The Fundamentals of Islam

The Fundamentals of Islam Free Online Research Papers Radical Islamism has clearly been on the rise in recent years, and is even more noticeable with the recent attacks and threats to Untied States soil. What has led to this radical type of lifestyle, or thinking? Well, there are many reasons for it, but let briefly ponder the following statement. â€Å"There was also a movement from viewing all things European as Christian and, therefore, forbidden, and toward viewing technological progress and even constitutional forms of government and concepts such as separation of religion and state as separate from faith (Waines, 2001).† This is part of the thought process that has led to the rise of radical Islamism. The thought that progress in government, industry and technology are â€Å"forbidden† to the people of Islam, because it had come from Christians. To me this thought process is similar to Nazi-ism. The German public was showered with rhetoric from Hitler and his supporters that led them to believe that the Jewish people were responsible for their economic burdens. This is different in many ways, but I feel that the similarities are plentiful and frightening. Throughout the rest of this paper I will summarize the rise of radical Islamism from modernization and dependency. I will also demonstrate possible strategies for Islam regress from this type of thinking. Theorists, philosophers and many other feel that the rise of radical Islamism can be attributed to dependency and modernization. I do not agree with them but in the slightest extent, and I will further elucidate my thoughts. As states in my introduction, I feel that radical Islamism is eerily similar to Nazi-ism. The Nazi regime was founded on propaganda and rhetoric that was used almost as psychological warfare on Germanys own citizens. Just as the German public was pounded with anti-Jewish propaganda the Islamic people are pounded with the anti-Christianity propaganda. Islamic leaders have used changes in society and culture to fuel this hatred and adapt the propaganda they utilize to spread this hatred of Christianity. For example, I feel that they have definitely used the theories of dependency and modernization to further their rhetoric against Christianity, however I do not feel that dependency and modernization themselves have had that dramatic of effect on the Islamic people. These changes in society and culture are not the reasons for terrorism and suicide bombings; it is the teachings of their radical leaders that lead them down these extreme paths. The economic life of Islam is very simple. It is based upon solid foundations and Divine instructions. Earning ones living through decent labor is not only a duty but a great virtue as well. Dependence of any able effortless person on somebody else for a livelihood is a religious sin, a social stigma and disgraceful humility. A Muslim is enjoined by God to be self-supporting and to stay away from being a liability on anybody. Islam respects all kinds of work for earning one’s livelihood so long as there is no indecency or wrong involved. With a clear conscience and due respect from society the Muslim can roll up his sleeves and undertake any kind of work available to provide for himself and his dependents. Prophet Muhammad is reported as having said that it is far better for one even to take his rope, cut wood, pile it up and sell it in order to eat and give charity than to beg others whether they give him or not. According to Islam, the status of honest working men cannot be lowered on account of the kind of work they are doing for a living. Yet the laboring workers have no limited scope for improving their lots and raising their standards as high as possible. They have equal opportunities at their disposal and enjoy freedom of enterprise. To me, it does not sound like modernization or dependency should have caused these people to take up arms and start blowing up national landmarks. Whatever the individual makes or earns through lawful means is his private possession, which neither the State nor anybody else can justifiably claim. In return for this right of private possession he has only to fulfill certain obligations to the society and pay certain taxes to the State. When this is done, he has full rights to protection by the State, and his freedom of enterprise is secure and guaranteed. Under the Islamic system the menace of capitalism or communism never arises. The enterprising individual is responsible for the prosperity of the State, and the State in turn is responsible. The reason that Islamism turned radical was from the radical teachings of certain Islamic leaders. These leaders used political rhetoric and social propaganda to fuel their anti-Christian teachings and spread their extreme beliefs. They convinced their people that Christianity and Democracy were evil and capitalist. That Allah would want them to use whatever means necessary to stop the spread of this type of structure from poisoning their society. This is why we see radical Islamism. I must say, it does seem like a modern form of Nazi-ism. However, not that I have examined where I think these problems root from, let me briefly examine how I think moderate Islamic leaders can bring an end to these extreme followings. Traditional Islam is a very simple way of life, and that is what these leaders need to bring to the forefront. The moderate teachers and leaders need to put themselves out in the public and stress the teachings of Muhammad and the traditional Islam religion. They need to show them that all of this violence contradicts these teachings and the beliefs that their religion is founded on. Stress to the people of Islam that they need to find their traditional roots once again. Suggest to them that they need to get back to the basics. The fundamentals of Islam are not about terrorism or political gain. They can even take it one step further and tell them that their current actions mirror that of the capitalists. Islam is not about making political statements and random acts of violence. Islam is a simple way of life based on the five pillars that I will describe below: The shahadah, which is the basic creed or tenet of Islam: aÃ… ¡hadu al-lÄ  ilÄ ha illÄ -llÄ hu wa aÃ… ¡hadu anna muÄ §ammadan rasÃ… «lu-llÄ h, or I testify that there is none worthy of worship except God and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God. This testament is a foundation for all other beliefs and practices in Islam. Muslims must repeat the shahadah in prayer, and non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam are required to recite the creed. Salah, or ritual prayer, which must be performed five times a day. Each salah is done facing towards the Kaaba in Mecca. Salah is intended to focus the mind on God, and is seen as a personal communication with him that expresses gratitude and worship. Salah is compulsory but flexibility in the specifics is allowed depending on circumstances. In many Muslim countries, reminders called Adhan (call to prayer) are broadcast publicly from local mosques at the appropriate times. The prayers are recited in the Arabic language, and consist of verses from the Quran Zakat, or alms-giving. This is the practice of giving based on accumulated wealth, and is obligatory for all Muslims who can afford it. A fixed portion is spent to help the poor or needy, and also to assist the spread of Islam. The zakat is considered a religious obligation (as opposed to voluntary charity) that the well-off owe to the needy because their wealth is seen as a trust from Gods bounty. The Quran and the hadith also suggest a Muslim give even more as an act of voluntary alms-giving (sadaqah). Sawm, or fasting during the month of Ramadan. Muslims must not eat or drink (among other things) from dawn to dusk during this month, and must be mindful of other sins. The fast is to encourage a feeling of nearness to God, and during it Muslims should express their gratitude for and dependence on him, atone for their past sins, and think of the needy. Sawm is not obligatory for several groups for whom it would constitute an undue burden. For others, flexibility is allowed depending on circumstances, but missed fasts usually must be made up quickly. Some Muslim groups do not fast during Ramadan, and instead have fasts different times of the year. The Hajj, which is the pilgrimage during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah in the city of Mecca. Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it must make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his or her lifetime. When the pilgrim is about ten kilometers from Mecca, he must dress in Ihram clothing, which consists of two white seamless sheets. Rituals of the Hajj include walking seven times around the Kaaba, touching the Black Stone, running seven times between Mount Safa and Mount Marwah, and symbolically stoning the Devil in Mina. The pilgrim, or the hajji, is honored in his or her community, although Islamic teachers say that the Hajj should be an expression of devotion to God instead of a means to gain social standing. These are the fundamentals of the traditional Islam religion and way of life. If I were to give any advice to the leaders and teachers that can make a difference and try to bring and end to radical Islamism, it would be to bring these fundamental teaching back to the forefront. It is what Islam was founded on, and it will show them that their current path is wrong. This is a lot easier said then done, but I feel that this would be the most effective method to utilize. Research Papers on The Fundamentals of IslamBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Assess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeQuebec and CanadaComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoBringing Democracy to AfricaCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andHip-Hop is ArtPETSTEL analysis of India

How to Determine Which Marketing Tools Are Best For Your Team

How to Determine Which Marketing Tools Are Best For Your Team Picture this. Youre at your desk. Suddenly you realize theres got to be a better, faster way to accomplish your marketing goals, whether that be with a keyword, social media scheduling, project management, or email marketing tool. So you turn to the almighty Google And youre flooded by thousands of options, you cant seem to make sense of where to start. There are offers for trials everywhere, coupled with insane amounts of advice and you havent even figured out exactly what your team needs let alone looking at how much this tool is vs another *Insert panic screaming here* Breathe, you got this. And if you dont, well, this blog post will help get you through. Youll learn how to: Prioritize your teams needs. Learn the criteria you need to make the best decision when it comes to finding a marketing tool for your team. Learn how to pitch your winning tool to your boss. Learn how to pitch your winning tool to your team. Before You Start Your Research Dont just start Googling. Trust me. Diving right into the research phase of your marketing tool selection process can quickly become overwhelming. Just look at the first page of results when you type marketing tool into Google. Dont even get me started on the ads that will surface on your Google searches as well. Youve got advice coming at you left and right, and while that is great, it doesnt necessarily give you the jumping off point you need to start making decisions about a potential tool. There is a way to fix this. Before you start your research, sit down and prioritize what your team needs in order to be successful. Before you start researching marketing tools, sit down prioritize what your team needs to beIts really that simple. By knowing what your team needs to fix a broken process, or automate it so it goes faster, youre able to walk into your search knowing what youre looking for. So how do you create that list? Open a document or download Marketing Tool template. Once you've downloaded the template, click the second tab at the bottom: Here's what you'll see next: Begin to write down and prioritize what you think your team would need to be successful. And now you're staring at a blinking cursor wondering what to write. Here are some prompts that may help you begin your list: What does your team need to accomplish in order to be successful? What does your team want to accomplish that they think will make them successful? What's currently broken in your marketing process that you think a tool could help fix? What does your current process look like? What does your dream marketing process look like? How would you like to see your process flow in a new tool? Where are your team members divided into silos? What does this tool need to accomplish to break down those silos? From the answers you write down, you can identify what qualities you are looking for in a marketing tool. List Your Top 10 Must-Have Criteria These are features that absolutely must be a part of the tool that you select. They are you non-negotiables. Your top ten list could include things like. Drag and drop calendar features Social analytics tool Task lists Being able to assign tasks to team members Team reports Email integrations Project management features like being able to group by content type Being able to add in all of your social channels Landing page integrations WordPress or other blogging software integrations Automated task reminders Comment section on projects Being able to group multiple pieces of content under one campaign Minimum or maximum number of users Price per user/social channel I could keep going with this list but I don't want to bore you. Your list may look a bit different from the one above and that's okay. Every marketing team is different, which means the end goals you have may be different then the end goals the team at has. Now you have your must have criteria. You can start searching NOW right? Not quite. Sorry, I promise, we're almost there. List Your Top Ten "Would Be Nice To Have" Criteria Why? Because you're going to be researching a lot of tools. Those nice-to-haves could be the determining factor between one tool and another. Your initial list could look something like this. Automated optimum posting times Due dates that move automatically when you move a project Completion bar that shows the progress on a project Internal comment or chat system within the app Mobile app for on the go editing Approval process that let's a manager know if content has been reviewed or not Pre-made printable progress reports Social Media competitor analysis Google Analytics, bit.ly and other integrations The ability to separate different clients or projects by calendar Again, your specific list will depend on what type of tool you're looking for. Recommended Reading: How to Be More Successful With the Right Content Marketing Tools Start Your Initial Research Phase Yes, we finally got to the research phase. But I'm not unleashing you on to Google just yet. There's a good reason I promise. How you research is just as important as what you research. How you research your marketing tools is just as important as what you research them for.Pick One Researcher From Your Marketing Team Having only one researcher pays off for a number of different reasons: We have innate nature to compete with one another.  If you have 10 people researching 10 different tools, you suddenly have ten people championing their favorite tool. Not only is that a lot of noise, you have each person competing to say that they were the ones that picked the new marketing tool. You only need one expert.  The person that is conducting your research knows exactly what your team needs. They in essence, become an expert in all things marketing tools, making it easier to make an informed decision. You don't want to waste the team's already limited time.  You know you're team is busy. Taking away an hour of 10 people's time on your team is 10 hours that could have been spent elsewhere. Taking away even 3 hours of one person's time is a much more manageable task.Your team is already loaded to the max. Don't stress them out more then necessary. Research Your Top Ten Tools Okay, open up your browser. You can finally start searching for your marketing tool. You're going to have a lot of options and that's ok. That's why we made your checklist. As you go through the endless pages of tools, document them in your top ten in your spreadsheet that you downloaded earlier. Get that done? Ok, let's keep going. Add up the totals in your spreadsheet and narrow them down to your top three. Look for tools that: Meet your must-have criteria Meet your budget Meet most if not all of your must have's Why three you ask? Understand the Psychology of Three First, Second, and Third. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Yours, mine and ours. Lots of things come in threes. Why? Because repeating a message three times helps stop the internal noise and distractions going on around you. Having three similar tools that meet your expectations will help solidify, in your mind, what tool you need. Choosing new marketing tools? Here's why you should narrow your choices down to three:Make Your Final Decision So you've narrowed in down to your top three tools. Check your point system again. Did one edge out over the others? If so, there is your winner. That was easy, wasn't it? Recommended Reading: How to Influence Marketing Change Management [Backed By Science] How To Pitch Your Favorite Tool You did all that work and you finally have the results of all your labor. This is the tool  that you believe will revolutionize the way your marketing team works. Now you just have to convince your boss to believe that too. What if I told you I outlined your entire presentation for you? You can download the whole thing right now. However, if you want to take the time to build your own presentation here's some things that you're going to want to cover. What To Cover In Your Presentation For Your Boss Depending on what your boss wants to see in your presentation, your list may vary. However, if it was me, this is what I would cover. What brought on the need for the tool? What did I hope the team would gain by investing in a tool? What qualifications would I be measuring this tool against? How many tools did I initially research? What did I narrow my decision down to? What qualities put this tool over the top? Price point Is there a demo or trail period that we could do to see if the tool works? You convinced your boss. They gave you the green light to move forward. Now the task lies on you convincing your team that they need this tool.