blog #9

The tribe has always been an important concept in Arabian and Islamic history, creating divisions among its dwellers and followers. How has this caused problems in the history of Islam? 

When Muhammed died, the truces between different clans broke. Some tribes even rebelled, these rebellions ruined most of Islamic peace. Although the Tribe played a big role in Islamic and Arabian history, it has often also been one of the greatest problems.  An example of this is in the beginning of Muhammed's life. He is born into a  tribe that was very wealthy and privileged. Later in his life, this caused problems because all rich people were against the idea of Islam, and none of them wanted any part of it. Since Muhammed really wanted to be Islam this caused a sort of rivalry in which end with Muhammed getting kicked out of his tribe, and losing all protection. These wealthy clans would be the worst enemies of Islam until the last few years of Muhammed's life. Another example of this rivalry between tribes is in the struggle to find successors, or caliphs, to Muhammed. Every time a caliph died or was killed, there was a whole new argument over who would be the next caliph. What ended up happening was that two groups were formed over this issue, the Sunni and the Shi'a. Even to this day, there are lots of arguments between these two groups in Islam.  So we can see that although the Tribe has always been an important part of the infrastructure of Islam, it has also caused most of the problems throughout the history of the religion. 

Blog 8

How has the religious history of India influenced India's tradition of non-violence?

India's religious history has influenced the tradition of non-violence in many ways. One being the fact that many people who live in India are Buddhist and one of the main teachings in Buddhism is to be kind and compassionate to others and to express themselves in a peaceful manner. The teachings of Mohandas Ghandi are all about peace making and to approach life without violence. Ghandi was very inspiring, he was the leader of the Indian nationalist movement against British rule, He is well known for his way of non-violent protests to achieve political and social progress. He knew how to win battles without being brutal like Hitler who wiped out many Jews, just because he didn't like them. The kind of religions that Ghandi and many Indians practiced has influenced the Indian tradition of non-violence by setting the ideal of living in a kind and loving world.

Migration

Can Migration have a positive impact on the people and/or land receiving the immigrants?

Yes it can have a positive impact, as well as a negative impact. It could either help the native people of that land to grow and become more knowledgeable, or cause death, destruction and/or unnecessary fighting. An example of this is the mass migration to the US after World War 2. Lots of people migrated so that they wouldn't get caught up in the war. Another example is the immigrants from Mexico. They came here and help us with crops and daily jobs. Some cases aren't the same. Some immigrants just leave destruction and chaos in their paths, like the Mongols. Immigrants can have a positive impact on the land and people receiving it as well as a negative one, which has happened many times throughout history.