Islam - Essay Questions
Islam Short Answer- Six questions are listed below. You need to complete three of them of your choice. You should limit your answers to somewhere between 300-500 words for each. There is no limit on the resources you can access, but you do need to avoid plagiarism and appropriately cite any sources of information that you use.
1. Michael H. Hart chose Muhammad to lead his list of The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History. In a (fake) e-mail or faxed message to Mr. Hart, critique that selection. You may write in paragraph form, list evidence, or do whatever you find effective.
2. Certainly, all Five Pillars of the Islamic faith are important. However, you have been selected to introduce the basics of Islam to a class of people with limited patience and attention spans. You have time to explain only the one "Pillar" that you feel best shows the true meaning of Islam. Which do you chose? Why?
3. You have won the Grand Prize "Get-Away" in the "Religions Around the World" contest. You (and a companion) may choose any three locations (cities, landmarks, countries, sites, etc.) related to Islam that you want to visit. Let us know what stops you plan to make, and tell us why you chose them.
4. The status of women in Islam has been a topic of much controversy, particularly in the West. You are being asked to comment on two topics. First, how accurate do you find the typical Western view of women in Islam? Second, what are your own opinions on this topic?
5. You will need to get out your crystal ball for this one. A common theme from many of the resources we saw or read was that there is an on-going struggle between "mainstream" Islam and a small minority of "extremists" or "fundamentalists" who misinterpret and/or abuse the faith to serve their own objectives. A decade from now, how will the balance of power have shifted between these two groups? What can the Islamic faith do to meet the challenge of those seeking to pervert it?
6. Share your preliminary assessment of the Baha'i faith based on what you have learned. Is there anything you find particularly appealing or not appealing about its major tenets and beliefs? How do you view its position among "world" religions?
