Religion and cultural issues of Muslims

As the word suggests, it means submitting to the will of God. Muslims is the word referred to Islam followers. Allah is the Arabic name for God. Muslims believe that Allah is the sole creator, sustainer, and restorer of the world. According to Muslims, Allah passed down his will to the people through the scriptures written in a sacred book known as the Qur’an (Koran) through his messenger, Prophet Muhammad. Prophet Muhammad, from the very beginning of Islam, created a sense of brotherhood, togetherness and a bond of faith among his followers. Through essential socio-economic practices in the Islamic religion, their relationship was cemented. Islamic religion is founded on unity, family hood, and brotherhood. As a religion, it unites both temporal and spiritual aspects of life and seeks to standardize not only the human relationships in a social setting but also individual relationship with God.

Islamic practices revolve around five Islamic pillars. They testify his sovereignty with a phrase that means if God wills, i. e. , ‘Inshallah. ’ Muslims must live in a way that pleases Allah, to be saved from sins and gain eternal paradise. About the human nature, they believe Allah created him from a blood clot and that among all creatures he is the greatest. Primarily, some Muslim women do not cover their heads completely which is their decision. However, most women are not intimidated by this, they become successful and conform to their religion. Most women cover up because they believe Allah commands them to do so (Wagner et al. The Quran states that women shouldn’t display their beauty and ornaments besides what should appear ordinary.

They should show their beauty to their husbands only and some other few family members. The third is chador which is a full-body length shawl held at the neck with a hand or a pin? The chador covers the head and body leaving the face completely visible. Dupatta is another type of a veil loosely wrapped around the head and the shoulders commonly worn in South Asia and often paired with matching garments. Finally, we have the burqa which is also a full body veil covering the wearer’s entire face and body (Wagner et al. The wearer only sees’s through a mesh screen over the eyes. Foods and drinks in the Islamic culture Muslims just like the other religions have their own unique religious and cultural practices.

According to Esposito, 2016, Muslims murder animals by slitting the animal’s throat swiftly and mercifully, reciting God’s name. They do this to certify that life is sacred and no one should take it without God’s permission. The knife being used for the slaughtering should be razor sharp and clean with no spot of blood from a previous slaughter. The animal should be entirely bled before they eat it and this is considered halal meat. However, these rules do not apply to aquatic lives. In Muslim culture, they practice type one because they think it is less severe and refer to it as ‘suna. ’ However, the other three methods are still applied according to regions which FGM is practiced. FGM is overwhelm practiced in South East Asia because they follow Shafi, a law that makes it obligatory.

In Malaysia, 80 percent of Islamic women practice it because it is a religious requirement and also for hygiene reasons. In Indonesia, 90 percent of female Muslim adult support it and claims that it is morally upright and a part of Islamic teachings. Despite the few advantages FGM has to the Muslim culture it has several advance health risks to girls and women living with it. Some short-term effects include severe pain during the cut, genital tissue swelling, excessive bleeding, and pain when passing urine, impaired wound healing and even death. Long-term effects include chronic genital infections, urinary tract infections, painful sexual intercourse due to tightening muscle, birth complication including Fistula, increased chances of HIV transmission due to increased bleeding during sex, menstrual problems because of obstruction of the vaginal opening and post-traumatic stress disorders including depression (Boyle, 2005).

In conclusion, Islamic cultural significance of FGM does not protect Muslim Female against its advanced effects and should be abolished. Sexual orientation in the Islamic culture In the Islamic religion, the male-dominated culture is very intense than in other denominations. In the Islamic culture, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) is influenced by the social, legal, religious and cultural history of sizeable Muslim population together with specific Quran readings and statements from Prophet Muhammad. From the Quran, it is evident the Prophet Muhammad acknowledged sexuality and gender (Kugle, 2010). Unlike other religions, Muslims do not view sex as shameful or unclean. In their early history sex was viewed as a positive part of human life. With the help of Prophet Muhammad, people learned that spirituality and sexuality are connected.

The limitation comes in when we talk about relationships. For instance, in Islam, sisters and brothers cannot marry (Kugle, 2010). The Quran mentions explicitly between who and who should marry. This help prevents creating babies who are exposed to severe health risks. People involved in sex should have a clear relationship status to ensure safety children upbringing. They value their health too much and think that it is their religious duty to take care of it and therefore consulting doctors are part of the task. Imam has also consulted because they help a patient to understand illness and hence plays a role in healing (Odeh et al. There is a group of Muslim that believes in traditional healing methods based on prophetic medicine.

Some of these medicines are derived from Quran, prophet tradition and from the way Mohammed lived. They include the use of olive oil, honey, cupping, fenugreek and mustard to prevent and heal specific disease. They believe in a supernatural being known as Allah. They believe in the Quran teachings; a holy book revealed to Muhammad during angelic visitation by angel Gabriel for about 23 years. They practice prayer every day and fasting during the Holy month of Ramadan. Like every other culture they have types of food some lawful others unlawful. The culture forbids meat from animals that die of themselves, blood and pigs, the carcass of an already dead animal, and flesh of an animal that has been offered as a sacrifice to idols (Esposito, 2016).