Abstract
Prior to September 11, 2001, few Western observers might have given more than a casual look at the Islamic faith because the religion and its prophet, Muhammad, had little bearing on their personal lives. By sharp contrast, today, there has been an increasing amount of attention paid to Moslems and their religion, and the portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad has been the focus of a growing body of research in the Western scholarship. To determine the perception and ways in which the Prophet Muhammad has been portrayed since his death in the 7th century, this paper provides a review of the relevant literature, followed by a summary of the research and salient findings in the conclusion.

Outline:
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Background and Overview
The Life of Muhammad from the Western Perspective
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The research showed that the past thirteen centuries have witnessed Western scholarship running the entire gamut of vilification to adoration of the Prophet Muhammad based on differing views of the historical accuracy of the Islamic faith's foundation and changing Western perceptions of the religion itself. Because there are two fundamentally different civilizations involved in this analysis, it should come as no surprise that many of the views in the Western scholarship have been shaped in large part by fear and misunderstanding, and these misperceptions and differences have been further exacerbated following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The research also showed that the views expressed in the Western scholarship have been highly influential in the politicization of the Islamic faith since its foundation, and there have been truly violent reactions to portrayals of the Prophet Muhammad in the Western media that have been contrary to the Islamic dogma."

Tags:faith, islam, middle, east

Abstract
This paper discusses the role of Jesus Christ as a prophet in both the Christian and Moslem religions. Examined are Christ's role as a lawgiver, his prophecies, his relationship with God, and his historical role as the greatest prophet in a long line of Hebrew prophets.

Abstract
This paper answers the question: what does it mean to be a prophet in the Old Testament? It discusses the prophetic roles of animals, dreams, and the weather, as well as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, the most influential prophets of the Old Testament.

Abstract
Both Prophet Amos and Jesus Christ represent a radical demarcation from the Jewish traditional prophecy. This paper discusses how both the prophets criticized the prevailing religious practices and the social order. Jesus and Amos did not belong to a high rank, by profession a carpenter and a sheep herdsman, and never prophesied for money. It explains how, in these two figures, we see a radical stand against rigidity in religion and against traditional beliefs and practices.

From the Paper
"Prophets Amos was one of the first Israelite prophets whose words were recorded on a scroll. Amos is also one of the unorthodox figures in the Jewish history and the lineup of the prophets. Amos was a blue collar prophet and unlike many other prophets did not belong to the aristocratic; he earned his living as a "herdsman and dresser of sycamore figs." [Amos 7:14]. In his scriptures he explicitly tells us that he was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, that is, in the professional sense of that term. In Israel many prophets use to prophesize for money and being a prophet was also a profession. Amos was born and grew up in small town Tekoa which was about twelve miles southeast of Jerusalem and five miles south of Bethlehem. We can thus imagine that to the cultured elite of his day Amos was an outcast" who probably spoke with an accent. Amos had no intention of becoming a prophet but he was called by God to do so and this was a difficult job for a herdsman of a small town. Being from the southern kingdom of Judah, Amos had the unenviable task of speaking God's prophetic word to the northern kingdom of Israel. Amos was an unwelcome outsider and therefore was forced out of town, "Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there." (Amos 7:13?15)."

Tags:judah, israelite, god, prophecy

Abstract
The paper relates that the political benefits of this book for the reader are important, but not in the way the author intends it to be through a biographical context. The paper asserts that although some of the details of the life of Muhammad are brought forth, the critical nature of the historical Prophet to the modern day interpretation of this religious visionary is supremely objective.

Tags:armstrong, terrorism, government

Abstract
The paper examines how Salman Rushdie combines dramatic story telling with serious underlying issues in the form of a simple, fairytale-style parable, "The Prophet's Hair". The paper analyzes the genre of the story, the use of icons, the pace and style of the writing and the use of metaphors. The paper highlights Rushdie's message that the human need for motivation can be destructive, whether it is a selfish lust for wealth or a seemingly honest but blind devotion to religious practices.

From the Paper
"'The Prophet's Hair' by Salman Rushdie combines dramatic story telling with serious underlying issues in a very poignant short story presented in the form of a simple, fairytale-style parable. This allows the author to deal with some very important as well as highly controversial issues in a light-hearted and playful fashion. Rushdie's philosophy is that everybody should be able to freely express their opinion in writing, "A book is a version of the world. If you do not like it, ignore it; or offer your own version in return." (O Magazine, April 2003) (1). The story deals with the two main issues at the forefront of modern human consciousness, wealth and religion."

Tags:religion, wealth, Islam, metaphors, icons, Hashim

Abstract
This paper examines Muhammad and the Islamic faith with the help of the book "Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet" by Karen Armstrong. The paper explains that contrary to Western belief, Jihad does not mean "holy war", instead it means "to struggle" and refers to the struggle that every Muslim must make in order to live a peaceful and good life. The paper looks at Muhammad's revelations, which would become the Qu'ran. The paper then discusses the history of Islam and points out the differences between the three Abrahamic faiths. The writer believes that the book is written in a very non bias way and gives us in the West the true portrayal of the man who we have misunderstood for centuries.

From the Paper
"Muhammad was portrayed as the Anti-Christ and Islam as a religion of the devil. This view of Islam has changed little since then and this is the source of the Islamic bias we find so prevalent in the West today. Although today anti-western feeling might seem a basic part of the Muslim ideal, historically it is a very new development. Most Muslims remained unaware of the West until just over 200 years ago. Even during the Crusades, which were a very important of Western history and identity, the majority of the Islamic world was unaffected by them. Though Muslims of the near East were deeply impacted, the Muslims of the Islamic heartland, namely Iraq and Iran, were entirely unaffected and viewed the Crusades as simply remote border incidents."

Tags:Abrahamic, faiths, Crusades, Qu'ran, Jihad, Judasim

Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to briefly introduce, discuss and analyze the prophet Isaiah as he appears in the Old Testament of the Bible.

From the Paper
"Isaiah lived about 700 years before Jesus in Israel, during the reign of four different kings, and during a time of great unrest in the country. God sends him to help mend the Israelites ways, because they are facing a war with Assyria, and they have stopped worshiping God, they have become self-centered and preoccupied with their own lives, and they are sinners"

Tags:God, Israelites, water, Babylon, Assyria, Shiloah, Messiah

Abstract
This paper explains that Gibran's early books, written in Arabic, are full of anger and rebellion and express the sadness of a lonely soul; but, later in his life, Gibran's changed view expresses a tender and benevolent view of life as he demonstrates in his masterpiece, "The Prophet". The author argues that Gibran is teaching the reader that, without suffering, a person can never truly love and live life; without this pain, man would only live halfway. This paper relates that the book is not only a lesson that pain and happiness exist together, but also a guidebook for living life.

From the Paper
"In the last chapter of the book, Gibran writes about Almustafa's farewell to the people of Orphalese and passage into the next world, or death. In this chapter, Almustafa tells the people that he is moving on past death into the next level of existence and he thanks them for teaching him. At this point in the story, his teachings address the idea of man being one with God and death as being a "stepping-stone" to living in the next life.
Gibran writes, "There are no graves here. These mountains and plains are a cradle and a stepping-stone." (The Prophet, p.87). Gibran adds, "You are not enclosed within your bodies, nor confined to houses or fields. That which is you dwells above the mountain and roves with the wind. It is not a thing that crawls into the sun for warmth or digs holes into darkness for safety, but a thing free, a spirit that envelopes the earth and moves in the ether" ".

Tags:didactic, qur?an, almustafa, island, parent

Abstract
This paper examines the differences of the concepts of the Prophet and the Messiah according to scripture and how they are both devoted to the work of God. It uses the story of Jesus and what he has done for mankind as the greatest example of a Messiah.

From the Paper
"Each temptation that Satan puts to Jesus has to do with identity. Some believed that the messiah would rid them of material needs. We can see this in the first temptation where He was tempted to use his godly powers to turn stones into bread, but he refuses to use his powers for himself: "If you are God's son, order these stones to turn into bread." It would have been easy for Jesus to do this, but people would always be coming to him for food, and he would be unable to fulfil his ministry. Jesus replied that Man needed more than bread to survive; he needed God's word. Another Idea was that the Messiah would perform miraculous feats."

Tags:god, jesus