20 Compare and Contrast Essay Topics Top Issues on the Women#8217;s Role in Vietnamese Society

20 Compare and Contrast Essay Topics Top Issues on the Women#8217;s Role in Vietnamese Society >Writing a compare and contrast essay may be a fairly complicated task in case you aren’t exactly too familiar with general area of expertise you have to deal with. After all, in order to write a decent essay of this type you have to pick out a specific issue to cover, and it’s a hard thing to do if you have only a vague idea of the subject matter. Women’s role in Vietnamese society is one of such issues; if you have to write an essay about it, you can benefit from using one of the topics from the list we’ve prepared: Vietnamese Women: The Past and the Present Changes in the Vietnamese Family Over the Last Thirty Years Vietnamese Gender Roles Traditionally and in Modern Times The Changes in Gender Pay Gap in Post-Doi Moi Vietnam The Vietnamese Concept of Feminine Ideal and Challenges of Modern Society Gender Relations in Pre-War and Post-War Vietnamese Society Women’s Entrepreneurship Evolution in Vietnam Changing Identity of Woman’s Role in Modern Vietnam Evolution of Women’s Educational Rights in Vietnam Vietnamese Family and Household in Pre- and Post-Revolutionary Vietnam Family and Woman’s Role in Post-Doi Moi Vietnamese Society Shift Towards Gender Equality in Vietnamese Society: 1980s and 2010s View on Single Women in pre-War and post-War Vietnamese Society Educational Gender Gap in post-War Vietnam and Now Women in Vietnamese Government in 1980s and Now Gender Discrimination in Post-War Vietnam and Today Vietnamese Abortion Law in 1960s and Today The Change of Gender Relations In Vietnam: before the Doi Moi and Today Gender Relations in Colonial and Post-Colonial Vietnam Role of the Family in Vietnamese Tradition as Opposed to Today As you see, these topics are pretty good because they avoid generalization and focus on particular matters in the vast issue of women’s rights and social standing in Vietnamese society. For your reference, here’s a sample essay on one of these. Vietnamese Women: The Past and the Present Vietnam has always been and still is a peculiar culture in what concerns gender relations, jumping back and forth from matriarchal tendencies in the ancient times, to male dominance traditional for societies influenced by Confucianism, to proclamation of gender equality by the Communist party in 1930s, to gradual return to traditionalism after the revolution and war. It can be said that Vietnam is desperately trying to find its place and identity in today’s world, trying at the same time to be modern and conservative, socialistic and free market, gender-equal and supportive of traditional values. In this light it is interesting to take a look at how the position of women changed today when compared with what it was prior to Doi Moi. Communist party of Vietnam has been a strong supporter of the idea of gender equality, proclaiming it one of their main goals in the very first party document as early as 1930s. The Women’s Union was a relatively powerful organization enjoying a governmental guarantee that it would be consulted about any law that concerned women’s health and well-being. After the formation of Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1949, a number of laws aimed at modernizing the gender and social relationships were accepted, such as paid maternity leave, equal pay for equal work and so on. Efforts were taken to eliminate the old practices of forced marriage, child marriage and concubinage, as well as to provide equal access to education irrespectively of gender. However, in post-war conditions these initiatives rather quickly lost their momentum. After men began to return from war to their civil positions, the need in women working in industrial and agricultural sectors rapidly decreased, which was further aggravated by difficult economic situation and scarcity of resources. As a result, women to a large extent drifted back to their traditional roles. Compared to pre-Doi Moi era, modern Vietnamese women enjoy a far greater degree of freedom and societal acceptance. There is a number of extremely wealthy women in business, they have a fair share of representation in government and a much better access to higher education that several decades ago. However, Vietnamese society remains a highly traditionalistic one. An educated woman earning her livelihood and rising up the career ladder is often viewed in negative light by their husbands, male relatives, more conservative women and society in general. A turn to support for traditional values taken by the Communist party in 1990s and early 2000s also supports this sentiment – rapid modernization and decollectivization were viewed upon as detrimental to the traditional Vietnamese extended family. All in all, despite a considerable move forward over the last several decades, Vietnam still has a long way to go in terms of gender equality. Women still occupy mostly low-paying positions in labor force, highly educated and high-earning women are often viewed with disapproval by society, and there is ample evidence of young girls being sold into forced marriages abroad. In other words, Vietnam still remains a country of contrasts, desperately looking for its identity in modern world. References: Andaya, Barbara Watson. The Flaming Womb: Repositioning Women in Early Modern Southeast Asia. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 2006. Print Cohn, Julie. â€Å"A Tiny Village Where Women Chose to Be Single Mothers.† New York Times Feb. 14 2013 Haworth, Abigail. â€Å"From War Babies to Billionaires: Vietnam’s Wealthiest Women.† The Guardian Mar. 24 2013 Quasem, Himaya. â€Å"Tackling Gender Inequality in Vietnam.† The Guardian Nov. 22 2010 â€Å"Brides for Sale: Trafficked Vietnamese Girls Sold into Marriage in China.† The Guardian Jun. 29 2014 Schloppa, R. Keith. East Asia: Identities and Change in the Modern World (1700 to Present). Pearson, 2007. Print Werner, Jayne Susan, and Khuat Thu Hong. Too Late to Marry: Failure, Fate or Fortune? Female Singlehood in Rural North Viet Nam. Gender, Household, State: Ä‘á » ÃŒâ€ši Má »â€ºi in Viá »â€¡t Nam. Ed. Jayne Susan Werner and Danià ¨le Bà ©langer. Cornell University, 2002. Print

Answers to Questions About Formatting

Answers to Questions About Formatting Answers to Questions About Formatting Answers to Questions About Formatting By Mark Nichol Three questions from DailyWritingTips.com readers about various aspects of formatting content, and my responses, follow. 1. Is it bad form to indent the first sentence of an email paragraph? Email programs may not preserve indentations, and using a line space instead makes the format more visually appealing (and the line space and the indentation are redundant for indicating a transition from one paragraph to the next). 2. Facebook does not support italicized fonts. What is a good substitute to imply a gentle emphasis on a word? â€Å"I ‘love’ you†? That’s too wrong. Framing the word or words to be emphasized with asterisks â€Å"I *love* you† is a common method for indicating emphasis, but its not necessarily subtle more, in this case, suggesting a squeal by one person smitten with another. In nonamorous contexts, asterisks can still be somewhat forceful: â€Å"You are *so* in trouble!† But they can also suggest a softer emphasis: â€Å"Be sure to pull the lever *gently* so that it doesn’t break.† A more neutral option is to frame the word or phrase with _underscores_ (Shift+Hyphen). 3. Which is the correct way to format time in the case below? (a) 9:30 11:15am (b) 9:30 11:15 am (c) 9:30 11:15a.m. (d) 9:30 11:15 a.m. Do I leave a space after the last number for the am to follow, or not? Do I use periods, or not? Should I use the am after 9:30 as well as after 11:15? Is a dash OK to use to mean to? Or should I use â€Å"9:30am to 11:15am†? The lack of a letter space between the closing time and the abbreviation am in (a) and a.m. in (c) is problematic because the abbreviation appears to apply only to the closing time. (However, the convention is that abbreviations for â€Å"before noon† or â€Å"after noon† appear after only the second time element unless one time is before noon and the other is after noon, or vice versa.) Also, periods in initialisms are becoming obsolescent, though The Chicago Manual of Style recommends retaining them when they follow a lowercase letter Mr., etc., and so on but not MD, DC, and so on so either (b) or (d) is correct. Also, speaking of letter spaces, no space should precede or follow the hyphen in the time range (and the hyphen technically should be an en dash, though some newspapers and websites use the simpler symbol). A more formal piece of content such as a book is likely to spell out to within a time frame, but in most other contexts, the symbol is appropriate. The best choices, therefore, are (formally) â€Å"9:30–11:15 a.m.† and (less formally) â€Å"9:30–11:15 am.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 English Grammar Rules You Should KnowRound vs. AroundOppose and Opposed To

Why are big projects often complete late and out of budget Essay

Why are big projects often complete late and out of budget - Essay Example uth Wales Labor Government ran an international competition for a design for a complex including 2 main halls, a restaurant and meeting rooms with 234 architects from 9 countries submitting designs. An extraordinarily ambitious design by Jorn Utzon was initially rejected by an assessment committee, however, respected Finnish architect Eero Saarinon convinced them to change their minds and Utzon was awarded the prize. Before The Opera House, Utzon had won 7 of eight competitions he had entered but not one of his designs was ever built. It was estimated that construction would take 5 years and would cost A$7 million. The â€Å"Opera House Lottery† was born in 1958 as an extra source of funding before construction had begun. The original completion date was set down for 26th January, 1963 (Australia Day) and it didnt reach completion until 1973, 10 years late and the costs had blown out to A$103 million, 14 times over budget. Because of the complexities of his design, Utzon, was aware that technical problems would arise and as advanced technology that was not yet available would be needed to address these problems. He pleaded that he had not yet fully completed the design for the structure and asked for more time to tackle these problems, however his request was denied with the government fearing that funding and public opinion would turn against them and construction began in 1959, two years ahead of Utzons schedule. The lack of preparation had immediate consequences and many structural issues remained unsolved. With unexpected difficulties such as bad weather and the inability to have a suitable avenue for rain water to be diverted along with the fact that appropriate construction drawings had not been drafted, work was already running 47 weeks behind schedule. The roof of the Opera House was to be formed with a series of precast concrete shells and covered with Swedish made white glazed tiles. It was discovered, after the monumental Grand Podium, with its

How does this piece of literature reflect on modern life Essay - 1

How does this piece of literature reflect on modern life - Essay Example The play ends tragically leaving the reader in a somber mood. The piece is so captivating on the chronology of the events and at the same time very educative. Morally and applicability of the story in modern life is so relevant and evident. Racism which are demonstrated at the beginning of the play when Othello is getting married to Desmoden is still biting us to date. The vice has not been eliminated yet from the global community. Revenge which is never the best way to solve problems is used b Iago, against Othello for the fact that he did not appoint him as the second in command. As we can read through, the ending of all such happenings is not good at all, therefore, denouncing revenge as a way to solve problems. There is a need to put a rationale place before attempting anything. The irrational decision and actions by Othello saw a whole bunch of people loses their lives. By entertaining the accusations from Iago, end to the solidifying of Iago needs to torture Othello and hence the tragedy at the end of the play. The conspiracy plotting effect, therefore, isn’t the means used to achieve ones ends. That all leaves the both parties as losers, therefore, there is a need to stick to the moral obligation and maintain the standards(Appignanesi, Osada, and

Management Information System and Users Essay Example for Free

Management Information System and Users Essay Every person in the organization is a user of the MIS. The people in the organization operate at all levels in the hierarchy. A typical user is a clerk, an assistant, an officer, an executive or a manager. Each of them has a specific task and a role to play in the management of business. The MIS caters to the needs of all persons. The main task of a clerk is to search the data, make a statement and submit it to the higher level. A clerk can use the MIS for a quick search and reporting the same to higher level. An assistant has the task of collecting and organizing the data, and conducting a rudimentary analysis of integrating the data from different and disciplines to analyze it and make a critical comment if anything adverse is found. The MIS offers the methods and facilities to integrate the data and report the same in a proper format. An executive plays the role of a decision maker. He is in of responsibility and accountability a position of a planner and a decision maker. He is responsible for achieving the target and goals of the organization. The MIS provides facilities to analyze the data and offers the decision support systems to perform the task of execution. The MIS provides an action Ââ€" oriented information. The manager has a position of responsibility and accountability for the business results. His management role expands beyond his management function. He is a strategist and a long-term planner. He is a person with a foresight, an analytical ability and is expected to use these abilities in the functions of top management. The MIS provides information in a structured or unstructured format for him to react. The MIS caters to his constant changing needs of information. The user of the MIS is expected to be a rational person and the design of the MIS is based on this assumption. However, in reality the impact created on individuals by MIS is difficult to explain. The nature of the impact in a few cases is negative. However, this negative impact can be handled with proper training and counseling. It is observed that at lower level, is a sense of insecurity. As the MIS takes away the drudgery of search, collection, writing and reporting the data, the work vacuum, so created is not easily filled, thus creating a sense of insecurity.

We Should NOT Raise the Minimum Wage Essay -- Minimum Wage Essays

What would be so bad about raising minimum wage? Before other states jump on the $15 minimum-wage bandwagon, they might want to look at what's happening in Massachusetts — one of two states with a $10-an-hour minimum wage. Massachusetts increased the minimum wage from $8 to $9 at the start of 2015 and to $10 on the first day of 2016. The state is now mired in its longest stretch of net job losses since the recession in both the retail and the leisure and hospitality sectors, Labor Department data show. Raising the minimum will end up hurting Americans more than helping them. The people that are for raising minimum wage are people who believe that increasing minimum wage can help those people who are unskilled and need an income they can live on. Yet, raising minimum wage would do the opposite and make employers have to fire people who earn minimum wage, because they can't afford the higher wages. People need to realize that increasing the minimum wage would hurt people more than help them. In the end increasing minimum wage would result in some people being let go, for the reason, businesses can't afford paying them minimum wage anymore. The people, who are for raising the minimum wage, are people who think that the reason for poverty is because of the minimum wage not being high enough. The first standard minimum wage is formed under the "Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, the nationwide minimum wage was designed to lift millions of American workers out of poverty and to stimulate the economy"(Wittner). Today the people that are in favor of raising minimum wage believe that there should be another "Fair Labor Standards Act" to raise the national minimum wage to ten dollars and seventy-fo... ...e, but in the end it is up to the states and government to increase minimum wage across the U.S. So just think about what would be the best option for our country, and support that choice because the argument for increasing minimum wage has been going on for a long time and will keep going on into the future. Works Cited "American Enterprise Institute." Why We Shouldn't Raise the Minimum Wage. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. "Bill Gates: Raising Minimum Wage Can Destroy Jobs." The Foundry Conservative Policy News from The Heritage Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. Stern, Andy, and Carl Camden. "Why We Need to Raise the Minimum Wage." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. Wittner, Lawrence. "The Minimum Wage Should Be Raised." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 10 Nov. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.

Issues in the Correctional Systems of the United States Essay

I have chosen to research the correctional system of the United States for many reasons. The first reason is that I believe this component of the legal system has the most problems facing it. Another reason is that this topic interests me and I would like to learn more about it. There are many important issues, challenges and problems within the United States correctional system that need to be addressed. I found it difficult to focus on just three issues. The first problem I will discuss in my paper will be the issue of the growing population in the prisons. Prisons are overcrowded and murderers who have served barely half of their sentence are being released because the state facility needs their beds for other inmates. The second issue that I will discuss is prisoners and drugs; including, drug addicted prisoners and drug treatment prisoners. The third issue that I will talk about also pertains to drugs and deals with the problem of drug trafficking in prisons. The first component of the United States correctional system that I have chose to discuss is the problem caused by overcrowded prisons. This is an important topic because overcrowded facilities are a huge problem in America and are very detrimental to society. Prisoners who have been convicted of murder, but have shown good behavior while in prison, are being released with not even serving half of their sentence. The parole board is releasing these prisoners because space is needed for other prisoners coming in. What if, that prisoner that was released early because of overcrowded prisons had killed a member of your family and might now go kill someone else? Wouldn’t that make you a little upset with our system? There are many reasons why prisons in the United States are so overcrowded. To understand overcrowdedness one must first understand how expensive it is to build and maintain these correctional facilities. In 1993 the average cost to keep just one inmate incarcerated for a year was over $14,000 (Gaines, 1999). State courts convicted 872,217 felons during 1995 and one-third of the convictions were for drug offenses. 26% of all convicted felons were sentenced to local jails, usually for less than a year, and 45% were sentenced to state prisons. The remaining 29% were sentenced to probation with no jail or prison time to serve (Currie, 1998). Felons sentenced to state prison in 1994 were sentenced to an average of about six years but were most likely to serve just two of those six years, under the current release policies (Bender, 1998). There are many reasons why prisons became so overcrowded between 1985 and 1998. These factors include a 12.3 average annual increase in the number of Hispanic inmates, a 91% rise in admissions, a decline in the annual release rates, and a sharp rise in violent offenders among white inmates therefore keeping them in prisons longer (Jacobs, 1995). A lot of the increases were due to drug convictions. From 1985 to 1992 there was a 33% increase in the number of blacks sent to state prisons for violent offenses compared to a 27% increase in the number of whites. A similar increase in both incarcerated blacks and whites occurred for property crimes. However, for drug crimes, 94% more blacks were sent to prison from 1988 to 1992, while only 35% more whites were incarcerated (Cose, 2000). The nations courts are sentencing and admitting more offenders into America’s prisons than the facilities can hold. At the beginning of 1995, 39 states were under court order to relieve overcrowding (Currie, 1998). The way to address overcrowding is to build more prisons and maybe try to rehabilitate these felons a bit more. The 1995 census found that state and federal officials built 213 new prisons – 168 state and federal facilities with more than 280,000 beds between 1990-1995 to keep up with the growing prison population (Jacobs, 1997). In 1995 18 correction agencies opened 70 new institutions, adding 69,921 beds at an average cost of $46,758 (Jacobs, 1997). Some states have trouble building prisons fast enough to meet court orders to correct conditions. Because building prisons and adding new beds is costly, states are looking for other ways to manage overcrowding, such as  early release programs, electronic monitoring, keeping prisoners in local jails, and having offenders pay restitution to their victims. Early release gives officials a way to allow prisoners to leave before their sentence is completed. In New York, â€Å"presumptive release† permits the parole board to release offenders on parole after they have served their minimum sentences if they have not caused any problems. Good time or merit time allows the reduction of the sentence time for everyday of good behavior or for participating in particular programs. Felons were sentenced to an average sentence of 71 months in state prisons in 1994 but actually served about 38 % of that sentence (Bender, 1998). The danger in releasing inmates to make more room for new admissions is that some prisoners are violent offenders and should not be let out yet. Another way to deal with overcrowded conditions is for the government to save money by allowing private businesses to perform some government functions (privatization). This policy has largely affected the corrections system, especially as state and federal government face an increasing number of prisoners and , as a result, a growing need to build more prisons. People that are for the privatization of prisons believe that private firms would both improve the quality of services and reduce the costs. A National Institute of Corrections survey in the mid 1980’s found that more than 30 types of services were provided by the private sector (Gaines, 1999). The services most frequently supplied by private enterprise are health services, community treatment centers, facility constructions, educational programs, drug treatment, staff training and counseling. Much of the growth in the prison population can be attributed to the increase in the number of people sent to prison for drugs. In an effort to control overcrowding petty drug offenders should be given treatment or lighter sentences. When I say petty drug offenders I mean drug users and not drug dealers that are a greater threat to society. Maybe if they get treatment they don’t become repeat offenders. Loading our prisons with non violent drug offenders means that today we are committing more non violent offenders to hard time than we are violent criminals, and there is less room left for  violent offenders who should be put away to make society safer. There is a major question whether prison actually helps these drug users. They can usually find drugs in prison and if not they obtain drugs when they get out. It would be better if drug users were put into mandatory treatment programs on top of doing community services. This would help the situation of prison overcrowding while at the same time help those people who are involved in these treatment programs. There is a major problem when drug addicted people are put into prison and cannot get help they help. Prisoners sentenced for drug offenses made up the single largest group of federal inmates, 60% (Currie, 1998). This is a problem and inmates who are convicted of drug offenses should be made to participate in these programs. Most of these drug treatment programs at federal institutions have been ineffective and poorly run. In 1995, according to the Criminal Institute, about 13.2% of inmates participated in drug programs (Jacobs, 1995). The New York Times reported that, although 1 in 6 inmates receive some kind of treatment, only about 2 % have the kind of service rehabilitation that changes the inmates behaviors for a lifetime (Jacobs, 1995). Most of the participants end up recidivists. The most effective programs take many months but reduce the re-arrest rate greatly. Drug treatment advocates say that drug treatment programs could be provided for much less than the amount spent to build more prisons. A lot of average Americans think people in prisons are all hardened criminals. In reality, the prisons are filled wall to wall with drug abusers and mentally ill that need treatment instead of incarceration. They can change with the right help. In stead of building new prisons, the government should spend half that money on treatment programs. These programs would benefit society more than new prisons would. The third major issue that I would like to talk about deals with the problem of drug trafficking in prisons. It is a major problem when inmates can easily obtain drugs in prison. Many inmates who are constantly in and out of prison, see prison as a vacation from the rough streets. (Cose, 2000). This is because prisoners get three meals a day, free room and board, and are  able to purchase drugs. Prisons should be drug free and inmates should not be able to get high. It is hard to regulate drugs in prisons because in order to do so you would have to search everyone going in, keep all packages out, and lock inmates in their cells for 24 hours a day. With more and more inmates in prison for possessing and dealing drugs there is already a market and it is hard to keep drugs out. There are also too many corrections officers that go to work everyday and do all the drug pushing, making it hard to find the dealers. To address this problem of drugs availability in prisons more states are staging surprise lock downs and raids to stem the amount of drugs. This has proved to work but it is hard to do all the time because it involves a lot of man power. Another way in which in authorities try to keep drugs out of prisons is to use undercover officers. By using undercover officers in prisons you have an opportunity to get to the main source of the drugs coming in. The only problem with working on the inside to uncover drug trafficking is that it is very dangerous. Both the undercover officers, and surprise raids and lock downs are good way to regulate the amount of drugs in prisons. These issues that I have discussed are the major problems in the correctional system of the United States. These issues have to be addressed rapidly to better our society as a whole. These problems are not going to go away overnight and we, as voters in a democratic society must elect people that are going to take action and deal with these problems. Bibliography Bender, David. Does Capital Punishment Deter Crime Greenhaven press, CA 1998. Cose, Ellis. Newsweek-â€Å"America’s Prison Generations†. November 13, 2000 Currie, Elliot. Crime and Punishment in America. Henry Holt and Company, NY 1998 Gaines, Ann. Prisons. Chelsea House, Philadelphia 1999. Jacobs, Nancy. Prisons and Jails: A Deterrent to Crime? Information Plus, Texas 1995.

Religion Pakistan

Religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of life and the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a supernatural agency, or human beings’ relation to that which they regard as holy, sacred, spiritual, or divine. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life. They tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle from their ideas about the cosmos and human nature.The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system, but religion differs from private belief in that it has a public aspect. Most religions have organized behaviors, including congregations for prayer, priestly hierarchies, holy places, and/or scriptures. The development of religion has taken different forms in different cultures. Some religions place greater emphasis on belief, while others emphasize practice. Some religions focus on the subjective experi ence of the religious individual, while others consider the activities of the community to be most important.Some religions claim to be universal, believing their laws and cosmology to be binding for everyone, while others are intended to be practiced only by one, localized group. Religion often makes use of meditation, music and art. In many places it has been associated with public institutions such as education, the family, government, and political power. Types of Religions Religion defines who you are, what you are, and your views about the world around you. You must understand, a religion is much more than deity worshiping. Religion is the philosophy of life and a belief system.There are as many as four thousand and two religions in this world. Surprisingly, people know only a handful of religion. The four largest religious groups by population, estimated to account for between 5 and 6 billion people, are Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. Four largest religions| Adhe rents[citation needed]|   % of world population| Article| World population| 6. 8 billion| Figures taken from individual articles:| Christianity| 1. 9 billion – 2. 1 billion| 29% – 32%| Christianity by country| Islam| 1. 3 billion – 1. 57 billion| 19% – 21%| Islam by country| Buddhism| 500 million – 1. billion| 7% – 21%| Buddhism by country| Hinduism| 950 million – 1 billion| 14% – 20%| Hinduism by country| Total| 4. 65 billion – 6. 17 billion| 68. 38% – 90. 73%| | Christianity is one of the oldest religions of the world and has a large number of followers. It is estimated that Christianity has over two billion followers around the globe. Christianity practices a few beliefs and traditions of other religions. Like the Judaism and Islam, Christianity as a religion believes in the concept of one God. Hence, Islam, Judaism and Christianity are known as â€Å"ethical monotheism†.Judaism is older than Christian ity and this religion is the oldest of Abrahamic religions. Judaism is based on laws and principles of the Hebrew bible known as Tanakh. The Old Testament of Bible describes the struggles of the Hebrews or the Jews. After Moses frees them from the Egyptian captivity, they wander for almost forty years before they reached Jerusalem, the â€Å"Promised Land†. Today there are 14 million Jews in the world. Islam has 1. 3 billion religious followers. It is one of the fastest growing religions in the world. Followers of Islam religion worship Allah and consider Muhammad as their prophet.Like the Christians and the Jews, Muslims believe in one God. Hence, it is one of the three â€Å"monotheistic† religions of the world. Quran is their holy book and this religion follows strict religious discipline and customs. The life of a Muslim is guided by the Five Pillars or the five principles such as Shahadah (faith), Sala (ritual prayer), Zakah (alms tax), Sawm (Ramadan fasting) and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). Islam is an Arabic term and means surrendering to the will of God. You could say Islam is a system of belief that gives importance to family life, way of dressing, cleanliness and ethics.It also stresses on the importance of religious rituals and observances. There are many religions that follow their own system of beliefs, rituals and traditions. These religions are classified as prophetic religion, revealed religion, sacramental and mystical religion. Hinduism is considered to be one of the most tolerant religions in the world. The ultimate aim of any Hindu is to attain moksha from the cycle of rebirth. Historians believe over the centuries Hinduism had adopted many spiritual traditions and practices, which are seen even today in the homes of many Hindus.It is not easy to generalize the beliefs of Hinduism because the practices vary widely among the believers of this religion. Religion in Pakistan The Badshahi Masjid in Lahore, Pakistan, was built durin g the Mughal Empire Islam is the state religion in Pakistan, which is practised by about 95-97% of the 174,578,558 people of the nation. The remaining 3-5% practice Christianity, Hinduism and other religions. Muslims are divided into two major sects, the majority of them practice Sunni Islam while the Shias are a minority who estimate 5-20% depending on the source.Nearly all Pakistani Sunni Muslims belong to the Hanafi Islamic law school. The majority of Pakistani Shia Muslims belong to the Twelver (Ithna Asharia) branch with significant minority groups who practice Ismailism, which is composed of Nizari (Aga Khanis), Mustaali, Dawoodi Bohra, Sulaymani, and others. The religion of Islam was first introduced in the territory that is now called Pakistan Umayyad dynasty in the early-8th century led by Muhammad bin Qasim against Raja Dahir, the Hindu ruler of Sindh. The Umayyad Muslims conquered the northwestern part of the Indus Valley, from Kashmir to the Arabian Sea.The arrival of th e Arab Muslims to the provinces of Sindh and Punjab, along with subsequent Muslim dynasties, set the stage for the religious boundaries of South Asia that would lead to the development of the modern state of Pakistan in 1947 as well as forming the foundation for Islamic rule which quickly spread across much of South Asia. Following the rule of various Islamic empires, including the Ghaznavids, the Ghurids, and the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughals controlled the region of Pakistan from 1526 until 1739.Muslim technocrats, bureaucrats, soldiers, traders, scientists, architects, teachers, theologians and Sufis flocked from the rest of the Muslim world to the Indian subcontinent during the Mughal era. The Mughal Empire declined in the early 18th century after the Afsharids and the Afghan Durrani Empire from the west came to take over what is now Pakistan. Constitution of Pakistan on religion The constitution of Pakistan establishes Islam as the state religion, and provides all its citizens t he right to profess, practice and propagate their religion subject to law, public order, and morality.The constitution limits the political rights of Pakistan's non-Muslims, and only Muslims are allowed to become the President or the Prime Minister. Moreover, only Muslims are allowed to serve as judges in the Federal Shariat Court, which has the power to strike down any law deemed un-Islamic. List of religions in Pakistan Based on information collected from the Library of Congress, Pew Research Center, CIA World Factbook, Oxford University, University of Pennsylvania, U. S. State Department and others, the following is a list of all the religions that are practised in Pakistan.The percentages are estimations depending on the source. * Islam * Sunni Muslims: 80-95% * Shia Muslims: 5-20% * Ahmadi Muslims: approximately 2. 3% or 4 million * Other religions * Christians: approx. 1. 6% or 2,800,000 people * Hindus: approx. 1. 6%or 2,443,614 people * Baha'is: 79,000 * Sikhs: 20,000 * Zoro astrian/Parsis: 20,000 * Buddhist: Unknown * Jews: Unknown * | Islam The Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, which is the largest mosque of Pakistan and is also one of the largest in the world, was built by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia.Islam is the state religion of Pakistan, and about 95-97% of Pakistanis are Muslims. The Muslims are divided into 2 sects, Sunni Islam and Shia Islam. The Shia Islam in Pakistan is practised by 5-20% of the Muslims and the remaining larger number of Muslims practice Sunni Islam. There are a number of Islamic law schools called Madhab (schools of jurisprudence), which are called fiqh or ‘Maktab-e-Fikr' in Urdu. Nearly all Pakistani Sunni Muslims belong to the Hanafi Islamic school of thought while small number belong to the Hanbali school.The majority of Pakistani Shia Muslims belong to the Twelver (Ithna Asharia) branch, with significant minority who adhere to Ismailism branch that is composed of Nizari (Aga Khanis), Mustaali, Dawoodi Bohra, Sulaymani, a nd others. Islam to some extent syncretized with pre-Islamic influences, resulting in a religion with some traditions distinct from those of the Arab world. Two Sufis whose shrines receive much national attention are Ali Hajweri in Lahore (ca. 11th century) and Shahbaz Qalander in Sehwan, Sindh (ca. 12th century).Although members of Ahmadiyya (also derogatorily known as Qadiani) are considered to be Muslims, the government of Pakistan does not consider this group followers of Islam. The Pakistani parliament has declared Ahmadis to be non-Muslims. In 1974, the government of Pakistan amended its constitution to define a Muslim â€Å"as a person who believes in finality of Prophet Muhammad†. Ahmadis believe in Muhammad as the best and the last law bearing prophet and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as the Christ of Muslims who was prophesized to come in the latter days and unite the Muslims.Consequently they were declared non-Muslims by a tribunal, the records of which have not been released to date. In 1984, Ordinance XX was enacted, which made it a crime for Ahmadis to call themselves Muslims or adherents of Islam, to â€Å"pose as Muslims†, to call their places of worship Masjid, or to proselytize, punishable by a prison term. According to the last Pakistan census, Ahmadis made up 0. 25% of the population, which is highly disputed due to the already existing state treatment of Ahmadis in Pakistan.The website adherents. comcited a report according to which the Ahmadiyya Muslim community was represented by 2,000,000 (1. 42%) adherents in 1995. Several other news report however claim adherents amounting to about 4 million, which is difficult to verify. [edit] Christianity Main article: Christianity in Pakistan Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Karachi. Christians make up 1. 6% of Pakistan's population, about 2. 8 million people out of a total population. [1] They are the second largest religious minority community in Pakistan.Majority of the Pakistani Christian communi ties belong to converts from the low caste Hindus from Punjab region, from the British colonial era. The community is geographically spread throughout the Punjab province, whilst its presence in the rest of the provinces is mostly confined to the urban centers. There is a Roman Catholic community in Karachi which was established by Goan and Tamilian migrants when Karachi's infrastructure was being developed by the British during colonial administration between World War I and World War II. [edit] Judaism Main article: Jews and Judaism in PakistanJews (Urdu: pronounced â€Å"Yehudi†) are a very small religious group in Pakistan. Various estimates suggest that there were about 2,500 Jews living in Karachi at the beginning of the 20th century, and a smaller community of a few hundred lived in Peshawar. There were synagogues in both cities; while the Karachi synagogue was burnt down. [citation needed] The one in Peshawar still exists but has fallen into disuse. Nearly all Pakist ani Jews have emigrated. [citation needed] [edit] Hinduism Main article: Hinduism in Pakistan Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, KarachiHinduism has an ancient history in Pakistan, the Rig Veda was believed to have been composed in the Punjab region. [citation needed] Hindus today are a much reduced community numbering around 3 million or about 1. 6%. [1] According to the last census 93% of Hindus live in Sindh, 5% in Punjab and nearly 2% in Balochistan. [citation needed] [edit] Sikhism Main article: Sikhism in Pakistan Nankana Sahib Gurdwara in Punjab, Pakistan The number of Sikhs remaining in Pakistan today is very small; estimates vary, but the number is thought to be on the order of 20,000. 7] The shrine of Guru Nanak Dev is located in Nankana Sahib near the city of Lahore where many Sikhs from abroad make pilgrimage to this and other shrines. [edit] Buddhism Main article: Buddhism in Pakistan Like Hinduism, Buddhism has an ancient history in Pakistan. There are no established Buddhist c ommunities and numbers are very few. [edit] Zoroastrianism Further information: Parsi people Before the independence of Pakistan in 1947, major urban centres in what is now Pakistan were home to a thriving Parsi business community.Karachi had the most prominent population of Parsis in Pakistan and were mostly Gujarati-speaking. After independence, majority of Pakistan's Parsi populace migrated to India, notably Bombay; however a number of Parsis still remain in Pakistan and have entered Pakistani public life as social workers, business folk, and diplomats. The most prominent Parsis of Pakistan today include Ardeshir Cowasjee, Byram Dinshawji Avari, Jamsheed Marker, as well as the late Minocher Bhandara. [edit] Baha'i Main article: Baha'i Faith in Pakistan The Baha'i Faith in Pakistan begins previous to its independence when it was part of India.The roots of the religion in the region go back to the first days of the Babi religion in 1844,[22] with Shaykh Sa'id Hindi who was from Mul tan. [23] During Baha'u'llah's lifetime, as founder of the religion, he encouraged some of his followers to move to the area that is current-day Pakistan. [24] In 1921 the Baha'is of Karachi elected their first Baha'i Local Spiritual Assembly. [23] By 1956 Baha'i local assemblies spread across many cities,[25] and in 1957, East and West Pakistan elected a separate National Baha'i Assembly from India and later East Pakistan became Bangladesh with its own national assembly. 26] Waves of refugees arrived in 1979 due to the Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan and the Iranian Revolution in Iran. [27][28] The Baha'is in Pakistan have the right to hold public meetings, establish academic centers, teach their faith, and elect their administrative councils. [29] However, the government prohibits Baha'is from travelling to Israel for Baha'i pilgrimage. [30] Recent estimates are over 79,000[18] though Baha'is claimed less than half that number. [31] [edit] Kalash Religion This is the religion of the Kalash people living in a remote part of Chitral.Adherents of the Kalash religion number around 3,000 and inhabit three remote valleys in Chitral; Bumboret, Rumbur and Birir. Their religion is unique but shares some common ground with Vedic and Pre-Zoroastrian religions. [edit] Atheism Main article: Atheism There may also be some atheists and agnostics in Pakistan, particularly in the affluent areas of the larger cities. Some were born in secular families while others in religious ones. According to the 1998 census, people who did not state their religion accounted for 0. 5% of the population, but social pressures against claiming no religion was strong. 7] There is slight of atheism in the country. Pakistan's laws, which stipulate the death penalty for blaspheming, institutionalize such discrimination. Subsequently, most atheists and agnostics keep their views private and choose to portray themselves publicly as indifferent Muslims rather than non-Muslims. Islam in Pakistan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Islam in Pakistan Category| History| Islamic conquest  Ã‚ · Arab settlement Islamic rule  Ã‚ · Mughal Empire Hindu conversion  Ã‚ · Sectarian dispute| Architecture| Mughal  Ã‚ · Indo-Islamic  Ã‚ · Indo-Saracenic|Major figures| Mohammad bin Qasim  Ã‚ · Baba Fareed Khwaja Sheikh Pak  Ã‚ · Bulleh Shah Sir Syed Ahmed Khan  Ã‚ · Allama Iqbal Bahadur Yar Jung| Schools of law| Hanafi  Ã‚ · Shia  Ã‚ · Shafi`i  Ã‚ · Maliki  Ã‚ · Hanbali| Schools of thought| Shia  Ã‚ · Barelvi  Ã‚ · Deobandi  Ã‚ · Ahle Hadith Sufism  Ã‚ · Ahmadiyya| Mosques in Pakistan| List of Mosques -List of mosques in Lahore Faisal Mosque  Ã‚ · Badshahi Mosque| Political organisations and movements| Pakistan Muslim League Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam  Ã‚ · Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan  Ã‚ · Jamaat-e-Islami  Ã‚ · Tehrik-e-Jafaria Pakistan  Ã‚ · Jamiat Ahle Hadith  Ã‚ · Tablighi Jamaat| Culture| MusicQawwali  Ã‚ · Hamd    · Nasheed  Ã‚ · Naat  Ã‚ · Ghazal Literature Urdu  Ã‚ · Punjabi  Ã‚ · Pashto  Ã‚ · Sindhi| Other topics| Shi'a Islam in Pakistan Ahle Sunnat Movement in South Asia Indian Muslim nationalism (Pakistani) Muslim chronicles for Indian historyThis box: view  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚  talk  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚  edit| Part of a series on Islam by country| Islam in Africa[show] Algeria  Ã‚ · Angola  Ã‚ · Benin  Ã‚ · Botswana  Ã‚ · Burkina  Faso  Ã‚ · Burundi  Ã‚ · Cameroon  Ã‚ · Cape  Verde  Ã‚ · Central  African  Republic  Ã‚ · Chad  Ã‚ · Comoros  Ã‚ · Democratic  Republic of the  Congo  Ã‚ · Republic of the Congo  Ã‚ · Cote  d'Ivoire (Ivory  Coast)  Ã‚ · Djibouti  Ã‚ · Egypt  Ã‚ · Equatorial  Guinea  Ã‚ ·Eritrea  Ã‚ · Ethiopia  Ã‚ · Gabon  Ã‚ · The Gambia  Ã‚ · Ghana  Ã‚ · Guinea  Ã‚ · Guinea-Bissau  Ã‚ · Kenya  Ã‚ · Lesotho  Ã‚ · Liberia  Ã‚ · Libya  Ã‚ · Madagascar  Ã‚ · Malawi  Ã‚ · Mali  Ã‚ · Mauritania  Ã‚ · Ma uritius  Ã‚ · Morocco  Ã‚ · Mozambique  Ã‚ · Namibia  Ã‚ · Niger  Ã‚ · Nigeria  Ã‚ · Rwanda  Ã‚ · Sao  Tome and  Principe  Ã‚ · Senegal  Ã‚ · Seychelles  Ã‚ · Sierra  Leone  Ã‚ · Somalia  Ã‚ · South  Africa  Ã‚ · Sudan  Ã‚ · Swaziland  Ã‚ · Tanzania  Ã‚ · Togo  Ã‚ · Tunisia  Ã‚ · Uganda  Ã‚ · Western  Sahara (Sahrawi Arab Democratic  Republic)  Ã‚ · Zambia  Ã‚ · Zimbabwe| Islam in Asia[show] Central Asia Kazakhstan  Ã‚ · Kyrgyzstan  Ã‚ · Russia  Ã‚ · Tajikistan  Ã‚ · Turkmenistan  Ã‚ · USSR  Ã‚ · Uzbekistan East AsiaChina (Hong  Kong  Ã‚ · Macau)  Ã‚ · Japan  Ã‚ · Korea  (North  Korea  Ã‚ · South  Korea)  Ã‚ · Mongolia  Ã‚ · Taiwan South Asia Afghanistan  Ã‚ · Bangladesh  Ã‚ · Bhutan  Ã‚ · India  Ã‚ · Maldives  Ã‚ · Nepal  Ã‚ · Pakistan  Ã‚ · Sri Lanka Southeast Asia Brunei  Ã‚ · Burma  Ã‚ · Cambodia  Ã‚ · East  Timor  Ã‚ · Indonesia  Ã‚ · Laos  Ã‚ · Malaysia  Ã‚ · Phi lippines  Ã‚ · Singapore  Ã‚ · Thailand  Ã‚ · Vietnam Western Asia Armenia  Ã‚ · Azerbaijan  Ã‚ · Bahrain  Ã‚ · Cyprus  Ã‚ · Georgia  Ã‚ · Iran  Ã‚ · Iraq  Ã‚ · Israel  Ã‚ · Jordan  Ã‚ · Kuwait  Ã‚ · Lebanon  Ã‚ · Oman  Ã‚ · Qatar  Ã‚ · Saudi Arabia  Ã‚ · Syria  Ã‚ · Turkey  Ã‚ · UAE  Ã‚ · Yemen| Islam in Europe[show] Western EuropeAndorra  Ã‚ · Belgium  Ã‚ · France  Ã‚ · Ireland  Ã‚ · Italy  Ã‚ · Luxembourg  Ã‚ · Malta  Ã‚ · Monaco  Ã‚ · Netherlands  Ã‚ · Portugal  Ã‚ · San  Marino  Ã‚ · Spain  Ã‚ · United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales) Scandinavia Denmark  Ã‚ · Iceland  Ã‚ · Finland  Ã‚ · Norway  Ã‚ · Sweden Central Europe Austria  Ã‚ · Croatia  Ã‚ · Czech  Republic  Ã‚ · Germany  Ã‚ · Hungary  Ã‚ · Liechtenstein  Ã‚ · Poland  Ã‚ · Slovakia  Ã‚ · Slovenia  Ã‚ · Switzerland Eastern Europe Armenia  Ã‚ · Azerbaijan  Ã‚ · Belarus  Ã‚ · Estonia  Ã‚ · Georgia  Ã‚ · Kazakhstan  Ã‚ · Latvia  Ã‚ · Lithuania  Ã‚ · Moldova  Ã‚ · Russia  Ã‚ · Ukraine  Ã‚ · USSR Southeastern EuropeAlbania  Ã‚ · Bosnia  Ã‚ · Bulgaria  Ã‚ · Cyprus  Ã‚ · Greece  Ã‚ · Macedonia  Ã‚ · Montenegro  Ã‚ · Romania  Ã‚ · Serbia  Ã‚ · Turkey  Ã‚ ·| Islam in Americas[show] Northern America Canada  Ã‚ · Mexico  Ã‚ · United States  Ã‚ · Central America Belize  Ã‚ · Costa Rica  Ã‚ · El Salvador  Ã‚ · Guatemala  Ã‚ · Honduras  Ã‚ · Nicaragua  Ã‚ · Panama  Ã‚ · Southern America Argentina  Ã‚ · Bolivia  Ã‚ · Brazil  Ã‚ · Chile  Ã‚ · Colombia  Ã‚ · Dominica  Ã‚ · Ecuador  Ã‚ · Guyana  Ã‚ · Paraguay  Ã‚ · Peru  Ã‚ · Suriname  Ã‚ · Uruguay  Ã‚ · Venezuela CaribbeanAntigua and Barbuda  Ã‚ · Bahamas  Ã‚ · Barbados  Ã‚ · Cuba  Ã‚ · Dominican Republic  Ã‚ · Grenada  Ã‚ · Haiti  Ã‚ · Jamaica  Ã‚ · Saint Kitts and Nevis  Ã‚ · Saint Lucia  Ã‚ · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  Ã‚ · Trinidad and Tobago  Ã‚ ·| Islam in Oceania[show] Australia Australia  Ã‚ · Norfolk  Island  Ã‚ · Christmas  Island  Ã‚ · Cocos  (Keeling)  Islands Melanesia East  Timor  Ã‚ · Fiji  Ã‚ · New  Caledonia  Ã‚ · Papua New Guinea  Ã‚ · Solomon  Islands  Ã‚ · Vanuatu Micronesia Guam  Ã‚ · Kiribati  Ã‚ · Marshall  Islands  Ã‚ · Northern  Mariana  Islands  Ã‚ · Federated  States of  Micronesia  Ã‚ · Nauru  Ã‚ · Palau PolynesiaAmerican  Samoa  Ã‚ · Cook  Islands  Ã‚ · French  Polynesia  Ã‚ · New  Zealand  Ã‚ · Niue  Ã‚ · Pitcairn  Ã‚ · Samoa  Ã‚ · Tokelau  Ã‚ · Tonga  Ã‚ · Tuvalu  Ã‚ · Wallis and Futuna| This box: view  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚  talk  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚  edit| Islam is the official religion of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which has a population of about 174,578,558. [1] The overwhelming majority (95-97%) of the Pakistani people are Muslims while the remaining 3-5% are Christian, Hindu, and others. [2][3] Pakistan has the second largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia. Sunnis are the majority while the Shias make up between 10-20%[4][3][5][2] of the total Muslim population of the country.Pakistan has the second largest number of Shias after Iran, which numbers between 17 million to as high as 30 million according to Vali Nasr. [6] Contents[hide] * 1 Umayyad invasion of Sindh and the arrival of Islam * 2 Islam and the Pakistan Movement * 3 Politicized Islam * 4 Muslim sects in Pakistan * 5 Laws and customs * 6 Media and pilgrimages * 7 Islamic education * 8 See also * 9 Further reading * 10 References * 11 External links| [edit] Umayyad invasion of Sindh and the arrival of Islam Main article: Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinentThe Badshahi Masjid, literally the ‘Royal Mosque', was built in 1674 by Aurangzeb. It is one of Lahore's best known landmarks, and epitomizes the beauty and grandeur of the Mughal era. Islam arrived in the area now known as Pakistan in 711 CE, when th e Umayyad dynasty sent a Muslim Arab army led by Muhammad bin Qasim against the ruler of Sindh, Raja Dahir, this was due to the fact that Raja Dahir had given refuge to numerous Zoroastrian Princes who had fled the Islamic conquest of Iran. Mohummad Bin Qasim's army was defeated in his first thee attempts.The Muslim army conquered the northwestern part of Indus Valley from Kashmir to the Arabian Sea. The arrival of the Arab Muslims to the provinces of Sindh and Punjab, along with subsequent Muslim dynasties, set the stage for the religious boundaries of South Asia that would lead to the development of the modern state of Pakistan as well as forming the foundation for Islamic rule which quickly spread across much of South Asia. Following the rule of various Islamic empires, including the Ghaznavid Empire, the Ghorid kingdom, and the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughals controlled the region from 1526 until 1739.Muslim technocrats, bureaucrats, soldiers, traders, scientists, architects, teach ers, theologians and Sufis flocked from the rest of the Muslim world to Islamic Sultanate and Mughal Empire in South Asia and in the land that became Pakistan. [edit] Islam and the Pakistan Movement The Muslim poet-philosopher Sir Allama Muhammad Iqbal first proposed the idea of a Muslim state in northwestern South Asia in his address to the Muslim League at Allahabad in 1930. His proposal referred to the four provinces of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and the NorthWest Frontier — essentially what would became Pakistan.Iqbal's idea gave concrete form to two distinct nations in the South Asia based on religion (Islam and Hinduism) and with different historical backgrounds, social customs, cultures, and social mores. Islam was thus the basis for the creation and the unification of a separate state. Allama Muhammad Iqbal in 1937, in a letter to Jinnah wrote, After a long and careful study of Islamic Law I have come to the conclusion that if this system of Law is properly understoo d and applied, at last the right to subsistence is secured to every body.But the enforcement and development of the Shariat of Islam is impossible in this country without a free Muslim state or states. This has been my honest conviction for many years and I still believe this to be the only way to solve the problem of bread for Muslims as well as to secure a peaceful India. [7] But just three days before the creation of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah made a different commitment. A commitment to secularism in Pakistan.In his inaugural address he said, You will find that in the course of time Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the State. This statement of Jinnah is an object of great controversy since then and this vision of a Pakistan in which Islamic law would not be applied, contrary to Iqbal's perception, was questioned sho rtly after independence. [edit] Politicized IslamFaisal Mosque in Islamabad, which is the largest mosque of Pakistan and is also one of the largest in the world, was built by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. From the outset, politics and religion have been intertwined both conceptually and practically in Islam. Because Prophet Muhammad established a government in Medina, precedents of governance and taxation exist. Through the history of Islam, from the Ummayyad (661-750) and Abbasid empires (750-1258) to the Mughals (1526- 1858), Safavis (1501–1722) and the Ottomans (1300-1923), religion and statehood have been treated as one.Indeed, one of the beliefs of Islam is that the purpose of the state is to provide an environment where Muslims can properly practice their religion. If a leader fails in this, the people have a right to depose him. In March 1949, the first constituent assembly passed Objectives Resolution, which declared that the state of Pakistan will be submitted to the sovereignty of God. In 1950, thirty one Ulema passed a demand draft, called Twenty Two Points of Ulema. This drafted demanded preparation of constitution according to Objectives Resolution. It also demanded changes in the law according to Shariah.In 1977, the government of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto outlawed alcohol and drugs and changed the weekend from Sunday to Friday, but no substantive Islamic reform program was implemented prior to General Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization program. Starting in February 1979, new penal measures based on Islamic principles of justice went into effect. These carried considerably greater implications for women than for men. A welfare and taxation system based on Zakat and a profit-and-loss banking system were also established in accordance with Islamic prohibitions against usury but were inadequate. edit] Muslim sects in Pakistan Further information: Sectarian violence in Pakistan  and  Shi'a Islam in Pakistan Data Durbar in Lahore, Pakistan is the tomb of A li Hajweri, eleventh century Sufi. People come each year to pay their respects, to say prayers and worship. The large complex also includes Jamia Hajweri, or Hajweri Mosque. According to the CIA World Factbook and Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, 95-97% of the total population of Pakistan is Muslim. [3] The majority of the Pakistani Muslims are Sunnis, while Shias are estimated 10-20%. 8] [4] [3] [5] [2] The Muslims belong to different schools which are called Madhahib (singular: Madhhab) i. e. , schools of jurisprudence (also ‘Maktab-e-Fikr' (School of Thought) in Urdu). The Hanafi school of Sunnis includes the Barelvi and Deobandi schools. Although the vast majority of Pakistani Shi'a Muslims belong to Ithna ‘ashariyah school, there are significant minorities: Nizari Ismailis (Agha Khanis) and the smaller Mustaali Dawoodi Bohra and Sulaimani Bohra branches. The Salafi sect is represented by the Ahle Hadith movement in Pakistan.Many people on the Makran coast of Baloc histan follow the Zikri sect of Islam. The two subsects of Sunni Hanafi school, Barelvis and Deobandis, have their own Masjids. The Shi'a Ithna ‘ashariyah school has its own Masjids commonly termed as Hussainias (Imambargahs). Mustaali Dawoodi Bohra and Sulaimani Bohra also have their own Masjids, while the Nizari Ismailis pray in Jama'at Khanas. The Ahmadiyya community, a minority group is also present. Ahmadis have been declared non-Muslims by the Government of Pakistan.In 1974, the government of Pakistan amended Constitution of Pakistan to define a Muslim â€Å"as a person who believes in finality of Prophet Muhammad†. [9] For this reason, Ahmadis are persecuted on behalf of their beliefs. Ahmadis believe in Muhammad as the best and the last law bearing prophet and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as the Christ of Muslims who was prophesied to come in the latter days and unite the Muslims. Consequently they were declared non-Muslims by a tribunal, the records of which have not bee n released to date.According to the last Pakistan census, Ahmadis made up 0. 25% of the population. However the website adherents. com[10] proposes that the Ahmadiyya Muslim community made up 1. 42% of the population; which is likely to be a less biased source. The Economist puts the figure of Ahmadiyya adherents to 4 million. The Ahmadis claim their community is even larger. Sufism has a strong tradition in Pakistan. The Muslim Sufi missionaries played a pivotal role in converting the millions of native people to Islam.As in other areas where Sufis introduced it, Islam to some extent syncretized with pre-Islamic influences, resulting in a religion with some traditions distinct from those of the Arab world. The Naqshbandiya, Qadiriya, Chishtiya and Suhrawardiyya silsas have a a large following in Pakistan. Sufis whose shrines receive much national attention are Data Ganj Baksh (Ali Hajweri) in Lahore (ca. 11th century), Baha-ud-din Zakariya in Multan and Shahbaz Qalander in Sehwan ( ca. 12th century) and Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai in Bhit, Sindh and Rehman Baba in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. edit] Laws and customs There is no law in Pakistan enforcing hijab and wearing of Hijab by Pakistani women is fairly uncommon. However, the practice of wearing Hijab among younger women in urban centers is slowly growing due to media influence from the Middle East and Persian Gulf countries. The episodes of sectarian violence have significantly decreased in frequency over the years due to the conflictual engagement of the Islamic militant organizations with the state's armed forces and intelligence agencies. [edit] Media and pilgrimagesMedia and pilgrimages has influenced Pakistani Muslims to learn more about Islam as a result the local heterodox beliefs and practices are being replaced with orthodox beliefs from Quran and Sunnah. The inexpensive travel, simpler visa rules and direct air travel to Saudi Arabia has resulted in large number Pakistani Muslims going to Medina and Mecca for Haj and Umrah. This has helped to increase Pan-Islamic identity of Pakistani Muslims. The Muslim print media has always existed in Pakistan which included newspapers, books and magazines.The Muslim satellite channels are widely available and are watched by Pakistani population. [edit] Islamic education The Study of Islam as a subject is compulsory for all Muslim students up to Matriculation or O'levels in all schools in Pakistan. Islamic education to the masses is also propagated mainly by Islamic schools and literature. Islamic schools (or Madrassas) mostly cater to the youth from impoverished social backgrounds and those learning to be Islamic clerics. More casual and even research oriented material is available in the form of books.While the most prominent of these schools are being monitored, the latter are being ‘moderated' by both the government and some of the scholars, thereby also removing in the process the various material present in it that is used by An ti-Islam/Anti-Sunni writers. Oldest and universally accepted titles such as the Sahih Bukhari have been revised into ‘summarised' editions and some of the old, complete titles, translated to Urdu, the national language, are not available for purchase now. These changes are also a herald to new outbreaks of religious controversy in the region.

Free Essays on Join Or Die

â€Å"Join or Die†. In this cartoon, Franklin effectively displays his feelings towards the issues surrounding the colonies at that time. During this time, a familiar myth was that a snake that was cute-up, or separated, that was reassembled before sundown would come back to life. By using a cut-up snake to represent the colonies, Franklin presen... Free Essays on Join Or Die Free Essays on Join Or Die " †¦Do, in the name and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states†¦" These words, taken from the Declaration of Independence, exhibit a united and strong force from a people ready and willing to fight to be untied as individuals and as a country. The Declaration plainly exhibits that the people of the United States want to be and are united, which twenty years prior, was not as clear. In 1754, Benjamin Franklin illustrated the need for a group of united states in his cartoon, titled "Join or Die." This cartoon shows a nation unsure of what they want and where they are going. In 1754, the French and Indian War was threatening several of the colonies and their livelihood. The conflict between the British and the French posed a great threat to the colonies. Individually, the colonies were weak and susuptiable to attack. As this war approached, the colonists faced the decision as to come together as one united government. If they did band together, they would benefit by working with all their resources controlled by a central government. An active man in the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin, created a cartoon that brings up the specific issue of unity between the colonies, which, would, 20 years later, form a country based on the notion of unity, The United States. The cartoon that he created consists of a snake divided into 8(one part for each colony that existed at the time) clearly independent pieces, and underneath the snake, Franklin wrote the words â€Å"Join or Die†. In this cartoon, Franklin effectively displays his feelings towards the issues surrounding the colonies at that time. During this time, a familiar myth was that a snake that was cute-up, or separated, that was reassembled before sundown would come back to life. By using a cut-up snake to represent the colonies, Franklin presen...

The Atrocities of the Congo Free State Rubber Regime

The Atrocities of the Congo Free State Rubber Regime When the Belgian King Leopold II acquired the Congo Free State during the Scramble for Africa in 1885, he claimed he was establishing the colony for humanitarian and scientific purposes, but in reality, its sole aim was profit, as much as possible, as fast as possible. The results of this rule were very uneven. Regions that were hard to access or lacked profitable resources escaped much of the violence that was to follow, but for those areas directly under the rule of the Free State or the companies it leased land to, the results were devastating. The Rubber Regime   Initially, government and commercial agents focused on acquiring ivory, but inventions, like the car, dramatically increased the demand for rubber.  Unfortunately, for the Congo, it was one of the only places in the world to have a large supply of wild rubber, and the government and its affiliated trading companies quickly shifted their focus to extracting the suddenly lucrative commodity. Company agents were paid large concessions on top of their salaries for the profits they generated, creating personal incentives to force people to work more and harder for little to no pay.  The only way to do that was through the use of terror. Atrocities In order to enforce the near impossible rubber quotas imposed on villages, agents and officials called on the Free State’s army, the Force Publique. This army was composed of white officers and African soldiers. Some of these soldiers were recruits, while others were slaves or orphans brought up to serve the colonial army. The army become known for its brutality, with the officers and soldiers being accused of  destroying villages, taking hostages, raping, torturing, and extorting the people. Men who did not fulfill their quota were killed or mutilated. They also sometimes eradicated  whole villages that failed to meet the quotas as a warning to others. Women and children were often taken hostage until men fulfilled a quota; during which time the women were raped repeatedly. The iconic images to emerge from this terror, though, were the baskets full of smoked hands and the Congolese children who survived ​having a hand cut off. A Hand for Every Bullet Belgian officers were afraid that the rank and file of the Force Publique would waste bullets, so they demanded a human hand for each bullet their soldiers used as proof that the killings had been done.  Soldiers were also reportedly promised their freedom or given other incentives for killing the most people as proven by supplying the most hands. Many people wonder why these soldiers were willing to do this to their ‘own’ people, but there was no sense of being ‘Congolese’. These men were generally from other parts of the Congo or other colonies entirely, and the orphans and slaves had often been brutalized themselves.  The Force Publique, no doubt, also attracted men who, for whatever reason, felt little compunction about wielding such violence, but this was true of the white officers as well. The vicious fighting and terror of the Congo Free State is better understood as another example of the incredible capacity of people for incomprehensible cruelty. Humanity and Reform The horrors, though, are only one part of the story. Amidst all of this, some of the best of people was also seen, in the bravery and resilience of ordinary Congolese men and women who resisted in small and large ways, and the passionate efforts of several American and European missionaries and activists to bring about reform.

Regional Politics (Africa, Middle East or East Asia) Essay - 1

Regional Politics (Africa, Middle East or East Asia) - Essay Example Culture is defined as a people’s way of thinking, behaving and handling different situations both common and common, all of which influences the ability of people within a country to accept different situations created by democracy. Democratic institutions are governmental and nongovernmental units created to operate with complete autonomy to deliver different needs to the people. Institutions in a country include the judiciary, the police services, the armed forces, aid organisations and other units created for the wellbeing of the society. In this paper, I will highlight how the development of democratic and dependent institutions of a country is influenced by cultural maturity. The different cultural environments within a number of countries in the middle east, Africa and other developing economies will be compared with the cultural environments found in first world countries (Hadenius & Teorell, 2005). Cultural maturity and progress differ in different countries and this h as enabled some regions to develop as compared to others for example the socialist Asia and former soviet and the capitalist west. The level of democratization of institution in these countries differs and this has been attributed to the way of life found among the different countries. Culture is a multifaceted domain that cannot be highlighted as a block in trying to determine its impacts of democratization of different institutions in different countries. According to Tabellini (2005), culture’s casual effect results from its ability to affect development in a country endogenously. This measure of impacts on economic development is similar to the impacts it can produce on the democratization of institutions and organs of a country’s governance system (Tabellini, 2005). A number of questions have however arose about these differences and authors have attempted to explain why this is not the case in African and other countries in the Middle East. The United Kingdom and the United States experienced political transformation in the early 18th to 20th century, a fact that is attributed to the development of these countries into republic and democratic countries. With the French revolution leading to the abolition of the monarch system, the French cultural practices changed with the embracement of democratic governance. This affected other institutions in the country that led to significant independence and democratization of these arms of government (Ichino, Bornhorst, Schlag & Winter, 2004). In contrast, the independence and democratization of institutions in china and other Asian and African countries has remained significantly below pace. This can be explained to the prevalent government control, coercion, intimidation and interference in the operations of these institutions. When the French revolution led to the replacement of the monarch system with a more democratic governance system, the continuous revolts in china led to the replacement of o ne monarch with the other. The monarchs were operated from one ideological principle that had no variation from the previous regimes, a process that further weakens the democratization process of the countries (Diermeier & Krehbiel, 2003). The African situation is fluid as compared to other