Free Essays on Islamic Fundamentalism

ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM: GLOBAL MISUNDERSTANDING OR GLOBAL THREAT? A lot has been said, especially through media channels, about Islamic fundamentalism over the past years, rising with the tragic 9/11 events. At that point in time, Islamic fundamentalism and its apparent consequential branch, terrorism, were the primary causes for the occurrence of the tragedy. My paper will try to cast an objective light upon this established global phenomenon, in order to better understand where it comes from and where it is heading; I will also take into consideration the actors that have taken the necessary measures for preventing or stopping the negative effects of such a trend; in the end, I will state my opinion regarding these decisions and try to offer better solutions. First of all, what does the word fundamentalism mean? According to Col. B.S.Burmeister , fundamentalism, taken in its conceptual framework, is a term which was originally used to describe Christian doctrines (!) that were based on a literal interpretation of the Bible- usually, these developed into 19th c. movements that were against modern scientific theories or philosophies. Furthermore, in spite of its origin, the term changed its meaning in such a manner that it actually describes the actions and ideologies of another religion nowadays. According to the Brittanica Concise, Islamic fundamentalism is a â€Å"conservative religious movement that seeks a return to Islamic values and Islamic law (Shari’ah) in the face of modernism, which is seen as corrupt and atheistic. Though popularly associated in the West with Middle Eastern terrorists, only a few Islamic fundamentalists are terrorists, and not all Arab terrorists are fundamentalists. The Iranian revolution of 1979, estab lished an Islamic fundamentalist state, and the Taliban has established has established its own version of the same in much of Afghanistan. Islamic fundamentalist movements have varying degrees of support in... Free Essays on Islamic Fundamentalism Free Essays on Islamic Fundamentalism ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM: GLOBAL MISUNDERSTANDING OR GLOBAL THREAT? A lot has been said, especially through media channels, about Islamic fundamentalism over the past years, rising with the tragic 9/11 events. At that point in time, Islamic fundamentalism and its apparent consequential branch, terrorism, were the primary causes for the occurrence of the tragedy. My paper will try to cast an objective light upon this established global phenomenon, in order to better understand where it comes from and where it is heading; I will also take into consideration the actors that have taken the necessary measures for preventing or stopping the negative effects of such a trend; in the end, I will state my opinion regarding these decisions and try to offer better solutions. First of all, what does the word fundamentalism mean? According to Col. B.S.Burmeister , fundamentalism, taken in its conceptual framework, is a term which was originally used to describe Christian doctrines (!) that were based on a literal interpretation of the Bible- usually, these developed into 19th c. movements that were against modern scientific theories or philosophies. Furthermore, in spite of its origin, the term changed its meaning in such a manner that it actually describes the actions and ideologies of another religion nowadays. According to the Brittanica Concise, Islamic fundamentalism is a â€Å"conservative religious movement that seeks a return to Islamic values and Islamic law (Shari’ah) in the face of modernism, which is seen as corrupt and atheistic. Though popularly associated in the West with Middle Eastern terrorists, only a few Islamic fundamentalists are terrorists, and not all Arab terrorists are fundamentalists. The Iranian revolution of 1979, estab lished an Islamic fundamentalist state, and the Taliban has established has established its own version of the same in much of Afghanistan. Islamic fundamentalist movements have varying degrees of support in...

All Are Not Should Usually Be Not All

All Are Not Should Usually Be Not All â€Å"All Are Not† Should Usually Be â€Å"Not All† â€Å"All Are Not† Should Usually Be â€Å"Not All† By Mark Nichol Sentences that refer to exceptions to a rule are frequently flawed by faulty construction. Here are five such statements and their fixes. 1. â€Å"Just as all habits aren’t bad, all infinite loops aren’t, either.† Revision: â€Å"Just as not all habits are bad, not all infinite loops are, either.† 2. â€Å"But all of its coffee is not fair trade.† Revision: â€Å"But not all its coffee is fair trade.† (I also deleted the extraneous of.) 3. â€Å"In many parts of the world, egg donation and embryo donation are not permitted, and all religions may not allow for surrogacy.† Revision: â€Å"In many parts of the world, egg donation and embryo donation are not permitted, and not all religions may allow for surrogacy.† 4. â€Å"All that’s beautiful about the Wind Cave National Park does not lie beneath its surface.† Revision: â€Å"Not all that’s beautiful about the Wind Cave National Park lies beneath its surface.† 5. â€Å"So all hikes don’t have to be a same-day round-trip excursion, there are ten developed campsites.† Revision: â€Å"So not all hikes have to be a same-day round-trip excursion, there are ten developed campsites.† Normally, I annotate each item in this type of post with an explanation of what’s involved in the specific revision. In this case, however, the solution for each is the same simple step: Insert not before all, and alter the negative proposition farther along in the sentence to a positive proposition. (Usually, all that’s required is deletion of not or its contraction, though the last item requires the removal not only of the contraction in don’t but also do itself.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Masters Degree or Master's Degree?50 Idioms About Fruits and VegetablesIs Your Novel "Mystery," "Thriller," or "Suspense"?

Development of Ancient Greek Burial Customs Essay

Development of Ancient Greek Burial Customs - Essay Example While certain cultures developed deep veneration such as worshipping one’s ancestors, other cultures developed more simple attitudes such as leaving the dead to the mercy of the elements. In this sense, the burial rites and their evolution in ancient Greece was of importance since Greece is considered as the pinnacle of the earliest ancient civilizations. Burial rites underwent major transformations in ancient Greece as the civilization moved from one period to another. The practices revolved around inhumation, cremation, leaving offerings, buildings graves and tombs. Various periods had various characteristics that defined burial rites. This paper will explore the various ideas and attitudes in regards to Greek burial rites, rituals and customs that evolved over the years. The practice of burying the dead existed in ancient Greece early on and there were little changes in the basic practices. The earliest burials in Greece can be traced back to the Mycenaean period. The Mycen aean culture tended to bury the dead along with his possessions and there is some evidence to indicate that graves were being reused. The Mycenaean burial tradition is special since a connection to the dead person was always maintained. Graves typically had an altar and a funnel like structure that extended into the grave. These funnels were used to pour libations into the graves (Stevanovic 40). Inhumation was the dominant practice but there is evidence to suggest cremation as well. The dead were cremated so that their souls could leave the body easily and immediately. In addition, cremation was carried out so that the ghost of the dead would not disturb the relatives. The cremated remains were typically entrusted to an amphora that was then buried as a regular body would be buried. This method of burial was practiced just before the Bronze Age. Greek burial practices differed widely from previous ones in the Bronze Age. Previously both adults and children had been cremated or had been alternatively buried as per the dominant cultural trend. However, in the Bronze age it was common that the adults would be cremated while the children would be buried. The only common feature in these burials was that both were inhumed either in pit graves or in chamber tombs as per social status. It was typically to bury items of personal possession as well as items related to daily use. An exploration of graves and tombs from the Bronze Age in Greece has revealed that burial areas contained utensils, cooking pots, oil flasks, jewelry and in a few cases weapons. It is believed that the weapons have been removed from the graves of adult warriors. In certain cases, offerings of food and drinks were also buried with the dead, perhaps with the view that the dead may require this for his journey into the afterlife. It must be noted that graves from this period did not contain the funnel like structures from the previous periods and libation into the grave was not possible. Addition ally, since the buried person was already cremated, there was little possibility that libation could be poured into the amphora. As the Greek civilization progressed from simple religious structures to more complicated ones, the manner of burial evolved with it. Compared to the earliest times, the Greeks had begun to distinguish between adults and childr

Arguments of Cause and Effect Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Arguments of Cause and Effect - Assignment Example The above scenario offers an example of cause-effect relationship in which one act directly yields effects. The woman let go the hand of the son who was adventurous and took the opportunity to walk around alone with the effect of becoming a missing person case. In this context, it can be observed that cause-effect relationship is subject to the concepts of necessary and sufficiency (Trapp,et al,pg.87). Cause: A man who was almost being attacked by robbers escaped death narrowly on the hand of the mob that mistaken him to be the criminals. The robbers attacked the man in a corridor sandwiched between two walls. He raised alarm through shouting and calling for help. The members of the public took position at the end of the corridor awaiting any person who would appear running and lynch under the possibility of being the robbers. Unfortunately, the robbers jumped over the walls and vanished into the nearby woods. The shaken victim took to his heals and just as he popped out of the corridor, the mob descended on him with kicks and blows. It took the intervention of the police to disperse the crowd before he could give a convincing explanation that shocked the public. He was the victim and the robbers wittingly escaped over the walls. The likelihood of walking through the corridor and being attacked by the robbers are correlated but that did not cause the members of public to attack hi m. Trapp, Robert, and William J. Driscoll. Discovering the World Through Debate: A Practical Guide to Educational Debate for Debaters, Coaches and Judges. New York: International Debate Education Association, 2005.

The Modern Prometheus Essay Example for Free

The Modern Prometheus Essay Look at the significance of chapter five of Frankenstein to the novel as a whole. Focus on the relevance and effect of writers use of language to describe setting, character and what it shows about social and historical context.  This is the reason why mothers are more devoted to their children than fathers: it is that they suffer more in giving them birth and are more certain that they are their own. Aristotle, Greek Philosopher  The sooner you treat your son as a man, the sooner he will be one. John Dryden, British poet, dramatist and critic. Never judge a book by its cover. Doing so puts you in danger of jumping to huge conclusions about something before youve even gave it a chance.  Frankenstein is a prestigious gothic horror story written by British, 19th Century novelist Mary Shelley. It tells the enthralling tale of Dr. Victor Frankenstein, a scientist consumed by his need to find a way to preserve life, as he succeeds in creating an immortal, super strong creature using different attributes of corpses.  Shelley wrote the novel when she was around the age of 19, after envisioning the story when her and husband, Percy Shelley, spent the summer with Lord Byron and friends near Geneva, Switzerland. According to Shelley, it proved a wet, ungenial summer and so the insistent rain confined them to the house most days. Due to lack of entertainment, the company amused themselves by sitting around a log fire in Lord Byrons villa, reading German ghost stories, which prompted Byron to suggest they each try their hand at writing their own supernatural tale.  Shortly afterwards, in a waking nightmare in which she saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together, Mary conceived the idea for Frankenstein; she began writing what she assumed would be a short story. However, with encouragement from husband, Percy, she expanded this into her first and most celebrated novel of all her work. It was first published in 1818. Shelleys mother, philosopher and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, died just 10 days after Mary was born due to puerperal fever, and this tragic event embedded itself in Shelleys mind, having a huge impact on the novel, circling childbirth as the main theme running throughout. However, there are other themes which appear during the novel, the more prominent ones being: responsibility, science, ambition and obsession.  In Frankenstein, the consequences of attempting to master life and death are made apparent when, Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist, idiotically creates a monster that counteracts mans new control over life and death. Shelley intended to accentuate the importance of God being the only one who should be able to create life as she shows Frankenstein playing God and also playing a Mother, as the chapter in which the creature is born is told almost like a woman is giving birth. It soon becomes evident however, that he should attempt neither.  Chapter five the Creatures birth is a big chapter in this novel, not so much in length but the impact it has on the rest of the novel. It is the pivotal point; if Frankenstein hadnt brought the monster to life then he would have led a happy, normal life with all of his family alive and well. Nevertheless, Frankenstein does bring life to the dead limbs that lay before him and the monster is born. Shelley skilfully builds up the atmosphere at the beginning of the chapter by using a range of different techniques.  In the first line of the chapter the word dreary paints the picture of a boring, dull, wet night which combined with rain pattered dismally against the panes immediately sets the alarm bells ringing as it is not expected from a typical Gothic Horror novel.  For such an explosive event as the birth of the creature, it would have been anticipated for the weather to be stormy and electrifying exciting even. Yet, Mary Shelley chooses to use pathetic fallacy to reflect the mood of Dr. Frankenstein and to also warn you to expect the unexpected. Also Shelley uses words like anxiety and agony when describing Frankenstein. These two words alone show that all is not well and that something terrible is going to happen as Victor no longer feels happy about his creation. He feels exhausted by his toils, fed up and is itching to finish his work and bring the creature to life.  Shelley also helps to build up tension and atmosphere by isolating Frankenstein.  It was already one in the morning  It is typical of a Gothic Horror novel to have a character isolated and completely alone with no means of help if necessary. Here Shelley warns us that something is about to happen because of Victors solitary status and the reality that most other people arent around or awake at one in the morning.

The Clean Air Act Amendments Essay -- Environmental Protection Agency

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA) address 189 hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) believed to be detrimental to human health and the environment and found that mercury and its compounds are one of the highest priority pollutants to investigate. The CAAA required the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct a mercury emissions study, including those from electric utility steam generating units. In 1997, EPA released the Mercury Study Report to Congress which analyzed mercury emissions from power plants and investigated control technologies. In 1998, EPA released the Utility Air Toxics Study which also showed mercury as a top priority pollutant due to its multi-pathway exposure potential and its ability to bio-accumulate and persist in the environment as methyl mercury. [1, 2] Mercury control in combustion flue gas is highly dependent on speciation. Oxidized mercury is removed relatively easily by particulate control equipment as well as wet scrubbers used to control sulfur dioxide. However, elemental mercury is highly volatile and has very low water solubility allowing it to escape through most pollution control equipment. The objective of this project is to understand the importance of and the contribution of gas-phase coal constituents in the mercury oxidation reactions. The project involves experimental efforts. The objective is to determine the experimental parameters of importance in the homogeneous oxidation reactions; effect of each of these parameters on the mercury oxidation for various concentration and temperatures. The objective of this project was to test the performance of Bromine and Chlorine (Cl2) on homogeneous mercury oxidation in the presence of common flue gas components such as Nitric Oxide ... ...constituents or it self before it could oxidize mercury at the required temperature. A fundamental understanding of the mercury flue gas chemistry is needed to develop effective control technologies for mercury. Since the reactions of atomic and molecular chlorine with other flue gas constituents determine the concentration of reactive chlorine species remaining in the cooled gas, the effects of specific gas constituents on the chlorine-mercury have been extensively investigated. Experimental data indicate a negative effect of SO2 and NO mercury chlorination in the presence of H2O [13]. Recent experimental data by the EERC indicate that bromine species have a high potential in mercury control applications [12]. In the proposed study the emphasis is on the homogeneous reactions of mercury in flue gas with Br2 and Cl2 in the presence of other flue gas constituents.

Otherwise Commentary

Otherwise Commentary The poem Otherwise is short, simple and eloquent. The author, Cilla McQueen, describes two lovers that are located on â€Å"opposite† sides of the world. McQueen uses the title to emphasize the conflicts. The speaker’s emotions are expressed through two main themes; love and distance. Imagery and diction maximize the emotions associated with these themes. Additionally, she uses many literary devices throughout the poem for effect. From the onset, the title Otherwise is vital to the poem foreshadowing conflict, contrast and turmoil. The word sets the scene for two different sides of love. In this case, love is not presented as joyful and precarious but rather as agonizing and painful due to distance. It is the title that influences the structure of the poem and emphasizes the contrasting ideas. A physical divide can be observed between the conscious state of reality, stanza 1, and the subconscious state of dream, stanza 2; each stanza representing two very different perspectives of love. Finally, the title is intimately connected to the poem as it is echoed and punctuated in line 5, â€Å"where water spirals and the moon waxes otherwise. † The main themes found in the poem revolve around love and distance. Love is the predominant theme. It is the distance that causes the suffering and the agony. The poem opens with the speaker stating, â€Å"I come from an opposite country from yours†. The reader is immediately involved in the love story understanding that the lovers are located in different countries as mentioned in line 6 â€Å"stars assemble in unfamiliar patterns†. Constellations give different perspectives depending on where one is in the world. The distance quantified by the footnote clarifies the â€Å"opposite country† means â€Å"the speaker comes from the other hemisphere. This vast distance can infer that the lovers are from different cultures. As the speaker’s love for her lover becomes apparent so too does the distress and torment that the couple faces due to both physical and emotional distance. McQueen uses imagery and diction to accentuate the contrasts between the state of reality, stanza 1, and the state of dream, stanza 2. The author util izes simple structure coupled with a rich, descriptive vocabulary to compare the speaker’s life at present to a metaphorical life with her lover in the future. She parallels her life to â€Å"water spirals†. The water spirals represent the circular pattern of the speaker’s life. This monotone pattern is due to the longing for her lover. The spiral revolves around a central point; for the speaker this central point is her lover living on another hemisphere. The reader imagines the speaker’s daily activities to be repetitive, dull and without purpose as she awaits her lover’s arrival. This metaphor symbolizes the complexity of both love and nature; both elements are beautiful in all their intricacies. On the contrary, the second stanza presents the desired, hoped for, dream images, â€Å"we would walk together quietly right to the very end†. This passage incorporates the â€Å"would† aspect to illustrate that this is a metaphysical situation conjuring up a happy and hopeful image of the two lovers walking along the beach until â€Å"the end†, death. These powerful images and choice of words underline the differences between the state of reality and the state of dream effectively expressing how painful it is to be apart and the bliss of being together forever. The scenes are vivid and clear making the reader feel empathy for the speaker. There are a variety of literary devices that emphasize certain aspects of the poem. Firstly, the speaker expresses his thoughts in the first person; the verses are free. There is no iambic pentameter or rhyming pattern. This style gives a conversational, intimate tone; as if the reader is eavesdropping in on the two lovers. Secondly, this informal tone is contrasted by the formal and decisive shape of the poem. Furthermore, it is evident by the physical appearance of the poem that that a conflict of the settings exists, â€Å"I watch often not traffic or television but hour by hour the huge tide†. The speaker compares two different lifestyles; one of the speaker situated on a coast; soothing, relaxing and simple. Meanwhile her lover is located in a city; loud, tense and complex. The physical divide in the poem presents the conflict in the settings inferring the conflict in the relationship. This conflict is reflected by the change in tone from stanza 1 to stanza 2. The first stanza is full of facts as she sadly describes her reality while the second stanza is full of emotions and hope expressing the metaphysical situation the lovers would be in if united. If you were with me now† underlines the ambiguity of when â€Å"now† will come. As the author guides the reader through the relationship, she dreams of the setting and activities giving hope that the lovers â€Å"would† do such things once together. An interesting simile is used if and when the speaker’s lover comes back to her â€Å"favorite beach†. This symbolizes home, the nest; the beach represents for the speaker a place of nurturing, peace, safety and joy. Enjambment is also used effectively to communicate the flow of feelings. This device along with little punctuation enables the reader to advance without limits. The only punctuation is found in the form of a few periods to permit the reader to pause but no capitals follow such as, â€Å"sliding through. if you were here†. This technique permits thoughts to continue. Moreover, alliteration is used throughout the poem. The letter â€Å"w† suggests soothing and comforting feelings, such as, â€Å"where water†, â€Å"waxes†, â€Å"were with†, â€Å"walk†, â€Å"wheel†, and â€Å"we would walk†. This reassuring sound represents what love is supposed to be warm, kind and supportive. All of the above devices combined make the complex concepts of love and distance clear and very well thought out. In conclusion, McQueen does a brilliant job at expressing the abovementioned two themes using the title to foreshadow, imagery and diction to empathize with the speaker and the many literary devices to present the emotions of the desperate speaker yearning for her lover to return. All devices are masterfully coordinated to show the sad reality of the speaker’s life and the hope of being reunited with her lover. (1037)