by Celine Leduc

Created on: April 04, 2007   Last Updated: April 06, 2007

Prior to writing on the key principles that distinguish the Muslim world and Western culture is to look at the two questions separately. It is difficult and even impossible to compare a religion to a culture, because both are influenced by conversion, understanding and perception of the role of woman, and time and space when the religion came to be.

Conversion

Christianity and Islam became universal through conversion, they expanded through conversion. There is a difference however; the principles of Christianity were imported in Europe through the expansion of the Roman Empire and the conversion Emperor Constantine. The disciple Paul came from Jerusalem, had an epiphany, never met Jesus became a posthumous apostle converted to Christianity and spread the faith throughout the gentile world. He traveled the Southern, Eastern and Northern part of the Mediterranean. Islam however, was spread through Prophet Mohammed who was born and lived most of his life in Mecca. He was a Bedouin, a merchant and a highly spiritual man who had a revelation. He first converted the Bedouins to monotheism and gave them a Book, the Qur'an which was written during his life time and put together after his death. The Prophet and later the Caliphs expanded in the Southern part of the Mediterranean, it was the Moors who went to Spain and were stopped in France.

Understanding and perception of the role of woman

For Christians Jesus was the Messiah. Mary was a pious, righteous woman however she did not play a role in his being accepted as Messiah. When Mohammed had vision he thought he was suffering from an illness, his wife Khadija reassured him that his visions were real. She recognized him as a Prophet and followed him. She first hired him; she married him and protected him. He left Mecca for Medina after her death.

Christian women or men were not able or allowed to divorce, and women did not have marriage contracts and cold not get an inheritance Christian women had to give up their wealth when they married. The Prophet Mohammed gave these rights to Muslim women, marriage contract, personal wealth and divorce. However today, there are no statistics or research done if women in the Muslim world still exercise their rights of divorce and how many do, therefore it is cultural and not based in religion. All of them however do have a marriage contract and many keep their personal wealth.

Today women in the Christian world or West can divorce, there is an exception Catholic women cannot divorce.

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>