General Muslim Religion Essay

Islam is the world’s second great monotheistic religion (Armstrong, 2002). Islam, an Arabic word, comes from a root word meaning commitment or surrender: hence the foundation of Islam is submission to the will of the Only God, Allah. The word ‘Muslim’ also itself means ‘one who lives his life according to Allah’s will (Esposito, 2002). Allah also has laid down the five pillars of foundations of Islam which are: 1. Confession of faith (shahada): the basic idea of Islam which is submission to Allah’s will 2. Prayer (salat): An exercise done five times daily to remember Allah’s influence in a Muslim’s life 3. Fasting (Roza): In the month of Ramadan for a month 4. Almsgiving (Zakat): Annually by rich Muslims at the rate of 21/2% of wealth 5. Pilgrimage (hajj): Once in a lifetime What holidays or events are important to your religion and why? The Muslims follow the Islamic calendar which is based on the position of the moon and their holidays fall accordingly to it. This includes 1. New Year which for them is the first day of Hijra (migration) when we celebrate Prophet Muhammad’s departure from Mecca to Medina in AD622 2. 12th Rabi-ul-awwal that is the birthday of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) 3. Shab-e-Baraat (night of forgiveness): In preparation of Ramadan, Muslims seek to forgive old grievances against each other and beg for mercy from their Lord 4. Lailat-ul-Qadr (night of power) when the Holy Quran was revealed to the Holy Prophet. It takes place on the 27th of Ramadan. 5. Eid-ul-Fitr which takes place after Ramadan and is like Christmas to the Muslims 6. Hajj: The pilgrimage which constitutes the fifth pillar of Islam is one of the most important events in the Muslim calendar and takes place in the month of Hajj 7. Eid-ul-Azha: Another Christmas type celebration which celebrates the end of the Meccan pilgrimage and animal sacrifices are made during the three days How does your group handle conflict? What are some examples of conflict? If there are criminal or family conflicts, they can be resolved through Islamic courts which decide the cases according to Shariah or the Islamic law. These are practiced in almost al Muslim countries though such Shariah courts are disallowed in western countries and over there Muslims must follow the law of the country they are residents of. One of Britain’s MPs recently suggested that Shariah courts be allowed in Britain also but this created uproar by non-Muslims who were afraid of Islamization. Other then that, if the solution of an issue is not mentioned in the Quran or its explanation is murky, knowledgeable Islamic scholars gather together to find an answer to a certain problem and it then becomes a rule of the Shariah. This practice has been prescribed by Allah to keep Islam updated with emerging problems in this fast changing world. What is the focus of your religion? The focus of Islam for Muslims is again submission to Allah’s will. This can be done through reading, understanding and following the word of God, which Muslims believe to be the Holy Quran. They should also follow the teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) called the Sunnah and only then can they live the life of a true and complete Muslim. For the Western world though, the focus of Islam has always been its fascist beliefs and what they consider to be its outdated traditions, not understanding that there is only a minority of Muslims who distort the name of Islam by interpreting it so harshly. Who are your current leaders? Who are leaders of the past? Like most religions, Muslims have also had pious men of God lead them by example. There have been a total of 124000 prophets sent by Allah though the Quran only mentions 25 of them. The first prophet was Hazrat Adam and the final and undoubtedly the greatest prophet was our last prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). Allah revealed in the Quran that no more prophets shall come after the Holy Prophet (PBUH). After the prophets, came numerous Caliphs or religious leaders. Currently, tough there are learned Islamic scholars in the Muslim world; there are no leader as such. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) in the words of Allah was the Seal of the Prophets. How do your members participate and what is expected? All Muslim males are required to congregate in a mosque for the five daily prayers, especially the afternoon Friday prayers (Clark, 2003). For Muslim women, assembly in mosques is not mandatory. Other then that, all Muslims are required to uphold the basic principles of Islam by fulfilling all their obligations. Are there any special requirements, such as fasting, personal sacrifice? Fasting is the third pillar of Islam and without fasting, a Muslim is incomplete. It is prescribed for Muslims in the form of a month long abstinence from food and drink, accompanied by intense devotional activity. Physical relations and swear words are also prohibited to be performed or uttered. Similarly, smoking, losing temper, telling lies and all negative activities are also discouraged. Fasting, as is made clear by Allah, is not to be taken as self torture but mainly a way for Muslims to learn about patience, fortitude and self sacrifice and also to realize the plight of the needy and poor. During Eid-ul-Azha, Muslims are also required to sacrifice goats in God’s way and share the meat with the poor. Where do you see your religion in 25 years? What changes have occurred recently? Keeping in mind the fast growing popularity of Islam, I see Islam in 25 years, as the world’s largest religion. This is because as the concept of religion is dying in the west and more churches are being converted to museums and restaurants, Muslims, now more than ever are embracing their faith with a greater fervency and non-Muslims are also converting to Islam which they accept as a complete way of life and not just a religion. Muslims have now grown more receptive to Western ideas and Ijtehad or consensus helps keep Islam updated with the modern world. How has the modern world changed the direction and or movement of your religion? The recent of War on Terror, which often tends to depict Islam as a rigid and extremist religion has resulted in more Muslims delving deeper to understand their religion (Lewis, 2004). This has led to increased knowledge of Islam and a growing number of Muslims defending their faith as actually a very flexible one. My religion’s name has been besmirched by a few misguided individuals who believe suicide bombings and terrorist activities are completely acceptable in the eyes of God which is not at all the case. Islam’s very basis is peace. Are there any other validated forms of the religion practiced? What are some of the factors that have contributed to changes in ideas or customs? The Muslim sect is predominantly divided into Sunnis (around 80%) and Shiahs. The major difference between them is the way in which divine guidance is discovered. Sunni Muslims take their stand on the consensus of the community making known the Sunna (Holy Prophet’s example) of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Shiah Muslims look instead to inspired teachers and Imams who are descendents of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Other sects include the Aghakhanis who are followers of the Aga Khan who considers himself a spiritual leader sent by God. His followers believe the five pillars of Islam to be non-mandatory, preferring to give charity to the poor instead. They don’t share the Muslim taboo associated with drinking. Many believe theses changes have occurred due to undue influence of the West. Other sects are the Qadianis and Bohris. Conclusion Muslims all over the world follows a religion known as Islam which is a monotheistic religion. The word Islam means to submit oneself to god. There are almost 2 billion Muslims around the world practicing the teaching of Islam making it the second largest religion of the world. The follows the teachings of Prophet Mohammad on whom a holy book Quran was revealed. The faith of a Muslim is based on five pillars of Islam that are tauheed, salaat, zakat, hajj, and fasting. References Book Armstrong. (2002). Islam: A Short History. Esposito, J. L. (2002). What everyone needs to Know about Islam. Clark. (2003). Islam for Dummies. Lewis. (2004). The Crisis of Islam.

Chevron Oil Industry Analysis

http://factsanddetails. com/world. php? itemid=1541&catid=51&subcatid=326 Chevron: Industry Analysis Threat of New Entrants The threat of new entrants is extremely low due to several factors. First, the oil industry which consists of thousands of oil and oil service companies throughout the world is an extremely large market. â€Å"According to the Department of Energy (DOE), Fossil fuels which include coal, oil, and natural gas make up more than 85% of the energy consumed in the U. S. as of 2008† (investopia). The fact that it is such a large market, make it very competitive for new entrants.Also, the oil industry is already in the mature stage, dominated by many major players including Chevron that has been around for a long period of time with various locations worldwide. This shows that they have an established reputation that is hard to compete with. Also, there are several barriers to entry which make it a very competitive market. These challenges include high capital co st, economies of scale, distribution channels, technology, environmental and governmental regulation as well as high levels of industry expertise.According to the Turnkey Analyst, â€Å"it is very difficult to build sustainable competitive advantages in the energy industry where oil’s commodity nature inhibits pricing power within the industry. Market participants are constantly required to invest capital to maintain cash flows and market share. † Therefore, these barriers to entry make it hard for new players to enter the market. http://turnkeyanalyst. com/2012/06/turnkey-research-note-chevron-corporation-nyse-cvx/ Rivalry among Existing Firms The oil industry is different from other due to the high demand for oil.Despite being a national company, Chevron has many competitors including regional as well as independent companies. Chevron is among the second largest oil companies in the world. Its competitors are Exxon, Royal Dutch Shell and BP. (chevron). Since oil is a commodity, the rivalry among existing firms is low. This is because there is not much of a differentiation. Threat of Substitute Products The threat of substitute is low. Substitutes for the oil industry would be alternative energy such as solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity or perhaps nuclear energy.However, due to factors such as â€Å"government regulations and environmental issues, nuclear and hydroelectric energy sources are not a threat within the next. Further, photovoltaic sources are limited by technological issues and geothermal sources are limited by geographic availability† (Miller). These might be a potential threat in the future due to emerging technologies and innovation that may lead to less consumption of oil-based fuel. An example would be hybrid cars that will result in less dependency on oil services.However, this shift in a more sustainable supply chain seems to be in the long term due to certain barriers such as high costs such as investments in n ew facilities. According to Chevron, â€Å"fossil fuels will continue to have a prominent role in the world’s economy for decades to come in both transportation and electricity generation. According to the International Energy Agency, renewable energy will account for less than 20 percent of the energy mix in 2035. † They believe that there will always be a demand for their products due to growth of the global economy and alternative energy sources do not seem to be a serious threat.Another factor that shows that alternative energy is not a serious threat is the fact that there is not enough support from the government. â€Å"Even though governments throughout the world are vowing to expand to green energy, they continue to give far more subsidies to fossil fuel than renewable – 10 to 12 times more, according to recent reports† (Wood). http://www. chevron. com/documents/pdf/ChevronApproachtoAssessingClimateRegulationImpacts. pdf http://www. renewableenerg yworld. com/rea/news/article/2010/12/oil-and-renewables-slicing-up-the-subsidy-pie Bargaining Power of SuppliersWithin the global industry exist many companies but is dominated by a few major players. Due to large capital investment in these companies, they â€Å"Supplier power is high because OPEC controls 40% of world’s supply of oil and, thus, has a strong influence on the price of oil† (Miller). Inspite of its size and scope, the oil industry is one of the most powerful in the world. Large companies such as Chevron control each aspect of the supply chain such as producing, refining, and drilling. Due to capital investments, it allow for these oil companies to acquire and own each part of their supply chain.The fact that they are their own customers give them more power allowing them to be more efficient. With all the their capital assets, they are able to obtain the resources such as operating their own macturing facilities, distribution channel giving them more co ntrol in this aspect. This shows that they have a high bargaining power. Their only supplier would be the oil reserves from oil producing countries. Bargaining Power of Buyers The bargaining power of buyers (individual) is low because oil is a commodity. Despite rise in prices, people will continue to buy it in order to fulfill their needs such as driving.With the lack of substitutes for oil, it gives little power to buyers who rely heavily on this resource. The cost of switching to another energy source is too high. Therefore, there is a high demand for oil which determines the market price. Industrial buyer power is also low because their supply can be limited by upstream suppliers. (Miller) To conclude, the overall attractiveness of the oil industry is high because there is low threat of new entry as well as buyer power and threat of substitutes. Also, the fact that supplier power is high is a favorable since the few major players in the industry are both suppliers and buyers.

Televangelism and Its Religious Impact in the World Essay

Televangelism and Its Religious Impact in the World - Essay Example The media has played a great role in ensuring that religion is spread throughout the world (Fishwick & Browne 51). The media provide a platform through which millions of people are able to interact and share information. The use of television to rely on evangelical messages is referred to as an electric church. The use of media by evangelists has created a positive impact as more people tune in to watch televangelists. Religious shows command a big following, which proves that a lot of people support the role of media in religion. Â  Television as a gathering place is a theoretical framework, which considers television as an environment through which experiences, values, and ideas are shared. It helps in explaining how media presents religion to its masses. Television as a place of gathering means that it is considered a hemmed in the system in which figurative interaction between people takes place. This leads to interaction among people. When talking about television as a place of gathering, one considers two main aspects. These aspects include its integration with the society and as a source of meaning. These two main aspects help people to understand that television is largely a place that does not have any specific location. Religion, thus, capitalizes on the theoretical framework of television as a gathering place in order to reach out to people from different parts of the world (Franki 61). Television helps in shaping the social lives of people through sharing of ideas and meanings. Â  The term televangelism was first coined by Times Magazine. Christianity was the first religion to reach out to many people through the use of media. Christianity is the dominant religion in the world since it enjoys a mass following. Compared to all other religions, Christianity has the greatest congregation across the world.

Intellectual Property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Intellectual Property - Essay Example The inventor of an intellectual property is not supposed to resign the company after creating a property in order to write his or her name as the inventor of that property. Intellectual property is a very important thing for any company. If a company acquires some other firm or company, it also acquires the right of intellectual property of that firm or company. For the proper protection and exploitation of intellectual property, the business owners need to be aware of how and when they created the intellectual property. Once the business owners create the intellectual property, they need to manage their intellectual property portfolio, capture and maximize value of the innovative ideas, monitor the infringements, and enforce the intellectual property rights. Intellectual property is a unique thing, which differentiates a person or a company for other people or companies. For example, a symbol or a logo is intellectual property of a company, which represents the company in the market . Unauthorized use of intellectual property has given rise to a number of court cases. Experts strongly recommend the companies to protect their intellectual properties using four different methods, which include patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.

Paraphrasing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Paraphrasing - Essay Example They include satellites, televisions, and phones. On the other hand, the ionizing radiations are rays that cannot be smelled, viewed, heard, and even felt. According to a view shared by Liou (2002), the major source of ionizing radiation is radioactive materials that emit beta, alpha, and gamma radiation. Therefore, the commonly known ionizing radiation consists of: beta particles, alpha particles, x-rays, and gamma rays. Up until the late 18th century, the ionizing radiation remained unexplored due to their invisibility, tastelessness, or odourlessness among others. However, there were numerous ordinary materials that emitted small quantities of the radiation. Studies have demonstrated that radiation has various affects on the living organisms by impacting on the cells that build up a living thing. Radiation randomly affects the cell. This implies that a similar amount as well as type of radiation can hit the same cell numerous times, but resulting in dissimilar effects, for instance, every time it strikes there is no effect. On the contrary, it is generally presumed that the more the radiation hits a cell, the higher the odds of an impact from happening. The resulting effect is that the organism may die if most cells are affected. Contrarily, Haffty and Wilson (2012) note that the exposure to penetrating radiation is known as irradiation and it usually occurs when the body is rendered available in part or whole from an unshielding source. An individual is not made radioactive from external radiation. In summary, exposure to the natural radiation by the people occurs daily. The natural radiation originates from various sources, such as over 60 radioactive materials that occur in nature including air, soil, and water. As an example, Radon is a naturally-existing gas that comes from soil and rock. It is the major source of natural radiation. On a daily basis, humans take in

Penal policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Penal policy - Essay Example , they are charged for their food, water, bedding and other daily necessities based on a scale in accordance with their social standing which was used instead of their financial capacity (Faucult 1997, p 97). A variety of forms of this system which can be seen as an early and bad example of the user pays principle continued in England until the 1780s, when prisoners began to be sent to Australia (Faucult 1997, p. 98). The financial exploitation of prisoners was regular in France and the United States (US) all through much of the nineteenth century, but was significantly extended in the southern states of the US in response to the severe labor scarcity following the Civil War. In the US, convicts were either forced to work under state supervision on railroad construction, mining, lumbering and other areas where free labor was in short supply, or were subleased by the state to entrepreneurs who used them, fundamentally as slaves, on cotton plantations and in factories. Next to the United States is Australia when it comes to the participation to the era of privatization. The National Party government of Queensland decided to start the operation of the new prison located at Borallon, near Brisbane, controlled by a private company under a management contract. The current Labor government confirmed its decision immediately after coming to power and ever since placed its new remand and reception centre at Wacol, a Brisbane suburb, under private management. New South Wales is the only other Australian State to date to adopt prison privatization. The NSW Liberal Party Government has entered into contract with a private firm for the design, construction and management of a maximum security prison at Junee, which is scheduled to become operational in March 1993 (Logan 1997, p. 112). A private prison is an institution that is managed by a nongovernment entity on behalf of the state. Logan (1997, p. 113) defined it as a place of confinement management by a private company

Persuation paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Persuation - Research Paper Example This further increased to 17.4% by 2005 to 2008. Even, the current year statistics reveal that 1 out of 6 children aged between 2 years to 19 years are obese in the US (American Heart Association, Inc, â€Å"Statistical Fact Sheet 2012 Update†). Owing to the rising issue of obesity, especially amid children, certain health problems such as diabetes, asthma, and cholesterol among others are also increasing (National Institute for Healthcare Management Foundation, â€Å"Reducing Health Disparities among Children: Strategies and Programs for Health Plans†). Obesity can be defined as the health problem in which a person tends to have a greater Body Mass Index (BMI) in comparison to the normal BMI calculated at a particular age and height. Generally, the obesity conditions are mostly observed in American, European and Eastern Mediterranean region. From the socio-economic perspective, it can be stated that proper care for health can assist people to reduce the risk of obesity by a certain extent (Kuipers, â€Å"Focusing on Obesity through a Health Equity Lens†). However, in most instances it has been argued that whether childhood obesity can be avoided completely. Thesis Statement The primary objective of this discussion is to argue on the problem of childhood obesity as a rising health issue in the present global economic situation. The discussion further goes on arguing on the issue that whether childhood obesity can be avoided and thus be determined as avoidable. Discussion Arguments in Favor The rising issue of childhood obesity has certainly made the healthcare institutions worldwide to consider the problem with greater significance owing to the fact that the children facing such healthcare issues in their childhood can further cause various other diseases imposing serious threat to the overall social health. Generally, it has been observed that a majority of children are affected with obesity in comparison to the adults mostly because of th eir ill-habit of consuming fast food. For instance, the children get easily influenced by the fast food advertisements aired in the television which lures them to develop such food habits. It has also been observed that most of the children consume maximum fast food when they are busy in playing video games or watching television (National Institute for Healthcare Management Foundation, â€Å"Reducing Health Disparities among Children: Strategies and Programs for Health Plans†). With reference to the above mentioned circumstances, healthcare units and professionals have been taking possible measures to overcome childhood obesity. According to World Health Organization and other healthcare professionals, childhood obesity can be avoided by the community. In order to avoid childhood obesity, children should take proper care for their health by developing healthy food habit and also by getting involved in certain physical activities such as sports and exercises. Moreover, health care institutions also intend to support families of a new born baby by facilitating with proper information related to the daily plan of feeding and caring procedures (National Institute for Healthcare Management Foundation, â€Å"Reducing Health Disparities among Children: Strategies and Programs for Health Plans†). Education can also serve as an effective way in avoiding the

Home3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Home3 - Assignment Example Family History: The mother to the client is found to have had the same lugs problems. She is found to have experienced difficulties in breathing accompanied with some pains in her chest. Nobody else in the family has had such problems in the past. Lifestyle and Health Practices: Three of the family members including the client have been addicts of cigarette. The father to the client has smoked cigarette for a period of twelve years while the mother has also smoked cigarette. The family is used to buying medicine locally from shops in their cure for the breathing difficulties. Their exposure to colds is seen as the main reason for their problem. Current Symptoms: The client has a feeling that some of his neck vessels are swollen. He experiences some difficulties in swallowing saliva. He does not experience heart attacks. At the middle of his chest, he claims to experience some deep pains while breathing. Past History: The client experienced heart attacks some years back. This seems to have recovered after undergoing some treatments which lead him to undergoing heart surgery. He has experienced much hypertension prior to his condition while the degree of his fever has gone down. Family History: Hypertension has been a common problem to the client family. His mother and grandmother are found to have experienced the same problem while the grandfather was diabetic. There are some recorded cases of elevated cholesterol associated with many of his family members. Lifestyle and Health Practices: There is much use of drugs and alcohol in the family of the client. The client himself is a cigarette addict while his father and brother are addicts of alcohol and cigarette. Much stress originating from the use of drugs is experienced by many of his family members. The client is used to sleeping on high density pillows. Current Symptoms: The client experiences high temperatures especially during the night. His skin color

Customer behaviour in charity retailing in UK Dissertation

Customer behaviour in charity retailing in UK - Dissertation Example Shopping in charity stores has seen a revived popularity with the emergence of the recession and the popularity of conservation style living. The reasons and drives that consumers feel to enter into thrift stores are varied and interesting as they reflect psychologies about the past as much as modern aesthetics. The emergence of the charity thrift store can be traced to the Salvation Army in London where the store was created in order to give some of those who were unemployed a job, the sale of the items supporting the wages for those collecting the goods. The desire for vintage style and the added bonus of conservation through repurposing has placed the charity store back into the lists of retail outlets being used by modern consumers. 1.2 Background With the emergence of the recession and the consequential focus on conservative spending, charity retailing has become a more significant resource from which to replenish needs and wants. Through items that have been donated by others for sales to benefit charities, revitalization can be found through new owners who can repurpose the items for their own uses. Changes in the retail environment are being reflected through the concept of repurposing. Green technologies and products that are designed for natural, organic, or socially responsible consumerism can be seen as examples of the type of retailing that is designed to provide a sustainable responsibility in consumer behaviour. ... The emergence of the charity thrift store can be traced to the Salvation Army in London where the store was created in order to give some of those who were unemployed a job, the sale of the items supporting the wages for those collecting the goods. The desire for vintage style and the added bonus of conservation through repurposing has placed the charity store back into the lists of retail outlets being used by modern consumers. 1.2 Background With the emergence of the recession and the consequential focus on conservative spending, charity retailing has become a more significant resource from which to replenish needs and wants. Through items that have been donated by others for sales to benefit charities, revitalization can be found through new owners who can repurpose the items for their own uses. Changes in the retail environment are being reflected through the concept of repurposing. Green technologies and products that are designed for natural, organic, or socially responsible co nsumerism can be seen as examples of the type of retailing that is designed to provide a sustainable responsibility in consumer behaviour (Krafft and Mantrala 2010). Consumer behaviours have changed in the last five years as the economy has dived into a recessive cycle. How money is spent is much more closely guarded, thus creating a more conscientious consumer. Items that can be repurposed and given a new function within the hands of a new consumer provides a sense of fulfilment as consumers find themselves trying to find ways to make ends meet. In addition, the charitable concept of buying in a store that is designed to benefit those in need is appealing to the consumer as the trends have been seen to support the evolution of more responsible living. The history of charity