When I initially signed up for this class I was expecting something entirely different. I assumed this class would be all about Islamic beliefs and practices; I certainly did not expect to create and maintain a blog or that something other than texts would be the key determinate in my grade. I do have to admit, I believe I have completed more reading assignments in this class than in any other course in my college career. One of the first subjects we covered in this course that grabbed my attention was Islamic architecture. I tend to be math and science oriented and architectural design is usually one of the first things I observe when encountering new places. I have to say that the death towers took me by surprise; I have never experienced anything like that, not only were these towers extraordinarily tall and intimidating, at one point in history these towers served an actual purpose other than intimidation. My interest was also captivated by the beautiful mosques from all around the world. Some of my favorites were the desert mosques because the minaret essentially serves as a billboard for Allah. I couldn’t help but think how smoothly Christianity could have gone over if it had posted billboards instead of claiming land for God. All in all my absolute favorite most was the mud mosque. I enjoyed the idea that the building is alive with the people, forever changing, growing and shrinking, as each year the towns people gather together to rebuild the Mosque.
Islamic music interested me a great deal. In class we learned that traditional Islamic music has no musical accompaniment. I have always been very musically inclined, and cannot imagine a world without piano, harmonica, guitar, and a solid bass line. I do think that Islamic A cappella music is beautiful but I cannot imagine that being the only source of music that I could have access to. I was nice to learn about progressive Muslim musical groups such as the Group from “Heavy Metal in Bagdad” or even the Muslim girl from “Covered Girls”.
Islamic art grabbed my attentions with its unique design and intention. The sheer intricacies of a single tile, the complexity of patters, and the magnitude of artistic contributions and detail that go into designing mosques and other important buildings in Islamic culture shocked me. I cannot imagine working on the same pattern over and over, for years, especially when painting one tile could take several weeks. I also could not help but notice the amount of math that goes into Islamic art. The video made brief mention of the mathematical contributions to art but it didn’t need to. I also noticed the use of golden ratios. Golden ratios occur naturally in natures in many different instances, such as the spiral progressions on the shell of the nautilus. Romans also made heavy use of the golden ratio in much of their art as well as architecture. Aside from the aesthetics of Islamic art, I also learned that it is done to glorify god. I also found it interesting that they did not make images of people, only nature.
This course has greatly increased my knowledge of Islam as well as produced a better understanding of Muslim culture. When I began this class I was not knowledgeable about anything remotely relating to Islam. I knew the basic think like Allah is God, Mohammad is his prophet, and everything else I thought that I knew was just an assumption based on brief brushes and exposures to Muslim culture. I will also admit that one of the main influences was the media. I don’t mean the news media, I’m a political science major, and we never believe the news. I am talking about the representation of Muslims and middle easterners in movies, comics, and television shows. I’m ashamed really, to know that I let something influence me, however I do believe I was persuaded to believe that terrorist groups were more likely to come from the Middle East because of harsh living conditions, no because of religion. I have also realized things about my own faith when comparing it to Islam and I have come to the conclusion that Islam has come a lot farther in its 1400 years than Christianity did in its 15th Century. In the 15th Century there were 3 different Popes, all claiming to have supreme authority over the Catholic Church. 100 years later Christians are still in the midst of war among each other, Martin Luther and his Protestant reform has split away from the Catholic Church, and women are being arrested and tried on accusations of witchcraft. Islam Is much more together than Christianity was at its age.
This class has been enlightening and taught me to understand a culture completely foreign to me, and often villainized by mass media. I have also learned that Muslims are just as approachable as everyone else. Since I have taken this class and tuned in to things that might be offensive to Muslims I have been horrified at the things that are said by fellow students, co-workers and even former instructors.
