Source: Davidson

Intro

– General Mattis would not be a good fit.
– US needs to look to France a case study on how the west interacts with Muslims.
– Mattis overall view on Muslims would not work in America. Especially since there isn’t that long of a history of Muslim and Americans.
– France has the largest population of Muslims in Europe and has the most interaction with them.
– The tensions in France between the “French” and the “Muslims” need to studied to see how solutions can be applied to the states.

History

– Muslims were the “other” to the west (including france)
– they were exotic and were conceived to be much different from Europeans
– Islam isn’t a Judeo-Christian religion and follows, while similar, a different set of rules
– Muslims were mostly from North Africa and the Middle East.
– Muslims were racialized on top of it and this furthered the thinking that white Europeans were better than Muslims.
– France colonized most of North Africa and had the most interaction with them.

Algeria

• Muslims were treated as non citizens in the country they were native to.
• French believed muslims could never be french, or truly secular because of their connection to their religion
• They could not give up their practices.
• So France treated Algerians as different.
• During the revolution, techniques were used to torture rebels.
• Algerian soldiers who fought in the world war were hid from history

France Today

• There is still racist rhetoric against the muslim population of France, against people who are citizens.
• They are called Africans, or immigrants, while a lot are born citizens and most Muslims are not from Africa.
• Hijab is seen as a display of Islam and a reminder how Muslims cannot be French

America, what they need to do

• France shows what it is like to have a western perspective on “eastern tradition.”
• Americans have a growing number of muslims, now as born citizens.
• There is a push to portray Muslims as a whole as terrorists or trouble, it isn’t true.
• To make Muslims the “other”, would mean to put them below what is considered a citizen.
• That is where the problem lies.
• Mattis isn’t looking to fiz the terrorist problem. But rather “bring to light” violent Islam
• Algiers is just an example of how people would react if they were put down for so long
• There has to be a dialogue with the Islam community to improve relations, not sever them.

conclusion

The veil continues to be a point of controversy for the French, or rather the face for what is France versus Muslims. It’s not that at all though. France is going against their own citizens.

This all stems from a racialized religion. France deems Islam as the “other”. The other is what the middle east is, where Islam originates and thrives. From a history of orientalism, where western Europe saw the east as fantastical, strange, and utterly different, France continues to see their Muslims as that. They are the other. They cannot forsake their religion for France and so are not true citizens.

There is some truth to this idea of them being the “other”. I believe that Islam is a religion where its followers must dictate their actions and behavior throughout the day to the religion. France believes in republic where everyone is the same. The Judeo-Christians don’t have to follow their religion exactly to still be religious, but then Muslims dress differently and pray differently.

Coupled with the fact that most Muslims, but not all, in France have origins of North Africa and the Middle East but because Muslims are viewed as one whole group by the France, there’s no difference between non-Arabic or Arabic, Muslim Africans or non-Muslim. They are Muslims, they are different, and they are immigrants to France. They can truly be a part of the French Republic.

I think the history of racism and ignorance of Islam and countries upon countries where there is a cultural difference (Islam is not followed exactly the same throughout each country) leads to what is now the issue of the veil. The women’s veil portrays how modern liberal minds think, a mindset that is non-inclusive. The veil among Muslims is something that is interpreted differently but to western white Europe it is something that shows the limitations of freedom for Muslims, which is something that is not true at all.

Part One – A Venetian’s Guide to the East

If one was a newly made Venetian merchant wanting to travel to the near east to trade, they should keep a few things in mind. They should expect a culture shock. Most of the citizens follow the religion of Islam and follow traditions and customs far different than the ones in Venice and the west. There may be instances that the merchant will be confused. They must remember to not only be more open minded of what the people follow but respect it. To go against their religion and costumes would mean to anger them and get on their bad side. One does not want to fight with any other merchants due to the fact that the merchant might lose out on products they could sell.

They must also keep in mind the war between the west and east. It does not matter that there might be issues they agree with or are against, trading comes first. What comes to mind is the ban both have on the trade of any products relating to the military. Venice has tried to lift the ban or at least create an exception for the merchants of Venice to sell timber especially to the Ottomans and the east. Due to regional borders, timber is in excess to the west and Venice would make quite the profit if they were able to sell the timber and other military based products to the east. The papacy will not allow it. There will be other bans and restrictions from the east that will hinder the trade of one eastern product or another. The Soldan of Egypt has been greatly annoyed by the Portuguese and their way of trading and placed restrictions on the trade of pepper, a spice that is highly requested by those in the north and west of Europe. Any merchant should be prepared for any change in trading systems, there is a delicate balance between the east and the west. One needs to be prepared to change what products they are trying to trade.

That is why there is should be relative peace between any Venetian merchant and the other merchants they encounter in their travels to the east or near east. You need allies in the ever changing market. Those who control the routes and are able to place any restriction on imports and exports can affect your business. To put your differences aside will be the greatest asset you can have as you go into a very variable market. Anything can change and your business can easily become bankrupt.

Part Two – MET Visit

Jerusalem Exhibit: https://goo.gl/photos/vUwSAcnmoyb2k6t69

The Jerusalem exhibit showed a lot of culture diversity and how it all connected. All the religions influenced each other in art and literature. The image of the sword of a Christian soldier reflected Islamic aesthetic, such as it being thin and the hilt decorated in an Islamic way. The Arabic text is actually of the Christian Four Gospels even though many would assume it is the Quran. The Dome of Jerusalem reflects all the religions in its aesthetic.

Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Later South Asia: https://goo.gl/photos/vNZgJe1fcaiAL9xH6

I chose to take pictures of these pieces due to the fact that they all reflect something Islam and Asian culture held in high regard- nature. Islam prohibits the use of the images of important religious figures in art. Among that many Islamic nations studied mathematics and there was a more excess of use of geometric shapes in mosques or in aesthetic. These patterns were deemed beautiful by the symmetry and perfection. Also nature, especially flowers and fields of pasture reflected on the idea of paradise. Islam’s view on paradise was green fields, flowers, and a stream of water. It’s not atypical to see Islamic artists use that for their art or aesthetic.

http://prezi.com/kzfcm1qsyyiy/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

With this presentation I wanted to give a very simple yet specific summary of what Islam is and how it rapidly spread across three continents. It’s very hard to give an overall background on Islam, especially since there are many aspects and a rich background in it. Many people do follow it for a reason and believe in the power of Islam and it’s core message of peace of mind and soul.

I mentioned the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) because he does represent Islam, especially to the western world. His birth, revelation, hajj, and death are all extremely important dates to Muslims, some of which signify religious duties and others holidays.

The 5 pillars of Islam are the most basic yet most important concepts to understand. As someone who does practice Islam, these 5 aspects dictate my life and what some of my decisions are. These 5 pillars aren’t just “rules” I must follow, but also what allows me to be peaceful and happy.

Then I focused on the very early beginnings on the spread of Islam. It is a religion that spread very rapidly, but it did only just start from Saudi Arabia. Because the Arabian people were nomadic and relied on whatever they found, they did go to neighboring countries to raid. Along the way, the brought the message of Islam to the people they were raiding and more and more people began to convert.

I wanted to focus on giving a very small and basic understanding of Islamd, there’s a lot of history but to understand why people followed it from the beginning allows someone to understand how it reached all over the globe.