Willow Wilsons memoir entitled “The Butterfly Mosque” depicts the quest of an Atheist whom denies the dissociation of a god she has been taught never existed and submerges herself into a new religion; Islam. Wilson’s journey starts out with her fascination of the concept of god and unanswered prayer through her sickness. She chooses Islam for the very reason that it is monotheistic, antiauthoritarian, and sexually positive. Wilson’s ideas of Islam identify and show distinct contrasts with William Shepard’s book that introduces the foundation of Islam. I, myself identify as a Balkan Muslim, not necessarily a firm follower but a believer.
In the opening chapter, Kimball begins his discussion by describing his encounter with the then Ayatollah, Ruhollah Khomeini, in Qom, Iran on Christmas Day. He described the Ayatollah as being very charismatic and grandfatherly, as well as being an extraordinarily influential religious and political leader (Kimball, p. 1). The two discussed a number of important issues like the Iranian revolution, Christian-Muslim relations, Jesus, and the U.S. hostages (Kimball, p.
Introduction: In the text by Eboo Patel “Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation,” Patel focuses on living in a diverse faction full of religious prejudice in a world full of materialistic outlooks. At the same time he intertwines his personal experiences and provides a remarkable account in which he says that growing up in America as a Muslim led him to discover the importance of cultural pluralism, the acceptance of all religions, and his huge account that all Muslims aren’t extremists. He believes in ethnocentrism; religions should be able to coexist without feeling that one religion is superior than the other. In a world where the forces that seek to divide us are strong, Patel thinks the meaning of pluralism is that the differences
This sense of belonging gives Arwa the confidence to voice her opinions to create a change at her school. Arwa shows us how much happier she is by making a positive change to have an allocated prayer room at her school. The Muslim students at her school now have a voice and a place to belong. Arwa loves showing her other classmates what Muslim prayer involves and has paved the way for other Muslims at her school to have a path to follow and to feel a sense of belonging and safety. The purpose of this short story is to show how much happier you are not changing your beliefs for fear of not fitting in and that you can voice your opinion to make a difference so everyone
Inevitably, these resulting stereotypes and biases now influence the way that many Muslims typically act and feel about themselves in the 21st century. Moreover, in the literary works of Persepolis and Disgraced, Marji, an Iranian Muslim, and Amir, a Pakistani Muslim, both initially attempt
The Butterfly Mosque is an autobiography about Willow Wilson, an American woman from Colorado, who moves to Egypt and begins a slow conversion into Islam. She uses her memoir as a vehicle to express how personal she believes Islam is, separated from culture, geography, and ethnicity. Through her experiences and reflections, we are able to understand how she grapples with the ‘clash of civilizations,’ until she asserts that is does even exist. In this essay, I will argue that Willow Wilson’s autobiography does not simply foster a dialogue with the idea of the ‘clash of civilizations,’ but ultimately shows how her faith in Islam eradicates its existence by connecting herself to the ‘other’ as an individual, rather than a product of his culture.
The Middle East region of the world is a good example of why religious tolerance alone cannot and will not reduce religious-based conflict. To the contrary, it gives the paramount support for the Center’s approach, going beyond tolerance to attack this problem. So, the world must go forward by, among other things, emphasizing education in the direction of teaching the value of finding and emphasizing those common threads of similarity of religions rather than emphasizing the differences – though they certainly exist. Judaism vs. Islam.
So within the interview, the ability to address her particular religious practice and spirituality flowed freely. In the future different perspectives, different religious references might be explored in order to gather more diverse information and understanding of other religions. In
Similarly, I can be Muslim and live in America. " The students' struggles in reconciling their Muslim and American identities are a central theme throughout Mir's book. Her research emphasizes how faith and spirituality are fundamental to these students' identity and sense of community. Mir's work reminds us that every person's journey of identity formation is complex and unique, and that every individual deserves to be valued and accepted for who they are.
Without God as a guiding presence in her life, Marji began to rebel against the ever-encroaching fundamentalist institution as much as possible. Under the pretense of religion, Iran strictly enforced new laws against social gatherings and all items of decadence, “They found records and video-cassettes at their place. A deck of cards, a chess set, in other words, everything that’s banned… It earned him seventy-five lashes”(105). This sudden loss of mediums to enjoy one’s self and prevalence of excessive punishment enforcing the declared moral code (132) were invitations to rebel for Marji.
Because of this, I suffered from “identity jet lag”; and I always questioned where I belonged. My first stigma to my identity wasn’t from the outside world, but from the people who looked like me; Muslim/Arab women are often discouraged from following their passions, and told to follow a more traditional role. But as I grew older, I recognized
Sharing sacred rituals and similar values contribute to the Muslims added unity and strength of their society. Social interaction within the Islamic world includes worship of only one God, organized prayer, fasting and cleanliness, charity and the pilgrimage to Mecca are values that happen to be practiced without question because of the “submission to God” by those who practice this religious conviction (Slick, 2014). These beliefs run deep within the community and revered as the Pillars by which they live. These pillars stand as the foundation of the ‘house’ of the Islamic nation, with the values and beliefs making up the rest of the home.
The historical difference in culture and religious customs lead to many misunderstandings between Westerners and Muslims particularly because many English-speaking Orientalists did not speak Turkish, Persian or Arabic and therefore did not interact with knowledgeable Muslims on Islam (A.L. Macfie 81). The same can be said about Betty who does not speak Persian beyond a few words and thus relies on translators which limits her agency and her capability to understand the foreign culture and to deconstruct the
Cultural Immersion: Muslim Americans Part 2 Many Muslim families are labelled, judged, and in some cases feared by the American people. Many major cities have mosques, and it is important to acknowledge the presence and value this individuals have in our society. In effort to achieve a better understanding of the faith itself and the lifestyle of those that follow the faith, I visited a worship service and a community event held at one of the mosques in Iowa. In some ways this experience felt very foreign, yet in many ways it felt very comfortable.
Do I know who I am? Am I who I think I am? What makes me, me.? There’s a lot to know, and still so much more to explore and learn about myself. There are three main aspects about my life, that symbolizes who I am as a person.
