Islam Vs. Western Views
... of Faith. The Five Pillars of Faith are the five duties a Muslim must carry out in order to be a “good” Muslim. The first pillar is Shahada, or faith. This pillar says that a good Muslim must proclaim Allah as the only god and Muhammad as the last and greatest prophet. This belief in Allah comes back to what was said in the Qu’ran about respecting all Allah has created. The second pillar is Salat, or prayer which states that a good Muslim mush pray 5 times daily. The fifth pillar is Hajj, or a pilgrimage. The second and fifth pillars make the Ummah, or Islamic community, stronger. It creates a sense of equality and brings a unity through prayer. The third and forth pillar focus on giving to others and selfless acts. The third pillar being Zakat, or almsgiving. This shows that Muslims as a whole care about the less fortunate and are willing to give. The fourth pillar is Sawm, or fasting demonstrates self control. It also shows that Muslims are able to see how maybe the less fortunate live. In theory Islam is a religion of peace and understanding. Westerns view Islam as a religion of violence and immorality. There are plenty of explanations as to why the confusion exists. The main issue being the media. In the media, whether it be Al-Jazeera or CNN, all we see is the bad on either side. Good things make poor news. Americans and Muslims are brainwashed into believing the others are their enemies. Americans see the Muslim extremists, or as they have been called “fascist” Muslims. They see a threat to their world and the lives of the people they care about. Muslims feel that their religion is threatened by the Americans, because of the Americans f...