Summary Of Rising Tide Bear Bryant, Joe Namath - 1181 Words

The title of my book is Rising Tide: Bear Bryant, Joe Namath, and Dixie s Last Quarter it is a biography written by Randy Roberts Ed Krzmienski. Throughout the years of the civil rights movement, this story took place in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 1957, where Bear Bryant was announced as the new head coach of the University of Alabama. The two main characters are Joe Namath and Paul Bear Bryant. The theme of this book is about the legendary coach Paul Bryant and how he helped Joe Namath overcome the struggle of segregation on and off the football field. Considering the relationship of the athlete and coach during golden era of the game, it addresses the losses, the commitment, and the determination in becoming one of the nation s elite.†¦show more content†¦Despite him playing in the southern conference Namath kept his distances from that pelage conditions of segregation in the south. Meanwhile, he did not look, speak or behave like Bryant s other boys, and it was not just because he was a northerner. Even though his head coach Bear Bryant acknowledged Namath s greatness, Bryant was no coddler, frequently drawing Namath from games after bad performances. Coach Bryant told all of his players that no starting spots were given based on reputation. Bryant had a gaze that was challenging to meet, the penetrating intensity that made a man terrified to look into his eyes directly because it might be defined as a challenge, and afraid to look away because it might be considered as a lack of resolve. There was nothing about Coach Bryant that showed a sign of softness or suggested he couldn t kick the ass of any man within hollering range. Bear was in a foul state of mind and had been for quite a while. Coming to Alabama had taken a toll on Coach Bryant significantly, and cash was the slightest of it. The chain occasions that incited his turn from Texas AM started a long way from the football field. In February 1956, following a three-year court fight, Autherine Lucy, a college alum from Shiloh, Alabama, became the first African American student to go to the University of Alabama. Her appearance on campus incited a progression of dissents, going from marches and addresses to savagery. Despite the fact that she got

Essay about Cyber Bullying and Hate Speech - 1161 Words

Free speech is both a universal and national liberty. The United Nations and the United States of America believe that free speech is something that humans should be allowed to exercise. However, each respective group has their own limitations. These limitation, although broad, protect against free speech being taken too far. Like any liberty or privilege there must be a line in the sand to keep extremists from aggressively using and abusing this right. The United Nations formed The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. With in this declaration are 40 articles with a preamble examining the rights which they believe are basic and necessary. Article 19 from this declaration says, Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and†¦show more content†¦Where a few years ago an angry review or nasty play ground comment could be only voiced verbally and face to face. Now, we are able to access several mediums and platforms which provide us the ability to express ourselves on the in ternet and more importantly in writing. Good, bad and ugly words are forever imprinted online, particularly on social media. With social media sites and technology making improvements in leaps and bounds, we excitedly work to keep up. New laws are being crafted to protect us from hate speech and cyber bullying. A younger generation are drawn to social media and have the ability to connect to friend and (perhaps) foes. Kids may take to the web to seek out justice after being wronged by a friend, but what are the rules for web based threats and ugly words? Cases have been made of kids lashing out on teachers and peers by creating hate groups and posting comments voicing their strong opinions. While many kids feel this is a harmless act that could be compared to griping about another student or teacher during their free time, authorities feel it is much different. Hate Speech Cyber Bullying Hate speech is considered a limitation of free speech. It is socially unacceptable to use racial, religious or sexual slurs and individual countries, states, or districts may place political restrictions on free speech. These limitations protect citizens from harm, emotional orShow MoreRelatedIs Cyber Bullying Ruins Self Esteem?1531 Words   |  7 Pagesfriend. Cyber-bullying ruins self-esteem when it occurs and Cyber-bullying as well as regular bulling supports the First and Fourth Amendment. The First Amendment gives citizens of the United States the right to say, write, publish, and believe what they want as long as it does not violate the rights of others and create dangerous situations. Many US citizens that believe the First Amendment applies to students would agree that students have the right to voice their opinions and that hate speech isRead MoreSpeech On The Bill Of Rights1153 Words   |  5 Pagesof speech, or of the press† (Alderman and Kennedy, pg.21). Because of the First Amendment, hate speech, â€Å"no matter how offensive its content†, was â€Å"protected† under the laws (ACLZ). However, people are still demanding more. They want hate-related speech to be allowed on campuses –without knowing the effects and the damage it could do. Hate speech could bring people down, lower their confidences and their school performance, and in some case, school avoidance. The audiences of offensive speech onRead MoreCyberbullying s Hold On Tod ay s Society1384 Words   |  6 Pagesis only what the survey covered - it does not account for the whole teenage population. Another big problem with cyber bullying is not that it is happening, it is that many kids do not think that the adults that may be able to help or do not really care much. In an article by Jessica Priest, an award winning journalist for The Victoria Advocate, a high school student that had been cyber bullied recently due to her role in a school play was interviewed. What she had to say was rather disheartening;Read MoreCriminalization of Cyberbullying1026 Words   |  5 Pageseffects of cyber bullying are becoming a growing problem, the criminalization of cyber bullying is needed to prevent its harmful repercussions to the United States and serve as a deterrent. Cyber bullying has become the 21st century version of bullying; it has extended beyond the classroom and onto a virtual world that seems to have no real-life effects. The world is now able to bully someone in the comfort of his or her own home, at any given point, with the use of technology. However, Cyber bullyingRead MoreAn Increase in the Worlds Technology Brings and Increase in Cyber Bullying 762 Words   |  4 PagesCyber Bullying The increase in the world of technology comes with a horrific price. According to a non-profit organization for social revision, â€Å"eighty-one percent of adolescents think bullying online is easier to get away with than bullying in person.† (11 Facts About Cyber Bullying). Universally, there is controversy involving stronger laws for cyber bullying. Unfortunately, many individuals live by the motto â€Å"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.† People also believeRead MoreMy Family - Original Writing Essay1131 Words   |  5 Pageseyes out while yelling at my sister. How could this happen to you? Why did you want to do this? Why did I get a call from the cops at two in the morning saying that you were thinking about killing yourself, my mom yells, fiercely shaking in fear. I hate my life, my sister screams back at them practically swimming in her own tears. By this point, both of my brothers have awoken and are now standing alongside me witnessing this heartbreaking scene. But why Casey, my dad softly says, trying to holdRead MoreCyber Bullying1493 Words   |  6 PagesKNOWS WHO YOU ARE, YOU ARE A BAD PERSON AND EVERYBODY HATES YOU. HAVE A BAD REST OF YOUR LIFE, THE WORLD WOULD BE A BETTER PLACE WITHOUT YOU. MEAGAN RESPONDED YOU’RE THE TYPE OF BOY A GIRL WOULD KILL HERSELF OVER ABOUT TWENTY MINUTES LATER MEAGAN WAS FOUND IN HER BEDROOM CLOSET WHERE SHE HAD HUNG HERSELF, AND DESPITE EFFORTS TO REVIVE HER, SHE WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD THE NEXT DAY. THIS CRUEL PRANK THAT WAS PLAYED ON MEAGAN IS KNOWN AS CYBER BULLYING. IN THE YEARS SINCE I FIRST HEARD THIS STORY I’VE HEARDRead More Cyber Bullying Essay1419 Words   |  6 Pagesare unaware of is bullying exists in many forms and is more common in the cyber world. In 2012, CBC news reporter Joan Leishman , aired â€Å"Cyber-bullying,† she describes a story about a student named David Knight’s unbearable life entering the Internet. Later in 2014 , Rachel Simmons, a former Rhodes Scholar and the founding director of the Girls Leadership Institute, wrote an article titled â€Å"Cyberbullying Is a Growing Problem.† Simmons article addressed the impact of cyber bullying in the 21st centuryRead MoreIs Bullying A Serious Problem?1683 Words   |  7 PagesHistory of the Problem Bullying has been an ongoing problem all over the world for as long as people can remember. Bullying by definition is, to use superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants. Bullying is a very serious problem, victims of bullying are more prone to depression. Bullying does not affect just one group, it can happen to anyone making it a prevalent threat to all of society. Approximately 160,000 teens skip school everyRead MoreStudent Code Of Conduct And Employee Handbook867 Words   |  4 Pagespseudonym on Tumblr until after her passing where repeated threats and bullying took place. Beaufort County Schools has added anti-bully prevention and conflict resolution programs available online to prevent future tragedy like this one from occurring again. The student code of conduct and employee handbook has anti-bullying contracts requiring the signatures of all students and faculty members. Vowing they will report all forms of bullying. Students are accountable for de-escalating conflicts, avoiding

Cooperative Learning and Cloud Computing †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Cooperative Learning and Cloud Computing. Answer: Organizational structure of Wesfarmers Wesfarmers is an Australian company which operates supermarkets, liquor, hotels and convenience stores. The company has an industrial division with businesses in chemicals, energy and fertilizers, industrial and safety products. The company is managed by a group of directors and a managing director. There is chief operating officer. There is a company secretary, chief human resources officer and executive general manager (corporate affairs). There is also a finance director (Wesfarmers, 2017). Thus there are several functional heads giving the impression that there is functional organization structure in the company. There are a number of employees under the company secretary with a hierarchical structure. Similarly there are many employees under the chief human resource officer. Some of them are seniors than others in the department. So there are several departments in the company looking after specialized tasks. But there are also many divisions in the company for various types of businesses. There are divisional heads like Managing Director Coles and Managing Director Bunnings. Coles is a supermarket chain run by the company. There are employees in each of the divisions performing different functions and tasks. Some of them reporting directly to divisional heads. So there is an impression that the company has an hybrid organizational structure. There are many lines of authority in the organization. Operational problems faced by Wesfarmers In case of functional organization structure, there is greater degree of specialization (Smallbusiness.chron.com, 2017). The employees in one department know only one kind of work. For example an employee in the sales department would not know how things are done in the human resources department. Moreover there are different divisions in the company. If the salary of one of the employees in the Coles division is not being cleared due to some reason, the person would be asked by the individuals senior in the division to go to the human resources department to solve the problem. In this case the person might be harassed by the employees in the human resource department as the individual does not know how things are done there (Robbins et al., 2017). This operational problem is due to the lack of knowledge about the work of a department. There needs to be more interaction between the employees of different departments. According to Fan, Wong and Zhang (2013), governments have built companies with pyramid like structure with many layers of hierarchy to minimize the effects of political interference. As we go up the hierarchy people on different levels of organization decrease. In Wesfarmers also there are many lines of authority which would create confusions and delays also in decision making. It becomes difficult to understand who is in control in different situations. According to Fjeldstad et al., (2012) firms increasingly face pressures due to complex and changing global environment. The authors advocate adoption of new type of organizational designs which are formed keeping in mind employees who can self organize and share resources. Protocols and processes are designed for multi employee collaboration. The emphasis is on flexibility in organizational design. System acquisition method Every big company nowadays has a software for managing its business operations. These software help in doing the work of recording business transactions and also furnish reports for use by the top management for taking important decisions. The bigger a company, the chances are more complex are its business operations. In the market there are different types of software like commercial software which anyone can buy and install in the companys computers for use. These are more or less standardized software which offer the same facilities for different users. But a big company like Wesfarmers has lot of resources. It can contact the best software developers in the country to make a software which is designed specifically for its use (Featuredcustomers.com, 2017). This is a custom software. The software company already has certain software in its stock which it would offer to Wesfarmers. The company like Wesfarmers must have done enterprise resource planning and would like a software which can keep track of the inventory of its products in various divisions. It would like a software which can consolidate the results of its various divisions to produce a consolidated income statement and balance sheet. The software should also be able to tell about the slow moving stock so that company can decide which products to store less in its stores. Moreover if there is any abnormal loss of products, it should also be recorded. The software should be able to calculate automatically liquidity and profitability ratios. Parry et al., (2012) studied the business to business relationship in software industry. A two level analysis of customer outlook on relationship characteristics was done. It was found the major things that were taken into account while buying software was product price, functionality, bilingual capability, location and software quality. Interpersonal skills, trust and professionalism of seller were also important. Flow chart of sales procedure Wesfarmers has over 15000 suppliers across the group. Coles is the largest consumer business and sources food and groceries. Wesfarmers retail businesses source from several countries. These goods are bought to the ports and then taken to distribution centres of the company. Goods are taken from the distribution centres to the stores of the company all over Australia. The customers of the company visit the stores and move around the stores looking at various items. They pick the items they want and place them in a cart. They take the cart to the purchase counter where an invoice is made and on the payment by the customer, the delivery is made. There are online purchases also (The Conversation, 2017). The customer visits the website of the company on mobile, computer or tablet and clicks the items that are to be purchased. The delivery of the item at the customers place is made by Wesfarmers staff. There is a proper internal control system put in place by the company. When delivery of goods is made from the distribution centre to the store, the delivery note and the purchase order are compared. There is also internal audit of various sales entries made in the computer by the person making sales invoices. The inventory levels are also physically verified. Zaman and Sarens (2013) studied whether there were informal interaction between the audit committees sent by external auditors and the staff of the company who performed the internal audit. It was found that there were regular meetings among the two parties. In addition there were informal meetings that helped external auditors understand better the work done by internal auditors. The following is the flow chart of sales procedures of Wesfarmers. There can be control problems in the above system. There can be a situation where the goods brought from the distribution centre are less and are allowed to come in. In this case more goods were ordered but purchase order not compared properly with the delivery note (Smallbusiness.chron.com, 2017). In this case there would be lesser goods at stores and many customers would return empty handed. There could be theft of goods at the store by staff or customers. They should be properly checked. The goods delivered to the customer should be in accordance with the invoice made. The staff at the purchase counter might be corrupt and misappropriate money received from customers and manipulate accounts to show less sales. Development and adoption of the accounting software packages In the early 1950s and 1960s big companies started handling lot of data. This data could be automated only with the help of computers. Early accounting programs were written for mainframe computers (Mainframes.com, 2017). Mainframe served a large number of users and data was processed in batches. First privately owned UNIVAC 1 in 1955 started handling payroll for a General Electric factory in USA. The companies in 1960s invested in making accounting systems that conformed to their specific needs. The introduction of SAPRF in 1973 meant that there was a single software which could be used by hundreds of people. In 1978 companies could automate their accounting for a few thousand dollars. In 1983 Lotus 1-2-3 was introduced. In this software there were rows and columns in which data could be stored. The data could be numeric as well as text. Even graphs could be made on black and white screens. This software could be run on small computers as well. In 1985 Microsoft launched its spreadsheet called excel which is part of the MS Office software even now and is hugely popular. In 1987 Turbocash in South Africa launched automated system for trial balance, balance sheet and income statement. Ledgers could be consolidated in minutes. Now we have accounting software packages like Xero and MYOB which can make even bank reconciliation statements and other tasks which the accountants had to once do manually on their notebooks. According to Denton, (2012) cloud computing technologies such as Google Docs and Microsoft Office live can improve instructional methods. Department of education in some countries is adopting cloud based features like file sharing and online publishing. Other cloud based activities like cloud accounting are now also on the rise. Current market size The market for cloud accounting is growing in Australia. There are small as well as large businesses which are moving to cloud accounting as it in many cases leads to lesser costs, convenience and lesser work for the companies. The subscriber base of the leading accounting software companies has been growing. Xeros subscribers grew by 51% during 2016 to reach 717000 customers globally. Australia is Xeros biggest market accounting for 312000 subscribers followed by Newzealand with 186000, the United Kingdom with 133000 and the USA with 62000 subscribers (CRN, 2017). MYOB has increased its revenue 11% to hit $178 million for the half year ending 30 June 2016. The number of online subscribers was up by 41% with a total of 200000 users. Quickbooks rose 61% in 2016 to 53000 customers. Quickbooks though a smaller player compared to Xero and MYOB has been growing fast which means that there is hope for other companies to make more customers and increase their market share. Leading software in the market Leading software in the market are Xero, MYOB, Reckon and Quickbooks. These accounting software have become popular because of the number of tasks these software can do, their prices, convenient availability and after sale service. All these software have moved to the cloud and provide online accounting. There are some features in each of the four software that provide them competitive advantage. Xero provides multicurrency accounting which is useful for companies operating in different countries (Xero, 2017). The software also provides asset management facilities. There are different assets on which depreciation is to be provided and they are bought and sold also. Similarly there is automatic making of bank reconciliation statements. Reckon software is more popular among small and medium enterprises. It provides facility of unlimited invoicing and payroll accounting. One can also track projects through this software (Reckon, 2017). MYOB software is more popular among big companies. It is useful for companies like Wesfarmers which have multiple divisions and thousands of customers. The software has fully integrated customer relationship management features. The software can help in shipment tracking and supply chain management. Quickbooks is known for quick invoicing and payment reminder system. It also provides online banking and mobile apps for tracking information. Problems faced by users of accounting software There are many challenges faced by users of accounting software. Some of these software are quite expensive but do not have commensurate features like automatic calculation of bank reconciliation statement. This feature is missing in many software and this is a major problem because reconciliation helps to find missing transactions and incorrect accounts. Some accounting software are slow. This leads to more time taken and extra costs. Many accounting software are outdated. They are inaccurate jeopardizing the entire accounting system of the company. The firms should buy latest software from reputed companies even if it is more expensive. Cloud accounting has many advantages but if there is no proper data security software installed, the data of the company can be stolen. This could lead to loss of thousands of dollars especially if bank accounts are manipulated when online accounting is used. There is the need to install powerful data security software (Filehippo.com, 2017). But this also has some costs involved. Some accounting software are difficult to understand and very less training is provided by the vendor. In this case the company has to organize training programs for its employees. References CRN (2017) Xero paying subscribers jump by 240000. Available at: https://www.crn.com.au/news/xero-paying-subscribers-jump-by-240000-419449 (Accessed: 29 April 2017). Denton, D. (2012) Enhancing instruction through constructivism, cooperative learning, and cloud computing,TechTrends,56(4), pp.34-41. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11528-012-0585-1?LI=true Fan, J., Wong, T. and Zhang, T. (2013) Institutions and organizational structure: the case of state-owned corporate pyramids,Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization,29(6), pp.1217-1252. Available at: https://academic.oup.com/jleo/article-abstract/29/6/1217/989792/Institutions-and-Organizational-Structure-The-Case Featuredcustomers.com (2017) Wesfarmers Limited utilizes these three vendors. Available at: https://www.featuredcustomers.com/customer/wesfarmers-limited/reviews (Accessed: 28 April 2017). Filehippo.com (2017) Security software. Available at: https://filehippo.com/software/security/ (Accessed: 29 April 2017). Fjeldstad, ., Snow, C., Miles, R. and Lettl, C. (2012) The architecture of collaboration, Strategic Management Journal,33(6), pp.734-750. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smj.1968/full Mainframes.com (2017) What is a Mainframe ? Available at: https://www.mainframes.com/whatis.html (Accessed: 29 April 2017). Parry, S., Rowley, J., Jones, R. and Kupiec, B. (2012) Customer-perceived value in business-to-business relationships: a study of software customers,Journal of Marketing Management,28(7-8), pp.887-911. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0267257X.2012.698637 Reckon (2017) Small and medium businesses. Available at: https://www.reckon.com/au/ (Accessed: 29 April 2017). Robbins, S., Judge, T., Millet, B. And Boyle, M. (2017) Organizational behaviour. 7th edn. Australia: Pearson. Smallbusiness.chron.com (2017) Five common features of an internal control system of business. Available at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/five-common-features-internal-control-system-business-430.html (Accessed: 28 April 2017). Smallbusiness.chron.com (2017) Functional organizational structure advantages. Available at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/functional-organizational-structure-advantages-3721.html (Accessed: 28 April 2017). The Conversation (2017) Wesfarmers boosts sales, but online still a challenge for retailers. Available at: https://theconversation.com/wesfarmers-boosts-sales-but-online-still-a-challenge-for-retailers-11857 (Accessed: 28 April 2017). Wesfarmers (2017) Leadership team. Available at: https://www.wesfarmers.com.au/who-we-are/leadership-team (Accessed: 28 April 2017). Xero (2017) Features and tools. Available at: https://www.xero.com/us/ (Accessed: 29 April 2017). Zaman, M. and Sarens, G. (2013) Informal interactions between audit committees and internal audit functions: exploratory evidence and directions for future research,Managerial Auditing Journal,28(6), pp.495-515. Available at: https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/02686901311329892

Islam as Most Feared and Controversial Religion

Table of Contents Introduction Religion Politics Military affairs Territorial expansion of Islam Conclusion Works Cited Introduction No faith in the modern society is as feared and controversial as Islam. It covers the common opinion as an extreme religion that has elements of terrorism, authoritarian leadership, gender imbalance, and civil war.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Islam as Most Feared and Controversial Religion specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, Islamic religion appears to be complex than we assume. This essay explores the role of Islam in society, its political position, military affairs, and territorial expansion with reference to the period of Prophet Muhammad. Religion History puts it that Islamic faith has evolved from the periods of Prophet Muhammad into present times. The word Islam means submission to God’s will. This definition suggests that everything must obey the rules a nd the will of Allah or the law of nature. The faith teaches that God’s power came to humanity through Quran to Muhammad. Subsequently, Muslims believe that God is all-powerful and know-it-all. Besides, God has no social measures, equals, peers, beginning, or end. The Medina Charter declared Muhammad as the solely prophet of God. Islamic religion asserts that the Quran came through a messenger or prophet of God, and Muhammad was the final of such messengers (Goldschmidt 12). The fundamental belief of the Islamic religion as expressed by Muhammad is the judgment day, which no one can flee. Muslims believe that everyone will face judgment before the heavenly throne (Goldschmidt, 34). The religion observes right actions, rules, and laws. There are five vital pillars of Islamic faith guiding believers. The first pillar is witness (Shuhuduh). This rule stresses that there is only one God and Muhammad is God’s messenger. The second pillar is the worship (salat) or ritual pra yer.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Fasting (Saturn) is the third pillar of Islam that Muslims observe during the holy month of Ramadan. The fourth pillar talks about giving of tithe (zakat) or alms. The final pillar talks about pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca. There are also other duties and prohibitions such as jihad to guide believers. They also fight those who forbid God or his prophets, and others who reject allegiance to the true until they pay tribute to Islam. Jihad has many meanings depending on situations and contexts. It can mean fighting Jews, Christians, or pagans. Some modern Muslims claim that jihad is an act of defending Islam against attack from external aggressors through verbal or military attack. Politics During the development of Islamic religion, the religion experienced divisions among the Shiites, Sufis, and Sunnis. We can attribute these divisions to the fact that religious leaders of the time experienced worldly changes, which consumed them just like politicians. Further, scholars note that this power struggle is an abuse of a sacred ideology since religion is not about supremacy. Studies show that the faith of Islam main duty is to create a just society where all members experience equal treatment and respect. The subsequent history had negative effects on Islamic faith. Muslim religion had its own rituals, philosophy, laws, mysticism, laws, shrine, and sacred writings just like any other religion. Islamic political development has evolved through various phases. First, we have the traditional or republican phase, which mainly occurred during earlier periods of establishing Islamic religion among pagans, traders, and nomads. This was the period of Muhammad (Trifkovic 102).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Islam as Most Feared and Controversial Religion specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The second phase was the liberal phases in which Muslims attempted to incorporate many non-Muslims. The final phase is the repressive phase whereby Muslim rulers established complete autocratic systems. This happened after Islam became hardened religion among the converts and conquered (Karsh 18). Some Islam states also favor secularism. This implies that the state and society have secular belief systems and have separated the public life from Islam. In the Islamic context, secularism ideologies promote secular political and social views and not Islamic principles. Therefore, there is a clear distinction between religious life and affairs of the state. As a result, strong followers of Islam have condemned secularism in states with such political ideologies and social values. They believe that public issues should not come before religion. In fact, they feel that religion should influence every aspect of state and public matters. However, we have to note that religion cannot guide diverse interests of people in a state. Some Islamic states have practiced secularism for many centuries. As a result, such states have low cases of human rights abuse. Some historians have concluded that secularism is the best way to run Muslim states. Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im asserts, â€Å"enforcing (Sharia) through coercive power of the state negates its religious nature, because Muslims would be observing the law of the state and not freely performing their religious obligation as Muslims† (An-Na’im 3).Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In some cases, Muslims governments have retained secular approach to governance. However, Sharia laws guide aspects of citizens’ lives in situations of disputes. At the same time, the roles of Sharia laws in these countries differ. Tolerances of secular political and social ideologies have created tensions in many secular states. Opponents believe that such ideologies promote anti-Islamic beliefs, Western supremacy, and imperialism. Military affairs We can understand military affairs from the teachings of Muhammad and contents of Quran under the pillar of jihad. Muslims believe that jihad is a struggle based on the ways of God. Muhammad first proclaimed jihad among his followers and urged them to fight for God. Based on Jihad, Muslims exert their power over others they consider as inappropriate for their belief system. In this sense, a number of interpretations focus on what jihad is. It can be a devil, an enemy, non-Muslim, or aggressor, both from within or outside the terri tory. These multiple meanings have brought confusions to the appropriate usage of the term jihad with reference to war. Some scholars have claimed that the use of jihad without any supporting term simply translates to warfare or military issues (Brockopp 99). At the same time, jihad also reflects Muslims endeavor to attain highest possible spiritual morality. On this morality question, there are differences between ‘greater jihad’ and ‘lesser jihad’. The first one mainly concentrates on spiritual growth. Conversely, the latter focuses on warfare and radical solutions to issues. Muslims states consider jihad as the use of military force to acquire new territories or protect the existing ones against enemies. In this sense, jihad becomes the guiding principle of military affairs. Currently, the exact aim of jihad remains unclear. For instance, some believers consider jihad as a holy war for protecting their faith and territories without any offensive aims. On the other hand, others argue that jihad is an attempt by Muslims to conquer the world, just as Muhammad used it to extend Islamic territories. The Islamic law allows jihad under certain conditions. For instance, Muslims can declare jihad against their enemies, terrorists, non-Muslims, pagans, and rulers who attempt to stop proselytizing aims of Islam or suppress Muslims. However, many Muslims believe that jihad is only for defensive purposes. Different Islamic states (states that use Islamic laws) have various definitions of what conforms to Islamic justice system. This suggests that the use jihad is not uniform among different states of Muslims, which use jihad. In most cases, we have noticed that Muslims engage in jihad as groups. This implies that jihad is a collective responsibility of Muslims and their leaders. In fact, Muslims who have power over society must make jihad a personal responsibility, and they must mobilize their followers to support the course. Based on the curre nt acts of Muslims, we cannot draw a conclusion on what jihad supports or limits of jihad. This is because Muslim fundamentalists have used jihad to terrorize and punish offenders under what the international community refers to as abuse of human rights or criminal activities. In some cases, world leaders and some Islamic states have condemned such acts. Western media have constantly depicted the brutal and radical form of Islam (fundamentalism) as entirely as a creation Islamic religion. Nevertheless, fundamentalism is a world affair, which all leading religions have experienced in reaction to issues of modernity. Therefore, fundamentalism does not take place accidentally and only takes its root when elements of modernity have advanced in stage. Afterwards, religious leaders attempt to combine the two, but if they fail, some believers turn to radical actions, which result into fundamentalism movement. Fundamentalism ideologies highlight some of the botched promises of modernity and fear among opponents. As a result, the movement sees secular ways as threats to religion and state. Such believers fight to restore the conventional and established ways. Muslim radicals differ with other Muslims who positively embrace modernity or Western political ideologies. Besides, Muslim radicals maintain that they fight to survive and protect their religion. Under the guidance of such mindsets, some Muslims opt for terrorism while others try to reinstate their religion by legitimate ways. Islam has provisions for military officials. For instance, Umar did not want his soldiers to get into contact with cities because of potential harmful influences like wealth and luxuries. As a result, soldiers stayed in isolated encampments. This also prevented them for participating in power struggle with locals. Territorial expansion of Islam Scholars who have studied territorial expansion of Islam noted that it originated from actions of Muhammad. Muhammad used different methods, such as force, persuasion, and diplomacy in order to expand Islam. Soon after the death of Muhammad, Caliphs took control of Islam and continued with aggressive tendencies of Muhammad in order to get new converts (Hitti and Khalidi 195). In North Africa, Muslim conquerors met resistance from the Byzantines who ruled the region. This slowed down the pace of territorial expansion. Berber of Northwest Africa exerted much resistance and several fights against Muslims. However, Muslims defeated Berber in the subsequent fights and took control of the city. They also destroyed Carthage to punish Byzantine Emperor for resistance. After conquering North Africa, Muslims turned their attention to Europe in which they easily captured Spain. However, in 733 AD, Franks stopped Muslims at the Battle of Tours. This marked the end of territorial acquisition in Europe. As a result, the region remained under Christianity up-to-date. Territorial expansion of Islam remained a significant achievement for Muslim in during the expansion period. The religion used force to put all Arab nations under Islamic laws. It then proceeded to claim Spain and some parts of Afghanistan. This made some of the Caliphs the most powerful in the world. Under such a rapid expansion into Christian territories, Muslims and Christians had to struggle for control of some areas like the Mediterranean region. Scholars have analyzed conditions, which led to struggle and expansion of Islam. Such territorial acquisitions led to the establishment of Muslim rules around the world. Muslims led several incursions in most areas of the world. This suggests that the current territories remained the permanent ones after settlements. At the same time, there were places where Muslims faced continued resistance. In some parts of the world like the Indian Ocean region, Islam used trade to acquire new converts. From history, we have to dispel any idea that Muhammad, subsequent Caliphs, and their followers used any peaceful means f or territorial expansion. At the same time, we have to acknowledge that jihad was not defensive in any way. Therefore, all territorial acquisitions of Islam took place by forceful means. Islamic conquerors assumed that all conquered territories were exclusively Arab states and established Islamic laws in such areas. Based on the teachings of Muhammad, conquerors forced the captured people to convert to Islam. This was the focus of the Arab rulers because they wanted to convert many territories to Islam. It also of interest to note that Islam spread to other areas through trade, migration of Muslims, and wishes of urban dwellers to convert. However, this did not stop some rulers from using Islamic principle of jihad to capture new territories. Generally, Islamic religion attracted many nomads and other primitive populations. However, the conquered majorities did not fully embrace the religion. We know that it takes time for people to embrace new ideologies fully. This was the case of Christianity in the past. However, this was not the case of Islam. Captured people were aware of the consequences of not complying with the demands of rulers based on the violence nature of territorial expansions. This coercion provided the needed advantage to convert many people to Islam. Therefore, Islamic religion lacked the peaceful means that Christianity used to be a dominant religion in the world today. Besides, such violence nature of the religion did not appeal to educated and civilized groups. Conclusion Islam has existed in criticism since its inception. Some of the earliest critics consisted of Christians who considered Islam as heresy. Later, some criticism emerged from other Muslims and Jewish scholars. Critics considered both the public and private life of Prophet Muhammad in their criticisms. These are mainly morality issues. Some critics also focus on some teachings of Quran in order to debate controversial moral aspects of the religion. Still, other scholars have also turned to issues of human rights in the modern society. At the same time, they also explore positions of women in Islamic nations. Studies show that Islam has been a binding religion among faithful. However, some elements of fundamentalism and treatments of non-Muslims or offenders have brought concerns to different groups. As such, Islam continues to draw criticism from its roles and influences on military affairs, politics, and religious practices. Works Cited An-Na’im, Abdullahi Ahmed. The Future of Sharia: Secularism from an Islamic Perspective. Atlanta, GA: Emory School of Law, 2007. Print. Brockopp, Jonathan. Islamic Ethics of Life: abortion, war and euthanasia. South Carolina: University of South Carolina press, 2003. Print. Goldschmidt, Arthur. A Concise History of the Middle East 7th ed. Colorado: Westview Press, 2002. Print. Hitti, Philip and Walid Khalidi. History of the Arabs 10th ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. Print. Karsh, Efraim. Islamic Imperiali sm: A History. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007. Print. Trifkovic, Serge. The Sword of the Prophet. Salisbury, MA: Regina Orthodox Press, 2007. Print. This essay on Islam as Most Feared and Controversial Religion was written and submitted by user Mauricio U. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.