter if we take it from the Holy Bible or from the Holy Koran. Love is the most important aspect in every religious practice, and it is one of the main values that should be followed in the context of every country. Love is what all need, and love is the solution.
