The treatment of Non-muslim people in Africa

In this assignment we were asked to write three paragraphs about the treatment of Non-Muslim people in Africa and the some of the background behind it.

 

    In Africa the distance between Muslim and Non-Muslim people has begun to grow wider.  The relationship between them has begun to grow strained and violence has begun to break out. In Kaduna, Nigeria three years ago 2,000 people were killed in street protests that had to be brought under control by the army.  It is estimated that from 1999-2003 10,000 people in Nigeria were killed in fights between Muslim and Non-Muslim faiths (specifically Christianity). However these were seen as fights provoked by bias politicians who were trying to destabilize the country using cultural differences and misunderstandings.

    Because of the high population of Muslims in Nigeria there have been integrations of the Islamic civil code. All though there are already aspects of this code integrated into the Nigerian law they just integrated a set of harsh Sharia punishments. These punishments include, being stoned to death, amputation of limbs, and floggings. However Non- Muslims do not have to participate in these punishments. Though they do feel that these these additions to the law lead to a increase in Islamization and a decrease in the tolerance of Non-Muslim beliefs. They find it unacceptable that Sharia Law should make converting to Christianity punishable to death.

      There however has not always been such conflict between Muslim and Non-Muslim faiths. Early in its beginning Islam was often very tolerant of other faiths, and it was off the ideas of Christianity and Judaism that Islam was built. But when Islam began to spread it's battle for religious territory with Christianity might have turned the two against each for competitive reasons. Islam began to spread in Northern Africa through conquest and trade in the Post Classical Period. This Area was originally controlled by the Roman Empire, making it's religious beliefs Christian.  Islam then spread through trade to the rest of Africa, but it could not however hard it tried make Christian Ethiopia convert to the Islamic religion. Which probably caused a little angry spot to form in the Muslims heart. Despite the lineage relationship between the two religions they still remain major competitors with major conflicts.

helpful sites?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3155279.stm  

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3155279.stm

http://allafrica.com/religion/

http://www.iqra.net/Dua/prayer.php

DBQ on the relationship between Trade and Religion in the post classical world

Religion and trade connect and unite the world in ways that we can not live with out and in ways we can not imagine. Sometimes they conflict and sometimes they don't. It all depends on who you are, where you are, and what time it is. Trade and religion were often found to conflict during the post classical period, however in some areas they harmonized and existed side by side. To make this a well rounded post classical consensus it would be nice to have articles from all over the world. Which is why it would be nice to have an article on India or Polynesia, because they would bring something new and diverse to the table, and trade and religion played large parts in their histories.

In many regions of the post classical world religion and trade were often found to conflict. Some regions believed that by trading with those who were culturally different and those who had different religious beliefs, they were helping the enemy (Doc #4). They viewed the other religions as inferior but often felt the threat of conversion and conquest, making them defensive. Trading with the enemy was seen as giving the enemy weapons and weapon material, therefore aiding them in the growth of their religion, and adding pressure to the other. Their were also regions that viewed market places as sinful and were completely against trading (Doc # 5). They felt that market places were held where they did not belong and that they too often caused men to miss church. A market place was viewed as a place where lies and deceit were made to gain profit, and place where quarrels and fights often broke out because of it. Which, therefore gave it's popularity a turn for the worse.

There were also regions of the post classical world where trade was found to conflict with religion (Doc#2). They felt that the manors of of the tradesmen were inferior to those of rulers. To buy, sell and seek profit they often used evasiveness and disputation. This lead to a decrease and weakening in moral virtue. They understood that trading was a means of livelihood, but felt that the methods were tricks aimed at profit.

However there also were many regions in the post classical world where religion and trade were not found to conflict. In some it was felt that there was no harm in seeking the bounty of the lord (Doc #1 ). Therefore a transaction where both parties spoke the truth and described the defects and qualities would be blessed. A transaction that involved deceitfulness would lose it's blessing, seeing that it was against the way of the lord. It was also felt that the buyer and the seller had the right to keep or return goods they had received through the trading system.

 

Throughout the post classical world there were also regions of religion that embraced trade (Doc.#3 ) These regions believed that trade was some thing you learned over time. They felt that it was to be built up, meaning that you would start small and work your way up to the big stuff by associating yourself with other merchants and learning from each other. It was believed that trading involved wisdom, and that traders were neither puffed up by good testimony or driven down by the reproach of poverty, and that they were respectful and charitable.
 

It was not only religion that found it self facing off against trade, but philosophical thinking (Confucianism) as well. It was this region in the post classical world that felt that traders were selfish and greedy (Doc #6). There, merchants wore rich elegant clothing and ate fancy food. Their horses were decked out and people attracted to their wealth would often ask to serve them. It was also there that the merchants would boast of their wisdom and ability. They believed that they knew all of the possible transformations in the universe and therefore could calculate all of the changes in the human world, and that the path of the prices was completely under their control. Also that they would not make one mistake out if a hundred of every one of their equations. Their wisdom and ability were insignificant and all they really were was a pile of silk and sushi.

It can be concluded from the documents provided that in the post classical world trade and religion were generally found to conflict. This can be determined by the 4:2 ratio (4 trade and religion conflict, 2 trade and religion do not conflict) found in the data. Trade was generally disliked because it involved deceit and other sinful and morally demeaning objectives. The merchants were generally overconfident and selfish and puffed-up and were known for their slippery tongues.n This resulted in a pro and con relationship because trade was necessary for countrys to survive, but it was often against religious beliefs. It is predictable that an Islamic article for the eighth century would support trade (Doc # 1), simply because of the fact the Muhammad, the founder, was a merchant. And the time suggests that Islam has not yet completely diffused and subjugated itself to the traditional culture of a particular area. It is also predictable that a Chinese article in the sixteenth century would suggest that merchants are not so wise, because merchants and traders never really held a place in the Chinese social structure, and the rulers looked down upon them.

Religion is what held countries together and trade is what connected them, however they did not always unite under the same banner. I believe that it would be helpful to have an article from India or Polynesia. This is simply because of the fact that I believe that different areas of the world will offer more diversities and opinions. I feel that by adding areas that are more diverse and by covering all major parts of the post classical world, it will help to better round the study of the interactions between trade and religion during the post classical period.


Doc #1- From the Hadith (Islamic legal code)8th century C.E.
Doc #2-A Muslim View of the Characheristics of Traders: Ibn Khaldun 1300's C.E.
Doc#3-Depiction of Saint Godric, a British merchant by his Christian biographer, Reginald of Durham 1100's C.E.
Doc#4-Pope Innocent III: License to Venice to trade with the Saracens 1198 C.E.
Doc # 5-Humbert de Romans: An Account of Medieval European fairs and markets 1250 C.E.
Doc # 6- China: Zang Han's Essay on Merchants 1500's C.E.

Aritcle About the Posistion of Women in Islamic Society

http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2008/11/20081118103940850761.html

Muslim woman defies male dominance

By Farah El Alfy in Cairo, Egypt

Amal Soliman, a 32-year-old Egyptian woman, has endured intimidation and ridicule in the year since she applied for a job as the Muslim world's first mazouna, or female marriage registrar, but she says her victory has been worth the fight.

In late September, Soliman, who holds a Masters degree in Islamic Sharia law, broke into what has until now been an exclusively males-only club.

However, the Committee of Egyptian Mazouns, an all-male organisation, challenged Soliman's application saying the job would be inappropriate for a woman and voiced their opinion in a statement issued by the committee.

A marriage officer presides over a wedding (or divorce) ceremony, recites verses from the Quran and signs the official certificates making the union legally binding.

Al Jazeera recently spoke with Soliman shortly after she conducted her first wedding ceremony on October 25.

Al Jazeera: Why did you decide to apply for a position that has traditionally – and for centuries – been a male vocation?

Soliman: In 2007 one of the two marriage officers of my neighbourhood passed away, leaving behind a job opportunity.

For three months everyone wondered who would be able to replace Al Hajj Abou Mesalam and right before the deadline (October 2007) for applying I rushed over to the civil court in Zagazig, the heart of rural Egypt, to give in my application.

I had been interested in pursuing a doctorate degree in Islamic studies but also maintaining a flexible job that would allow me to spend time with my three children.

Legally, there is no reason why a woman can't do the job, and the Mufti (Islamic scholar and interpreter of Islamic law) said it was religiously acceptable as it is only an administrative position.

In October 2007, my husband and I formally submitted an application to the local family court clerk for the post of marriage officer.

Was your application accepted?

Soliman with her husband and children [EPA]

Well, I took my husband with me because I was afraid I would be made fun of, which I was.

When I applied the man at the desk laughed openly at me and said that is was just not possible.

He imagined I would go home and forget about it, but instead I argued and told him that I had studied Sharia Law and I know it is an administrative job.

Though the clerk refused to accept my submission, I turned to Ibrahim Darwish, head of the local magistrate in Zagazig for his opinion.

Darwish was puzzled; he said there was no precedent for this situation so he did not know what to say. I took that as a sign that there was a small window of opportunity.

I then consulted Khaled el-Shalkamy, the head judge of Zagazig's family court.

I told him it was my right to be nominee as I was extremely qualified.

I told him just to accept me and let the other people involved in the selection process do the rest.

Were there no other applicants for the job?

Actually, I was in competition with 10 other candidates, all men, but none of them held post-graduate degrees in Sharia law like I did.

So el-Shalkamy accepted my application.

On February 25, I couldn't hold back my tears as I stood in front of the local court and was appointed as my district's new mazouna.

But the battle was half-won. I would not be able to begin work as a mazouna until Mamdouh Marei, the Egyptian minister of justice, formally signed off and authorised my appointment.

But many males did not accept the idea that a woman could hold what has been a man's job and you were targeted in the media.

The chairman of the Committee of Egyptian Mazouns, Muhammad Abou Ayeeta, said "the Ministry [of Justice] should refuse the appointment, because it is unacceptable that women would work in this occupation."

How did you deal with the backlash?

Well, at first my optimism slowly started to fade as I saw so much opposition. Some
columnists wrote that I was out to destroy tradition, that I was a threat to the religion and should be punished for pursuing the post.

But there were two main reasons for the opposition I faced. Firstly, it is simply rooted in male chauvinism. These people believe the woman's place is firmly in her house.

The other group was comprised of uneducated people who have developed an image of women's role in Islam from television; usually based on the words of a sheikh with a turban on his head.

Arguments made against me claimed that a woman couldn't perform marriages because of menstruation, as religion prevents women from praying or entering a mosque during her monthly cycle.

Others claimed that it was inappropriate for a woman to sit amongst men during the signing of the marriage certificates, which is traditionally predominately a male gathering where the marriage officer sits directly between the groom and his father-in-law.

Did no religious authority or group support you?

Well, four months after contacting the Ministry of Justice and receiving no word, I contacted the National Council for Women for a louder voice and stronger backing.

Both my opponents and proponents were beginning to wonder if I would ever receive the approval of the ministry of justice.

From the first moment that my papers where accepted as a nominee, the national press caught wind of this unusual event.

A journalist in Al Akhbar, one of Egypt's leading newspapers, heard about the situation, and helped launch my cause as a national debate.

Eventually the news went global. I think the media was a catalyst and made my appointment go through faster than it would have.

It made me happy to have so much international coverage … Sometimes when I'm sitting alone I wonder if I'm dreaming. What is going on? Did we really pull this off?

I'm happy not just for me; I had always wanted to show the world Egypt's developments with regards to women rights and gender equality.

But you did not get ministry approval until September 27; why did it take the ministry so long?

Of course I was happy and relieved, but more importantly I regained my confidence when the minister finally signed my appointment. I had slowly started to doubt myself up to that point.

However, I now believe that the minister had to be cautious, as this case was the first of its kind.

But laws are not religion. We can develop them.

On November 14, the United Arab Emirates followed in Egypt's footsteps and appointed Fatima Saeed Obeid Al Awani as a mazouna in the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department.

Link to News Articles with a Christian Point of View

http://198.62.75.4/opt/xampp/custodia/?p=2886

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7683495.stm

  

These links will lead you to articles that are written  with a Christian point of view. The first link will lead you to a Vatican web page that could be considered local news. The second will lead you to the BBC web page  that is considered world news. Enjoy!

POV

US Pesters Iraq Over SOFA
~ The general point of this article is anti American. This is because the Iranians believe that America is trying to force Iraq into siging the SOFA deal, as the article clearly states, " John Negroponte’s surprise visit to Iraq is aimed at forcing Iraqis into signing the SOFA deal." They believe that any us presence in Iraq is very bad, wanting all us troops and officals to leave thier country soon. Even though the US has no intention of doing this soon. Therefore this Iranian news paper Takes the side of the Iraqi's and tries to make the US' Deputies Secretary of State look like a bad foolish liar, instead of trying to make him look good.



http://www.iran-daily.com/1387/3237/html/east.htm#s336156

Part Two: Chapter Ten

All notes for this chapter have been hand written in a journal.

Part Two: Chapter Nine

Time Period:  1750  to 1914

III Industry and Imperialism

A) The Industrial Revolution

Agricultural Revolution II

~enclose, Public lands were closed in with fences.

~Urbanization was a natural out growth of the increased efficiencies in farming and agriculture.

~cities developed in areas where manufacturing materials were available.

Technological Innovations

~Domestic systems were a n inefficient and highly labor-intensive arrangement.

~1733, John Kay invented a flying shuttle which sped up the weaving process

~1764 John Haregreaves invented the spinning Jerry~1793 Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin.

~Steam engine took many people to perfect

~developed in early 1700's by Thomas Newcomer, improved by James Wattin in 1769

~First steam ship built by Robert Fulton in 1807

~1820's George Stephenson built first Steam-powered locomotive.

But Wait, Theres More

~Telegraph 1837, Samuel Morse

~Telephone, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell

~Light Bulb, 1879, Thomas Edison

~Internal Combustion engine, 1855, Gottlieb Daimler

~Radio, 1890's Marconi Guglielmo

~Airplane, 1903, Wright Brothers

Factory System

~Interchangeable parts were a system of Eli Whitney.

~Assembly live was Harrison focus was of production

~Not a great place to work

New Economic and Social Philosophies

~Adam Smith wrote in The Wealth on Nations (1776) that economic prosperity and fairness is vest achieved through private ownership.

~A free Market System is also known as Capitalism

~The process of laisses-faire, Capitalism is when the government removes them selves entirely from regulation.

~Karl Marx, was a German Philosopher and economist.

~Marxism served as the foundation for socialism and communism.

~Luddites were a group of workers who destroyed factory equipment at night to protest poor working conditions, in early spring 1800"S

~mid-nineteen hundreds split in thought among intellects and policy markets

~Middle class along with Democracy, and the free-market system were growing in the United States.

Capitalism and Enlightenment combine

~Factory Act of 1883 limited house of worker each weekday, restricted children from working, and made working conditions and threaten to strike.

~Social mobility became more common place

~Slave trade abolished in 1807

~Slavery outlawed in  Berlin in 1833 and in the United States in 1863ish

~In 1920 in the US and 1928 in Britain, woman's suffrage movement was successful in getting women's right to vote.

In Search of Natural Resources

~Colonies would harvest natural resources.  Send to Europe where product would be made, sent back to colonies would have to buy products.

~Colonial Powers became rich at colonies expanse.

The European Justification

~Social Darwinists applied charles Darwin's biological theory of natural selection to sociology.

~Europeans believed that they were superior, and that they had a moral obligation to teach other people how to be more civilized.

~Rudyard Kipling summed it up in his poem "White Man's Burden"

B) European Imperialism in India

~The British East India company, was a join-stock company that operated by a multinational corporation with exclusive rights over British trade with India, then led by Robert Clive, raised and effective army that ridded the sub-continent of the French

The Sepoy Muting

~Bahadur Shah II was exiled when the british took control of India.

~1877 Queen Victoria recognized as Empress of India

Full-Blown british Colonialism

~India became m~odel of british imperialism

~1885 well educated Indians formed the Indian National Congress to begin a path towards independence.

C) European Imperialism in China

The Opium War

~From 1839 to 1842 Britain and ?China fought a war over the opium trade

~Known as the first Opium War

~China forced to sign Treaty of Nonjing the first of the "unequal treaties".

~Second Opium war fought 1856-1860

The Word is Out: China is Crumbling

~White Lotus Rebellions, Internal rebellion led by buddhists, frustrated over taxes and government corruption.

~Taiping Rebellion, nearly succeeded in bringing Manchu government down.

~1860's Manchu Dynasty tried the self-Strengthening movement

~1876 Korea declares freedom

~1883, Sino-French War, lost hold of the Vietnam to French

~Treaty of Shimono Seki (1895 forced to hand over control of Taian, grant Japanese trading routs.

~Sphere on Influence allowed France, Germany, Russia and Britain to curve slices out of China.

~Open Door Policy United States announced equal trading Privileges among all imperial privileges.

The Boxer Rebellion

~Organized in response to the Mancu governments defeated and concessions to Western powers and Japan.

~Adopted gorilla warfare tactics.

~China forced to sign Boxer Protocol

~1911 government toppled

~Republic rebuilt by Sun Yat-sen

D.) Japanese Imperialism

~1853 Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Japan by steam-boat

~Treaty of Kanqawa (1854) helped West win Concessions from Japanese.

The Meiji Restoration

~Ushered in an era of Japanese westernization

~1870's Japan building railways and steam ships

~1876 demolished Samurai Warrior classes

~After Russo-Japanese War of 1904, Japan kicked "Russia out of Manchuria and established our piece of influence there.

E.) European Imperialism in Africa

Slave trade finally ends

~Between 1807-1820 most European countries abolished slave trade.

South Africa: Gold rings, a diamond Necklace, a british Crown

~Prior to discovery of gold and diamonds, South Africa was valued only for shipping and military reasons.

~After the Beor Wars (1899-1902) the British reigned supreme.

~1910 colony had it's own constitution and was known as the Union of South Africa.

~1912 organized African National Congress in an effort to oppose the Europeans Coloism and specific Sout African policies.

~Similar to Indian National Congress

Egypt: A New Water Way

~Ottoman ruled from 1517-1882

~Mahammed Ali defeated French and Ottomen and gain control of Egypt in 1805.

~Westernization attempts haulted by successor Abbas I

~Suez Canal completed in 1869 connected Mediterranean, Ocean to the Indian Ocean.

~By 1882 Britian controlled suez canal, and delared Egypt a British protectorate

Berlin Conference

~By 1914 only Ethopia and Liberia remained independent of European control.

VI Political Developments In The American and Europe

A.) Two Revolutions,m American and French

1. American Revolution

~In 1763 Britain revoted over the French in what is known as the French and Indian War, and the Seven year war.

~George Greenville and Charles Townstead passed unpopular laws on behalf of the british Crown.

~Laws such as Revenge Act (1764)Stamp Act (1765) Tea Act (1773)

~Thomas Paine urged colonists to support the movement. Wrote a widely a wildly distributed pamphlet, called Common sense

France More Than Happy to Oblige

~1777 committed ships, soldiers, weapons, and money to the causes.

~In 1781 French and American Troops concord the british Army.

2.) French Revolution

~1789 Laws XVI called a meeting of the Estates General, a group that had not met in 175 years.

~On June 17, 1789 the Third Estate declared itself the National Assembly.

~By August, National Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of men.

A New Constitution Causes Consternation

~The Constitution became the ruling body.

~Led by radicals known as Jacobion, the convention imprisoned the royal family land in 1793 beheaded the King for treason.

Reign of Terror: The hard fought Constitution gets tossed aside.

~ /convention through out the Constitution and created the committed of public Safety

~Led by Maximilien Robespierre and Jacobins, wasn't really a committee of personal , seeing it was responsible for the beheading of tons tens and thousands of french citizens.

~France wrote new constitution in 1795 and established a 5 min. government called the Directory

Napoleon: Big Things come in Small Packages

~Napoleon Bonaparte was a general by the age of 24.

~Overthrew the Directory in 1799, and Declared himself First Consul

~Nepoleonic Code (!804) recognized the equality of the French citizens and instituted some of the Enlightenment ideas that had served as the inspirations for many revolutionaries.

~His troops conquered Austria, Prussia, Spain, Portugal and Kingdoms within Italy, also disintegrated called Holy Roman Empire. 

~1800, crowned himself emperor of of this vast empire.

~1810 empire reached peak

~1812,greed got the better of him and forced himself into exile.

~Prince von Metternich of Austria, Alexander I of Russia, duke of Wellington of Britain, railed against him at Waterloo in 1813 where they sent him to permanent exile at St. Helena Island where he later died.

B.) Lots of Independence Movements

Haiti: Slave Revolt Send France a Jolt

~1801 Pierre Toussaint L'Ouverture a former lave lead a long, violent, successful slave revolt.

~Jacques Dessolins, reclaimed Haiti a free republic in 1804 and named himself governor-general for life

~Haiti was first free Latin American Nation.

South America: Visions of Grondur

~In Venezuela ejected French governor and appointed own leader, Simon Bolivia.

~1811 declared independence form Spain

~In Argentina Jose de San Martin put his extensive military experience in for rebels in 1814, took control of armies.

~Took revolutionary movement through Argentina, Chile and Peru.

~By 1820's a huge chunk of South Africa was independent.

Brazil:  Power to the Pedros

~John VI Portuguese King fled to Brazil and set up court in exile.

~1821, left Brazil to Son Pedro and moved back to Portugal

~Declared Brazilian independence self emperor and wrote the constitution.

~1831, gave power to son Pedro II who in 1880 abolished slavery

~Land-owning class established republican 1889

~Mexico: Tale of two Priests

~Miguel Hidalgo, creole priest who simplified for those who had been abused under Spanish colonialism.

~Jose Morelos led revolution to success against loyalists.

~Treaty of Cordoba Spain was forced to recognized that its domination of Latin America had ended

C) Two Unifications Italy and Germany

The Unification of Italy.

~1849 Victor Emmanuel II named Court Camillo Cavour his prime minister.

~Giuseppe Garibaldi raised a volunteer army and in 1860 drove Spain from the kingdom of the two Sicilies.

~Essentially unified by 1870.

Unification of Germany

~1861 William I appointed Otto von Bismarck, prime minister with aim of building military and consolidating under the reign of authority.

~Franco-Prussian War  consolidated the German Catholic regions under Prussian control.

~1888 William II was crowned, re-established authority as the emperor.

~by 1914 German felt capable of taking on any other power.

D) Other Political Developments

Russia Life with Czars

~1860's Alexander II, issued the Emancipation Edict which abolished serfdom.

~Alexander III created the policy of Russification.

~Nicholas II (1894-1917) revolution in the wind

~On Sunday in 1905, moderates marched Czar's palace in a peaceful protest where they shot, known as Bloody Sunday.

~Peter Stolypin was a prime minister.

~Duma was a body intended to represent the Russian people.

~Romanov Dynasty soon came to an end.

U.S. Foreign Policy

~Monroe Doctrine,1823, declaration that the western hemisphere was off limits to European Aggression.

` Roosevelt Corollary provided that the United States would intervene in financial disputes between European powers and countries in the Americas.

~ Panama Canal, 1904-1914, Panama (South America).

~ Spanish American War of 1898 was launched by americans who sympathized with the Cubans, gave Americans possession of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.