Islam and its impact

Essay # 3036

Anthropology > Middle Eastern
History > Middle Eastern
Political Science > Political Theory

A look at the role and significance of Islam in Muslim society.

2,182 words () | 3 sources | 2000

Paper Summary:

This paper focuses on the impact that the Islamic religion and the Muslim society have had on its followers. The paper uses Gellner's works to show that in Islamic society the term law has a wider significance than it does in the modern secular West, because Islamic law includes both legal and moral imperatives. The paper also proves Islam can be considered the religion which has succeeded most in integrating the power of government with the power of religion. The paper also looks at another author, Peters, who shows that any social structures that can be perceived in Islam are based on tribal rather than state institutions and that lineal descent is of paramount importance in Muslim society. Finally, secularization in Muslim societies and countries is touched upon.

From the Paper:

"In his ethnography of a village in southern Lebanon, Peters says that there are ranked differences between people. Although he says that the difference between the dominant rich group and the others is ephemeral, he notes that it has existed for three generations. The population is divided into four categories: The learned Families, the Shopkeepers, the Peasants and the Christians."