Q. 1 Extent of Islamic empire during the first century of the advent of Islam and its proliferation
Following the death of Prophet Mohammad in 632 having spent his last decade in Medina between 622 to 632 trying to conquer the pagan state of Mecca, Islam had already gained momentum and was spreading rapidly like wildfire in the middle east, parts of modern day Eastern Europe and Northern Africa (Pratt 38). Following Mohammad’s death, his followers were left under the leadership of the elderly Abu Bakr who only reigned for 2 years before he died in 634. Under his leadership, the Islamic army continued to register impressive victories that led to the continued conquest of the Arabian Peninsula. After the death of Abu Bakr, he was succeeded by the youthful Umar bin al-Khattab, a puritanical ruler whose desire for greater conquests in the name of Islam drove him to lead impressive campaigns of military conquest against the Byzantine of Egypt (Pratt 41). The campaign of expanding the Islamic empire through the conquest of Egypt was driven by the fact Egypt was believed to be valuable because it was considered a vital source of grain for Europe and the region was regarded as the land of legend, wisdom, and mystery. The Islamic invaders upon discovering the Pyramids they thought they had found Joseph’s granaries. Upon the successful expansion of the Islamic empire through the conquest of Egypt, the Islamic army would continue to wreak havoc and conquer the tribes that lived in North Africa. Within a span of 43 years as from the year 639 when the Islamic army first entered Egypt, they had managed to reach the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in West Africa. The empire would grow further in the year 711 when Muslims invaded and conquered Spain. Concisely, the extent of the Islamic empire a century later after the death of Prophet Mohammad can be described as dramatic. Within a span of only seventy years, the Islamic army had managed to expand the Islamic empire by subduing Spain, the whole Northern Africa region stretching from the Nile to the Atlantic and the whole of the Middle East.
Q. 2 Traditional and contemporary roles and status of non-Muslims, particularly Jews and Christians in the Islamic world
Scholars assert that the historical term the people of Dhimmi(in Arabic Al-dimmah) was used to refer to non-Muslims, particularly Jews and Christians who lived in the Islamic empire that sprouted after the death of Prophet Mohammed and military conquests across North Africa from the Nile to the Atlantic, the Middle East, and parts of modern Europe such as Spain. Dhimmis were allowed the right of residence in the Islamic world under the condition they would pay taxes (Parolin 26). Though the Islamic communities protected the rights of the Dhimmis, the truth is that these groups of non-Muslims majorly comprising of Christians and Jews were regarded as second-class citizens, consequently they were subjected to certain forms of restrictions. For instance, the Dhimmis were not allowed to openly consume alcohol and pork because the Quran forbid it. In addition, the Dhimmis during the holy month of Ramadhan are not allowed to operate businesses that sell food and drinks during the daytime. In strong Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia, all non-Muslim women are supposed to wear hijabs like their Muslim counterparts.
As seen above, the Dhimmis minorities living in Muslim nations date back to either the colonial or the pre-Islamic period. This nuance continues to influence the present day inter-communal relations. Presently, it is thought that there are approximately 100 million non-Muslims living in Islamic nations, particularly those in the Middle East, northern Africa, and eastern Asia. The population of Muslims in Islamic nations constitutes around three quarters of the approximately 1.3 billion Muslims worldwide. The non-Muslims in theses Arab states continue to experience prejudice as they are regarded as infidels. They face constant pressure to convert to Islam, which explains why the size of non-Muslim communities is ever shrinking in the Middle East. The non-Muslims who only constitute 4.4% of the Middle East whole population are under pressure to fit in and they do not want to continue experiencing prejudice for being regarded as second-class citizens. In a recap, the non-Muslims living in the Middle East mostly play an inferior role compared to their Islamic counterparts. Converting to Islam is viewed as a way of fitting in and enjoyed more economic opportunities.
Q. 3 Are democracy and Islamic religion compatible
Following the failure of military action in Iraq and attempts to establish democracy in the nation, there has been a misconception that Islam and democracy are incompatible among critics. Though there is some friction between the two, we cannot expressly argue that the two are incompatible. Western scholars are to blame for presenting Islam as inherently authoritarian and undemocratic. Usually, they aim to present Islam this way so that the western culture of liberalism emerges superior. Most importantly, we should realize the cause of the never-ending conflict in the Middle East is perhaps because of western powers attempts to modernize the region and having expectations that the Muslims will fully embrace the western style of democratic leadership (Pratt 84). When the people unilaterally reject western style of democracy confusion arises on whether democracy can really work in the Middle East. Fortunately, we have examples of Islamic nations where democracy has worked well, for instance in Turkey and Malaysia. Therefore, similar level of success as that witnessed in Turkey and Malaysia can be achieved if those involved in implementation of democracy in the Middle East understand the best form of democracy uses the existing cultural norms and values to establish a legitimate government, secondly it adjusts swiftly to changing paradigms of modernity and finally is amendable by the citizens. Therefore, we conclude that democracy and the Islamic religion are compatible. Misinterpretations by radical groups such as Al Qaeda and Al Shabaab should not lead us to prejudicial conclusions against all Muslims. Established theories of democratic consolidation need to be re-examined so that a more holistic and relevant view is formulated, which is applicable culturally according to the Islamic traditions and culture. This is the way forward towards coming up with a flexible and culturally applicable western-style democracy that will blend perfectly with the cultures of the people of the Middle East (Pratt 98). Otherwise, imposing on the people of middle east western style of democracy at once is likely to create divisions and animosity among the citizens, some who are very conservative, others liberals and still others are neutral.
Part 2
The movie titled ‘the Syrian Bride’ seeks to highlight the impact of the ongoing Arab Israeli conflict through the lives of a Druze family. This family is comprised of various characters that we will analyse throughout this section of the essay so that we can reveal the challenges they are experiencing due to the ongoing globalization with regard to their true national identity. These characters are Amal who is the eldest sister of the bride and mother to two young girls the eldest of whom loves a young man alleged to be an Israeli collaborator. Mona the Bride, Hattem is his eldest brother who is married to a Russian wife and they have a male child, Marwan is Hattem’s younger brother and lives in Italy and has the reputation of a womanizer. There is Amal’s husband, the village elders and the demonstrators. Most importantly, we have Hammad who is the head of the whole family and father to Amal, Mona, Hattem, and Marwan. Most importantly, globalization has brought with its tensions that result from conflict between contemporary change that is witnessed in today’s contemporary world and traditional practices. For instance, the Druze family that is cast in the film constitutes a unique sub-sect of the Islamic Shiite community that dates back to the 11th century. Before the Arab Israeli conflict of 1967, the Druze was scattered mostly in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria (Cordesman 61). However, following Israel’s victory and the capture of Golan Mountains that were under Syrian leadership, most of the Muslims occupying the region came under the rule of Israel. Consequently, it is from these political developments that the true national identity of the Shiite Muslims such as the Druze family living in the Golan region became compromised. Though decades later some of the Druze communities chose to become Israeli citizens, the Druze family that lives in Majdal Shams chose to refuse Israeli citizenship.
Next, we review the character of Amal, the mother of two daughters. His husband who works as a butcher of sheep meet tries to contain her but she is too liberal. Amal and her daughters wear trousers. This is considered against the tradition of Islam. In addition, she has chosen to further her studies by applying to study at the Haifa University. This offends his husband Amin who fears what the society would think of him if he allows his wife to further her studies. Furthermore, their eldest daughter Mai is in love with an alleged Israeli collaborator. Mai seeks his father’s blessing to be allowed to marry her love of her life but she faces great opposition. His father vows she would never marry an Israeli collaborator as long as he lives. At one point, Amin tries to convince his liberal wife not to continue with her ambitions of furthering her studies arguing that her eldest brother Hattem had already brought enough shame to the family by marrying a Russian wife. Amin states that he has grown tired of the villager’s gossip behind his back that his wife and daughters wear trousers. He wonders what the villagers would think of his manhood if he lets his wife study at Haifa University.
The impact of globalization has had most tremendous effect on Hattem’s life. He left for Russia eight years ago and came back to his village in the Golan Heights to a disastrous homecoming. His mother and his siblings only acknowledge Hattem. His father and the villagers who view him as an outcast for bringing shame to the family because of his act of marrying a Russian wife barely acknowledge him and his young family comprising his wife and a male child. However, at the border we observe the positive impact of globalization in his life. He is no longer ignorant because he has knowledge of human rights. He rescues his father from an attempted arrest by an Israeli police because of escorting his 25-year-old daughter to the boarder. Hattem poses as an attorney and demands his father be freed because the arrest is illegal.
In addition, we observe the character of Marwan who lives in Italy and has the reputation of a womanizer. He comes back to find his former French girlfriend who works with the Red cross based in the Syrian-Israeli border very angry for having left her. It seems society does not disapprove Marwan’s behaviour as long as he does commit himself through marriage to a non-Muslim partner. The character played by his former French girlfriend also helps to highlight the extent of the Arab-Israeli conflict on the lives of the people inhabiting the region. She makes countless of trips to the cross boarder offices attempting to secure a pass for Mona to the other side without success. The Israeli office is reluctant to assist Mona secure a pass, while Syria that does not acknowledge the existence of Israel as a nation has the policy of not identifying passports bearing an Israeli stamp as genuine. The implication is that such individuals do not have a national identity; therefore, they cannot be accepted in Syria. This cold war between Syria and Israel serves perfectly to illustrate the problems inhabitants of the disputed regions undergo in their everyday lives.
Most importantly, we conclude with the situation facing the Syrian bride - Mona. She becomes a vulnerable victim because of the cold war between Syria and Israel that threatens to ruin her life. She has never met her bridegroom to be since crossing the border is next to impossible due to the bureaucratic procedures. Syria refuses to acknowledge the existence of Israel; therefore persons who live in the regions under the control of Israeli cannot cross over to Syria because their passports will definitely bear an Israeli stamp. Towards the end of the movie, Mona takes it upon herself and crosses the border to meet her husband to be, a famous Syrian actor. Though she leaves without any clear national identity, she bears allegiance to the leadership of Syria.
Concisely, the paper has revealed the impact of ongoing globalization on the lives of the Druze family members. The head of the family, Hammad, is put on the spot to choose between his eldest son who is considered westernized and the respect of the community elders who are conservative. Marwan does not observe tradition and lives a carefree life. Amal and her two daughters are also becoming liberal but face opposition from his husband, a conservative. The character who is depicted as neutral is Hattem’s mother. She welcomes her eldest son and his family, thus making them feel at home. She has accepted the world is experiencing great changes due to globalization.
Works cited
Cordesman, Anthony H, Aram Nerguizian, and Ionut C. Popescu. Israel and Syria: The Military Balance and Prospects of War. Westport, Conn: Praeger Security International, 2008. Print.
Frederic, and Mary Ann Brussat. "Spirituality & Practice: Film Review: The Syrian Bride, directed by EranRiklis." Spirituality & Practice: Resources for Spiritual Journeys.N.p., n.d. Web. 6 May 2013.
Murphy , Maureen. "Film Review: "The Syrian Bride" | The Electronic Intifada." The Electronic Intifada.N.p., 2 Feb. 2005. Web. 6 May 2013.
Parolin, Gianluca P. Citizenship in the Arab World: Kin, Religion and Nation-State. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2009. Print.
Pratt, Nicola. Democracy and Authoritarianism in the Arab World. Boulder, Colo: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2007. Print.
Ross, Stewart. Causes and Consequences of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. London: Evans, 2004. Print.
Shafik, Viola. Arab Cinema: History and Cultural Identity. Cairo, Egypt: The American University in Cairo Press, 2007. Print.
Thomas, Amelia. Israel & the Palestinian Territories.Footscray, Vic: Lonely Planet, 2010. Print.
Tucker, Spencer, and Priscilla M. Roberts. The Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Political, Social, and Military History. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2008. Print.
Zenner, Walter P. A Global Community: The Jews from Aleppo, Syria. Detroit, Mich: Wayne State Univ. Press, 2000. Print.
