RELS 110 2010-03-25 Attendance Announcement Today Next time Wrap up Islam Begin Sikhism Next time Sikhism

Women & Islam Religious equality for women and men is mandated in the Quran, though the two sexes are understood to play different social roles. In general, Islam improved the status of women in ancient Arabia. Some hadith proclaim the equality of women, while others suggest that women are in general less virtuous than men. Outsiders often see the veiling of women as a sign of their subordination. The custom of veiling women was borrowed by early Muslims from Byzantine and Persian cultures who regarded veiling as a marker of high status for women. Veiling became an intensely political issue during the 20th century. Many Muslim women regard veiling as a statement of Muslim identity and faith. (Try it)

History and Modern Islam

Islam as an Abrahamic Faith God’s goodness is evident in his creation Signs of God’s greatness, benevolence, compassion Humans should respond with gratitude and submission. Humans are moral beings who can do right & wrong Adam & Even illustrate humanity’s need to chose between right & wrong Human forgetfulness & ingratitude lead to divine revelation. Prophets remind humans of their duties and of the consequences of their behaviour. God has intervened in history to fulfill his purposes, miraculously: Qur’an This is the great miracle, beyond what Mohammed could do himself. History will have a happy ending History ends with the judgement of all: the wicked condemned and the righteous blessed.

Review History of Islam: Islam in the Modern World Quick expansion; arguments about succession (Sunni and Shia split; Shia : successor should be blood relation); caliphate passed down dynastically (Umayyad, then Abbasid Dynasties); after 1258 , Islam split into Ottoman (Turkey), Safavid (Iran), and Mughal (India) empires. By 1900. most Muslim countries were imperial powers. Islam in the Modern World Independent, and economic improvement since 1900 Fundamentalist resurgence claims to be a better ideological framework for a just social order Stereotyping of Muslims in the Media Go to the sources of the religion – people who actually believe it. The religion is one of peace, contributing to the betterment of society. Muslims in Canada Canadian Muslims are mostly (over 50%) born in Canada. World Muslims number over 1 billion Fastest growing religion in Canada

Emergence of Sikhism Sikhism was founded during the fifteenth century in the Punjab, an area of South Asia. Sikhism came into being through the close contact of Hinduism and Islam in South Asia, especially the bhakti traditions of Hinduism and Sufi variants of Islam. The founder of Sikhism was Guru Nanak. “Sikh” means “disciple” or “learner.”

Life of Guru Nanak The founder of Sikhism was born in what is now Pakistan. Guru Nanak was born as a Hindu into the Kshatriya caste. As a young man he was married and had children. At the age of thirty, Nanak had a direct experience of God. Thereafter, he became a spiritual teacher. With his companion Mardana, Nanak traveled from Arabia to Tibet to Sri Lanka in a quest to understand other religions and spiritual teachers. Nanak established a community in Kartarpur where the Sikh religion was developed prior to Nanak’s death at age seventy.

BBC Documentary From 12:45

For next time For Friday For Tuesday For Thursday Read chapter 12 “New Religious Movements” in Living Religions Write online “Quiz on New Religious Movements” on this reading For Thursday