Progressive vs. Regressive

Introduction

When Muhammad wrote the Koran, he achieved more than introducing the religion of Islam. His teachings brought huge changes to Arabia where there wasn't a considerable sense of morality. Before Islam, there was no morality in economics, women were seen as objects, and there was constant inter-tribal violence. Islam became a guide for the people that joined faith, politics, religion, and society.

Unlike pre-Islamic Arabia, the Koran emphasized poor were important to society. Taking interest on loans was prohibited in the Koran because at the time, loans were meant to assist the poor when they needed it.

Islam also requires that an annual portion of one's wealth be given to charity. It also allowed for competition and profit motive as long as there was fair play involved. It did not allow for taking advantage of one another. Islam allowed for economic equality and morality in a region that had not seen such thoughts before.

Women in Islam

Women possibly gained the most out of the changes brought on by Islam.

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Before, women were seen as objects more than as human beings. Just the birth of a daughter was viewed negatively. Women were married without consent, they were not included in inheritance, and infanticide was common. The biggest change for women might have been outlawing primogeniture and requiring that inheritance be shared by all heirs. Women were given the right to consent to marriage and the ability to divorce but only as a last resort. Islam also outlawed infanticide, and gave women the right to education, suffrage, and vocation.

This leaves the possibility for woman's equality with man which previously had not existed.

The introduction of Islam brought coexistence between multiple races and religions. Unlike other areas of the world at the time, the muslim world saw a remarkable degree of coexistence that can be measured by the acceptance of interracial marriage. Abraham was an example to Muslims when he married a black woman named Hagar. The muslim world consisted of communities of muslims, jews, christians, and multiple races who lived together peacefully because they were not made to convert to Islam.

Arabia was an area that constantly saw inter-tribal fighting and warfare. Islam taught forgiveness and returning good for evil under necessary circumstances. The Koran allowed for punishment of wrongdoers to the extent of the wrong done. When applied to the collective group, this gives justifications for holy wars. Wars were permitted to be defensive or to right some wrong done by another group. Considering most wars were started by Christianity and the Wester world, the Islamic world was much less violent at the time.

Islamic world

Compared to the rest of society in the modern world, the Islamic world is more regressive than progressive. Muslim women are more restricted than anywhere else by what they are allowed to do. Islamic countries are still governed by Sharia Law, which cause them to move backward as opposed to progress.

Women in the Islamic world are treated differently than in other modern societies. Some would argue that it's more progressive thinking because it holds women up as more than objects, which the rest of the world doesn't do to that extent. Otherwise, it's more regressive behavior because it does not allow women certain freedoms, which is looked down upon today. Women are made to cover their entire bodies and are punished if they do otherwise. "the new regime passed special legislation in 1982 making the new form of hijab mandatory for all females aged above six, regardless of religious faith. Violating the hijab code is punishable by 100 lashes of the cane and six months imprisonment" (Taheri). Women also can't pray in mosques unless there is a section specifically for them. They can't be alone with a non-related man and they are not allowed to travel alone without the approval of a male. Women are now allowed to vote but recent controversy has risen over the Saudi law that prohibits women from driving. " A Saudi woman has been sentenced to be lashed 10 times with a whip for defying the kingdom's prohibition on female drivers" (guardian.co.uk). Islamic women, while valued and held up, are restricted by the muslim religion which shows its regressive tendencies.

Sharia Law

The regressive patterns in Islamic society can be reflected by their domestic policies and their adherence to Sharia Law. The main laws create an unstable society which is supposed to constantly expand. The caliph or leader is supposed to support jihad and if he doesn't he is unfit to rule and a new caliph can step in through force. Caliphs cannot be charged with crimes and must be obeyed even if they are unjust. For the average muslim, there are a multitude of laws that are a sacred guide to almost every aspect of life. Basic life is highly restricted and if one steps out of these lines, they are to be punished. A common example is the punishment for thieves. "An Iranian man convicted of theft had his hand chopped off in front of other prisoners in the Yazd province central prison, Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency reported Sunday" (latimes.com). Regressive laws and punishments like this do not exist anywhere else in the world today. Citizens of other regions are allowed to have many freedoms and don't have to fear losing a hand or worse if they commit a crime.

An area where they might not be so regressive, or at least they are just as regressive as any other region, is their willingness to attack back at a group that has wronged them. A clear example would be Osama Bin Laden and the attacks on September 11th. In his letter to America where he explained his reasoning for the attacks, he said, "Why are we fighting and opposing you? The answer is very simple: Because you attacked us and continue to attack us" (guardian.co.uk). He goes on to explain how US occupies their lands with military bases and control of their governments and how they are being taken advantage of and stolen from. Under the Koran, this is justification for an equal attack on America. While they muslim world is generally aggressive towards the United States, wouldn't we or anyone else be the same way? If a foreign country came in and placed a military and economic presence that hurt us, wouldn't the citizens of any country try to retaliate? While it may be somewhat regressive to get revenge, they reacted no differently than any other country would have.

Conclusion

Islam as a whole is a fairly regressive religion today. They are very restrictive with everyday actions of everyone but especially with women. If someone steps outside of Sharia Law, the punishments are severe are commonly physical and extremely painful. Islamic extremists lash out at western culture but do so in response to a domination of their culture as would anyone else. Islamic culture has few progressive aspects but is mostly regressive to today's society.