Islamic Critique of Modern American Society
             What would Mohammad have said if he visited America today? Would he have nice things to say about the way Americans live, or would he be disappointed when he saw our way of life? Would he be impressed with our technological wonders – things like computers, sky scrapers and shiny cars? How would he have felt about how much emphasis our culture put on money? What would he say about how we treat our women?
             These are questions that a person must ask when they try to focus on our culture from an Islamic point of view. Mohammad's teachings are an integral part of the way Islamic people view the world, and how they live. His teachings are the basis of Islam. He emphasized harmony with one's environment, charity, modesty, and the struggle of keeping God as the number one factor in a person's life. The beliefs in all of these ideals are the cornerstones of Islam and are the reason that if Mohammad was here today, I believe, he would have a rather unfavorable view of the way Americans live. This is the reason why the religion that follows his teachings, in recent times, has clashed with Westerners. We don't make the five pillars of Islam part of our day-to-day life, and because of this fact our society is lacking in many ways.
             Take, for example, our consumer culture and its emphasis on possession. In America, we're taught that we're only happy if we have lots of possessions. Too many people in our society feel like having the most stuff means that you have the most happiness. We need to have fancy cars, huge houses, and lots of money to be happy. Islam would look at this trend and scoff. How can a person be happy when they are focusing on the superficial? Happiness in a person's life comes from Allah. He is everything. Allah is unity, compassion and purity. How can mere things compare to the all encompassing power of Allah? When a person t...