Questions: Islam and Islamic Political Structures Essay

Submitted By marcusup98
Words: 2994
Pages: 12
Open Document
1) Describe European and sub-Saharan African contacts with the Islamic world.
European contact with the Islamic world was often strained. When the Muslims were building the Islamic empire, they had conquered most of the area surrounding the Mediterranean. As the Muslims moved on to Europe, they conquered Spain, but were stopped at the French border by Charles Martel in the Battle of Tours. Charles Martel won, and if he had lost, the Muslims would likely have conquered the rest of Europe. Years later, the European Christians waged war on the Islamic empire in order to win back the Holy Land from the Muslims. After many years of wars, the Christians eventually lost the war, but they benefitted in a way by reviving strong trading connections with the Muslims.
In sub-Saharan Africa, there were mixed reactions to islam. In West Africa, the kings of Ghana converted to islam mainly to improve trading relations with the Islamic merchants, and the rulers did not necessarily adhere to Islamic doctrines. In the kingdom of Mali, Islam was also tolerated, and even honored when the king Mansa Musa. In East Africa, the same process of the rulers adopting Islam to improve trade relations occurred. The rulers were not particularly interested in establishing a strong Islamic following in their lands, but eventually Islam spread through the noble class. Throughout all of Africa, Islamic traditions were adapted to traditional African beliefs. When people converted to Islam, they still believed in nature spirits, dead relative spirits, etc. They made their own brands of Islam.
Discuss the benefits of European/Islamic interactions further. Discuss the political influence of Islam in Africa aloth further.

2) Describe Islamic political structures, notably the caliphate.
In the 7th Century AD, a new religion Islam spread from the arabian peninsula and began a sequence of conquest and conversion that helped to forge the world's first global civilization. The Muslims conquered a huge region extending from Spain to central Asia and formed an empire that combined classical civilizations of Creece, Egypt, and Persia. The caliphate played a key role in Islamic political structures. After Muhammad's death in 632, there was a political power struggle because he failed to appoint a line of successors. In the time of need for a strong leader, a caliph was appointed. A caliph was the political and religious successor to Muhammad. Abu Bakr was chosen as the first caliph. The caliph represented political unity of the muslim state. It could be seen as the "head of the state." It had officials that were representatives of other peoples and groups who must govern according to Islam law. The decision of who should be named caliph had many effects. The two groups, Sunni and Shi'a Islam fought over who should be named caliph. In the decades after the prophet's death, the question of succession generated deep divisions in the Muslim community, and it split. The Sunnis backed up the Umayyads, and the Shi'is or supporters of Ali, were the most fundamental in the Islamic world.

Discuss other political structures besides the caliphate. Discuss the expansion of the bureaucracy during the Abbasid period for example.

3) Describe the impact of Islam on gender systems.
According to the Quran women and men were held spiritually equal in god’s eyes. However, this was not the case with Muslim law. Muslim law gave women rights though controlled them in matters like marriage, divorce, social participation, legal status, dress code and education. Practices also show this difference in status like veiling and the use of haremes, separate buildings off of the main home in which concubines would stay and be guarded by eunuchs. As Islam spread, this belief, in lower status of women traveled with it. The Bedouin nomadic tribes of Arabia that guarded caravans originally had a relatively high status for women as they played key parts in their society. This belief changed with the arrival
Show More

Related Documents: Questions: Islam and Islamic Political Structures Essay

Rise Of Islam Research Paper

Islam has become one of the most popular world religions, but how did this come to be? Islam was an empire with astonishing influences, The military campaigns took 3000 miles north to 2000 miles east. The political pressure that Islam put into the non-Muslim didn't stain their overall popularity with them. Islam became one of the main world religions because of the geographical influence, political pressures, and its popularity. The spread of Islam can be rooted to the geographic focal point of…

Words 449 - Pages 2

HIST 121 Essay

Hours (HMNSS 5506): T-Th 2:00-3:30 Course description: This class offers a survey of Middle Eastern history from 1200 to 1800. After a brief introduction to the rise and expansion of Islam, the first part of this class will cover the rise of Turkic dynasties and the impact of the Mongol invasions and rule on Islamic societies. The second part of the class will focus on the rise of gun-powder empires (Ottomans & Safavids) in the Middle East and the Balkans. We will focus on the Ottoman conquest…

Words 1077 - Pages 5

Understanding Islamic Intellectual Patterns In Africa

EXPLORING ISLAMIC INTELLECTUAL TRADTIONS IN AFRICA. -define Islamic intellectual tradtions -classical literature vs modern litertature - Islamic ideology in Africa - Is there room for critical thought within classical Islamic thinking and does modern Islamic thinking have a future within the study of Islam. A critical spirit has been central to Islam from its inception. The Qur'an is generously sprinkled with references to thought and learning, reflection and reason. The Sacred Text denounces…

Words 4030 - Pages 17

lsp 200 final Essay

U.S media as other. It appeared to be that a person cant be Arab or Muslim and American at the same time; because one is neither and not quite a citizen. The marginalization of Arab Americans and Muslim Americans prompted the Council on American-Islamic relations to place ads I the NYT in the aftermath of 9/11 with photographs of Muslims all ethnicities and colors, declaring them to be American. While the maneuvers in the NYT are at times explicitly racial in their grammar, their organization of…

Words 3692 - Pages 15

Did calligraphy replace the image in Is Essay

image in Islamic art? Calligraphy is the art from that is perhaps most universally associated with Islam. Throughout its 1400 years of existence, Islamic art has been adorned with exquisite works of calligraphy, illustrated in the Qur’an; displayed in the architecture of mosques and palaces; on decorative arts such as manuscripts, paintings, ceramics, textiles, tools, coins, jewellery and weapons. This essay aims to highlight whether or not calligraphy did replace the image in Islamic art, and…

Words 2368 - Pages 10

Islam and Mass Media Islam Essay

Does the media portray Islamic people negatively? 1. What is your nationality? - Australian - Lebanese/Middle Eastern - Vietnamese/Chinese - Other, Please specify 2. Do you find that there is more positive or negative media coverage on Islamic people? - More positive - More negative - About the same - I don’t know If more positive, skip to question 4. If more negative, continue to question 3. 3. If more negative, has the media’s portrayal of Islamic people stereotyped all…

Words 5816 - Pages 24

Model Essay Comparison Essay Post-Classical Civilizations

Question: With the collapse of the classical civilizations, post-classical civilizations arose shortly thereafter. Compare the factors that led to the rise post-classical civilizations from 500 CE to 1200CE between two of the following regions- Europe, East Asia, Africa or the Middle East. Model Essay Comparison Essay Post-Classical Civilizations With the collapse of the Roman, Gupta and Han empires, the world was left in a period of chaos with little structure in most areas. However after…

Words 1296 - Pages 6

Islamic History Midterm Review Essay

Islamic History Midterm Review Key Terms: Specific People General People groups/Titles Non Muslim influences Muslim Religion Places Other Mu’tazilites: -Were a group of intellectuals highly influenced by Greek philosophy. -They believed that the Qur’an was not eternal, rather that it was created. -They believed that an individual had free will (God did not determine all acts). -A group of mu’tazilites was very popular with one Caliph (al-Ma’mun), he would actually start an…

Words 3598 - Pages 15

the Collapse of the Arab Spring Essay

Dream: A Call for a Transnational Response to the absence of Secular Institutions It is very difficult to define authority, and the history of human civilization is riddled with this question: How do we dictate “political” authority? Some believe that it is the state that controls the legitimate political hegemony. Others believe it is in hands of the people, but for a long portion of human history civilizations have used religion to construct an authority capable of governing people. The history…

Words 6026 - Pages 25

The Future Of Islam

John Esposito's presentation on "The Future of Islam" was interesting and informative regarding how Muslims are viewed – historically and presently – in American society today. As expected from one of America's leading authorities on Islam, Esposito's presentation was full of accurate historical accounts and data that allowed major questions and issues associated with Islam throughout the 21st century to not only be presented, but answered. He was able to showcase how past and present events have…

Words 691 - Pages 3