U.S. Policy Toward Political Islam

Essay by lauren31885College, UndergraduateB+, November 2007

download word file, 18 pages 4.0

Downloaded 134 times

What is the political approach towards Islamic countries? How does it affect other countries? Is there a stereotype for Islam? Currently, the Middle East is behind every other country regarding integration of global economy. Their basic infrastructure is inadequate. The country is officially Islamic. Islam is the name of their religion which means "submission." A Muslim is a believer or a follower of this religion. The word Muslim means "one who submits." There are five Islamic principles or pillars. They are as follows:1)Shahadah - There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his profit.

2)Salat - establishing of the five daily prayers.

3)Zakat - the paying of alms, money or produce that is given to the poor.

4)Sawm - fasting5)Hajj - the pilgrimage to Mecca.

People of Muslim faith believe God sent Muhammad. He is considered to be in the same family of prophets as Isaiah and Jesus. It is believed that Muhammad is the "seal" or the last one of the covenants.

Islam is a communal faith which is practiced jointly by the community of believers. They believe in "Dar Al-Islam" or the "path of righteousness."The influence of Islam has caused political division in states. There are thirteen Arab states that are Muslim. There are two remaining states, Iran and Israel. The people of Iran are ethnically Persian, and Israel is considered a wild-card.

TerrorismTerrorism can be defined as premeditated, politically motivated violence directed against civilians and noncombatants. Terrorism is carried out by nongovernmental agents. No government is behind it. It is very secretive. Terrorists hide within societies making it extremely difficult to find and remove them. It is done with intent. Terrorism is rooted in the culture of fear and is intended to influence a particular audience. The men and women committing these crimes believe that they...