Proposal
The researcher aims to conduct extensive research on the sensitive issue of Islam because Islam is the second largest religion the world after Christianity. The estimated population of Muslims is approximately 1.5 billion (22%) in 2012-2013 out of 7 billion global population, which clearly portrays their importance in shaping global culture. The researcher has chosen this topic because Islam has become highly controversial and sensitive debate in 21st century due to rising incidents of terrorism, uncertainty and wars in Islamic nations in the name of Jihad (religious war). For instance, the most common misconception and argument against Islam is about its preaching as if it is a religion of enmity and destruction. However, the Islamic scholars aggressively defend this notion by arguing that Islam is a religion of peace, harmony and flexibility, which promotes international brotherhood. Since every fifth person across the globe is follower of Islam, the ‘Muslim Diaspora’ widely affects cultural diversity because Muslims preach their religious teachings among ‘Non-Muslims’ to spread their religious presence and awareness (Galtung et al, 2012).
The preliminary research reveals that the highest number of Muslims reside in countries such as Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Turkey, Iran, Egypt and others etc. The aims of this research project are to highlight the core religious message of Islam, to present a comparative study of Islam, Christianity and Judaism by elucidating differences, and to elaborate and debate on these understandings impact the ways that Muslims and non-Muslims interact and communicate with one another in Europe and America. The researcher will use secondary sources such as scholarly journals, articles and books on comparative religions followed by a primary research in the form of interviews with Muslims and non-Muslims to highlight misconceptions, perceptions and arguments against Islam and their counter arguments and responses.
References
Galtung et al, Johan (2012). The Muslim Diaspora in Europe and USA. Transcend.org [Online] Available at https://www.transcend.org/tri/downloads/MuslimDiaspora.pdf
