COMPARATIVE RELIGIONS

ISLAM ASSIGNMENT

Answer four of the following questions (be sure to indicate which ones):

1. Explain Islam’s perspective on Christians and Jews, with an emphasis on the sources and cause of this perspective.
2. Explain the concept of shirk in Islam and the importance in the tradition of avoiding it, using Islam’s central claim about God as absolute as a guide.
3. Explain the significance of the fact that Islam is properly called ‘Islam’ rather than ‘Mohammedanism’ as it has often been called in the Christian west. Compare this with the appropriateness of the religion built on Jesus’ teachings being called ‘Christianity’.
4. Explain the main element of the division between Sunni and Shi’a versions of Islam regarding religious authority, focusing on the nature of and method of selection of the Caliph. Compare and contrast this with the split between Catholic and Protestant versions of Christianity on religious authority—in what ways are these splits similar, and in what ways are they different?
5. What is the literal meaning of jihad, and what are the two ways Muhammad is said to have understood it? Given your understanding of Islam, is the “Islamic fundamentalist”/”jihadist” use of the idea of jihad as something like “holy war” a legitimate one?
6. Explain what is distinctive about the Sufi view of the nature of God and how God can be known.