Islamic Presentations- 8A

During this whole week, my class presented various topics about Islam. Here I will write what I learned from each fascinating topic and the presenter.

Geography of the Arabian Peninsula- Alon

I learned that Arab means nomad and it is a person from the Arabian Peninsula. If you are an Arab, that does not make you Muslim, it just makes you a native person of the land. I also learned that Yemen is the most fertile country because it close to water and it has monsoon seasons. The Arabian Peninsula has no rivers, but it is surrounded by the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Persian Gulf surround it which gives it the water it needs.

Muslim Women- Ana

From this topic, I learned that the role of women and their rights have degraded. All men and women have spiritual rights, but they are mistreated, beat and cussed at. Women are also half the price of men and almost all receive female circumcision. I also learned that they can own land, divorce and inherit land but divorce is a slow and painful process. Bibi Aisha was a victim of the new Muslims due to her getting her nose and ear cut off because she did not agree to arranged marriages and ran away.

Islamic Religion- David

I learned that Islam means submission to God and that the nomads in fact spread Islam. Also that four chapters of the Quran are read during weddings and that the people pray five times a day;  dawn, midday, afternoon, after sunset and night. Ramadan is like the Islamic Christmas and Mohammad traveled to Medina in 622.

Military Before and During Islam- Simeon

From this topic I learned that Prophet Mohammad united the tribes into not making war and that starvation and the lack of owning oasis’ was what triggered wars. Most common weapon was the jambiya, and it was a dagger for military and ceremonies. Tabar was a battle axe and the scimitars were curved swords and symbolized Islam. 635-638- was when Mohammad conquered Mesopotamia, Palestine and Syria in 3 years and the highest peak was in 750.

Prophet Muhammad- Rea

Mohammad was born in Circa 570 and was later adopted by his uncle. There he grew and later started to own a caravan business. He then met his wife who was a 40 year old widow and he was only 25. They had 6 children, two of which his sons died. On Mount Hera he saw angel Gabriel and in 622 he migrated to Medina because the people felt threatened with his new religion so they wanted to assassinate him. Finally on June 8, 632 Mohammad died when he was 63 years old in Medina, Arabia.

Islamic Religion- Sara

I learned that the followers of Mohammad wrote the Quran and they were all men. Ramadan is in the 9^th month of the year and on a new moon because that is when Allah gave Mohammad the holy Quran. There are 144 chapters and Laytalul Qadar is the night when the Quran was given and all sins are forgiven. During Ramadan, no one is allowed to eat, drink, smoke or do anything that involves bringing something into your body. Only when night falls are they allowed to feast. This is good for self discipline and it makes them a patient.

Architecture- Svetlana

The houses are usually rectangular and huge so that many families can live in the house. Inside are many passages and the rich houses have separate rooms for men and women whereas poor houses only have curtains to separate rooms. The outside is dull and only one door and a few windows which is good against the wind, but inside it is heavily ornate and decorated. Also the Taj Mahal is the biggest and most famous Islamic architectural palace.          

Trade in the Islamic Empire- Annie
From this topic I learned not only that the Islamic people created the silk road and thats how they spread their empire, but they also influenced Renaissance. They questioned the world and built machines to improve life. They also grew smarter and wrote things down so that they can share it with future generations. Many cities had their own goods that they exported which lead to wealth and popularity.

Islamic Extremism

The topic which I had to present was the well-debated Islamic extremism theory. Many people are biased about this topic, so I chose to give both sides of the story and introduce what causes this kind of extremism. Many say that Islamic extremism is triggered by the jihad, religious manipulation and greed for power and money. Jihad is the effort to practice religion in the face of persecution and oppression. Many Muslims are forced or manipulated to become a Jihadist which leads to extremism and killing. Also, to become a true Muslim you have to become a jihadist. Greedy Muslims influenced Islam by using technology, opening schools and creating the Tabligns force to teach future generations the wrong things, thus creating confusion and violence. Terrorists distract the countries agenda so that they can get the attention and money they crave. They then create large groups to get even more power and use the communistic “united front” strategy when a band of extremists make a common cause with other groups to gain even more power. They use innocent people and brainwash people to do their dirty work. For my project I used PowerPoint, videos and various images to make my topic come alive and more interesting. I think that I taught my class a valuable lesson about one of the most misunderstood topics ever. I hope that they left the classroom with a new perspective and with understanding.