Religion Misconceptions

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Misconceptions about Religious Traditions

Professor Richard Bucher

World Religion

December 18, 2012

Introduction

There are a lot of different religions that exist in the world today; some are traditional while others are nontraditional. Most of us grew up practicing a particular faith and that’s all we know or care to know, therefore we are not that knowledgeable of all the other religions that exist, which often lead to misconceptions about those different religions. Our misconceptions are usually formed by conversations, a particular incident or something we may have read, so we then formulate our views about that religion whether it’s something positive or negative. The religion I chose to explore is Muslim/Islam because there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding this religion. I will discuss my misconceptions and how they were corrected by me taking the time to learn and understand something new, something different. The misconceptions that I had for the Muslim/Islam religion were that Muslim women had to be covered at all times, with nothing showing they should be covered from head to toe. Another misconception that I also have was that polygamy was ok within the religion; I thought all Muslim men could marry as many wives as possible as long as they were able to support their families. A really big conception that I had was that women and men weren’t treated equally as far as getting an education and acquiring a job I thought they had to stay home and take care of their husbands and children. During my encounter and research of the religion I came to the realization that a lot of people on the outside looking in also had those misconceptions amongst others towards the Muslim religion. After talking to someone that practices the religion and also visiting the Islamic

Center in meridian Mississippi my misconceptions were altered. My first misconception was that the women entire body had to be covered including their face, while in public and while in the presence of a man other than their husbands if they were married. After doing my research I found out that both men and women follow the words of the Quran for their dress codes. The Quran states that a woman should hide her beauties, the beauties includes the private parts, thighs, breast and hips , parts that aren’t considered beauties don’t have to be covered these parts include, the face, hand, feet and hair. The Quran also states that certain body parts have to be cleansed on a daily basis. A head scarf is often worn to cover the hair this is known as the Hijab but the covering of the hair is not mentioned in the Quran. The female clothing cannot resemble men clothing. To my understanding the reason for this strictness is so that the women are protected from the lustful gaze of men. She should not attract attention to herself in any way. There is an exception for women who have past child bearing and who has no desire of getting married they can choose to disregard the dress code but at the same time they still cannot show their beauty. All in all modesty should be practiced at all times. Polygamy is the marriage that includes more than two partners. My misconception of polygamy was that Muslim men could marry as many wives as they desire as long as they are able to support their families and no one is treated unequally. The Quran makes it very clear pertaining to the subject of polygamy, the Quran states that monogamy is the basis for normal relationships, while polygamy is only allowed in cases involving marrying the mothers of orphans so that the orphans are taken care of. A maximum of four wives are allowed in such cases. For example, in the aftermath of war, it is likely that many men would have lost their

A life, resulting in many widows with fatherless children, thus The Quran allows an exception in these cases so that the needs of the wider community can be met. My misconception of polygamy remains the same it has not
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