Do institutions shape a persons identity? This is a question that is starting to appear in many aspects of life today. Such as the war in Iraq and in how we are raising the young children who are the future of our country. The connection between what kinds of situations (institutions) we are raised in with the way our identities are shaped is very strong. In this paper I will tell and show you many examples of how institutions have had a great affect on the way people have chosen to live their lives.
             Today many good Muslim citizens are being persecuted for their choice of religion because of what some of their fellow Muslims have done. According to Eboo Patel a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, there are two pathways a young Muslim can take, a peaceful one or a radical one. Thomas Friedman a columnist says that these radical Muslims are going to cause a World War III that "will be fought against religious totalitarianism". This controversy that has split the Muslim culture into two very different groups of people is over the definition of Jihad, which according to Patel means to strive or over come challenges to be a better person. Negative institutions such as Al Qaida and the Taliban have manipulated this definition into meaning a word that carries much violence or in other words a "Holy War" to protect their holy land. Al Qaida teaches young Muslims that it is an honor to kill and be killed for their religion and that they will go to heaven for doing so. Patel says that they have even gone to the extent of handing out manuals that tell what prayers to say while committing violent acts. First these totalitarians brain wash these young men into believing they must kill for Allah (God) purpose, then they send them to terrorist camps and teach them how to use weapons to their fullest lethal ability and are ready to go out on the battle field. These totalitarians and their institutions of death have ...