Hello all, I'm an American studying at the University of San Diego. As the school is Catholic in its denomination we are required to take several religion classes as part of our graduation requirements. For one of these classes I decided to study Islam because it is the second largest and fastest growing religion in the world. As a final project for this class we need to go into the Muslim community and talk with Muslims about a particular topic that interests us and then write a report about it. This is why I am on this forum and I hope that you all will educate me further in my study of Islam.
I have decided to do my report on the Future of Islam, particularly the extent of conservative, liberal or extremist shifts in the Muslim community. My studies into the history of Islam seem to indicate to me that Islam has become more conservative, at least recently, than it was during the time of the Prophet or the Golden Years of Islam . Islam used to be a leader in every field from science to poetry but now they seem less tolerant towards things like science, social issues and other religions or at the very least Islam does not seem to be changing at the same rate as many of the other world religions (I believe that a lot of Christian sects, especially evangelicalism, is also becoming less tolerant respectively as well.) Would you agree with this analysis? If you do agree why do you believe this shift has happened? Do you believe that external, internal or a combination of both factors are to blame for this shift? If you do not agree with the analysis then please educate me as to why you feel my analysis is wrong.
I am also very interested in how Muslims feel their religion is going to change in the coming generations. Do you believe that Islam will become more conservative with time (such as more women choosing to wear the Hijab?) Do you believe this Islam will become more liberal with time (such as women having equal rights in countries that they do not now or taboos such as homosexuality become more accepted in light of scientific evidence?) Do you believe that extremist points of view are going to become more or less prevalent in the next generation? Additionally, do you agree with the way that you believe Islam is going to change? That is, do you see the change in Islam being positive or negative. I would also appreciate it if you would tell me if you are Sunni or Shia (or Sufi even) and what country you identify yourself with (i.e. American Muslim, Iranian Muslim, etc.)
Please do not take offense to anything I have written. I understand that in some Muslim countries some of the examples I have used do not apply or the problems I raised are not problems at all. I also understand that my perspective is distorted by the American media which doesn't portray Muslims in a very good light and that often the only voice we here from the Muslim community are those of extremists. I also understand that those with extremist views make up a very small portion of the population, I am merely interested in whether you think that percentage will increase or decrease in the coming years and why.
I have decided to do my report on the Future of Islam, particularly the extent of conservative, liberal or extremist shifts in the Muslim community. My studies into the history of Islam seem to indicate to me that Islam has become more conservative, at least recently, than it was during the time of the Prophet or the Golden Years of Islam . Islam used to be a leader in every field from science to poetry but now they seem less tolerant towards things like science, social issues and other religions or at the very least Islam does not seem to be changing at the same rate as many of the other world religions (I believe that a lot of Christian sects, especially evangelicalism, is also becoming less tolerant respectively as well.) Would you agree with this analysis? If you do agree why do you believe this shift has happened? Do you believe that external, internal or a combination of both factors are to blame for this shift? If you do not agree with the analysis then please educate me as to why you feel my analysis is wrong.
I am also very interested in how Muslims feel their religion is going to change in the coming generations. Do you believe that Islam will become more conservative with time (such as more women choosing to wear the Hijab?) Do you believe this Islam will become more liberal with time (such as women having equal rights in countries that they do not now or taboos such as homosexuality become more accepted in light of scientific evidence?) Do you believe that extremist points of view are going to become more or less prevalent in the next generation? Additionally, do you agree with the way that you believe Islam is going to change? That is, do you see the change in Islam being positive or negative. I would also appreciate it if you would tell me if you are Sunni or Shia (or Sufi even) and what country you identify yourself with (i.e. American Muslim, Iranian Muslim, etc.)
Please do not take offense to anything I have written. I understand that in some Muslim countries some of the examples I have used do not apply or the problems I raised are not problems at all. I also understand that my perspective is distorted by the American media which doesn't portray Muslims in a very good light and that often the only voice we here from the Muslim community are those of extremists. I also understand that those with extremist views make up a very small portion of the population, I am merely interested in whether you think that percentage will increase or decrease in the coming years and why.
