Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Law Of International Insurance contracts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1
Law Of International Insurance contracts - Essay Example The Convention recognized the inherent risks of the aviation industry, thus, it seek to protect the airline companies by putting limitations on its liabilities towards it passengers and cargo. To strike a balance between protecting the interest of the airline companies and protecting the welfare of the passengers, the framers of the Warsaw Convention 1929 instituted provisions that define the certain terms. Section 17 of the Warsaw convention specifically said that, ââ¬Å"The carrier is liable for damage sustained in the event of the death or wounding of a passenger or any other bodily injury suffered by a passenger, if the accident which caused the damage so sustained took place on board the aircraft or in the course of any of the operations of embarking or disembarking. ââ¬Å" The definition of ââ¬Å"accidentâ⬠according to the Warsaw Convention has been the subject of many debates and arguments in and outside of the courts for several years. In settling arguments, the courts have defined the word ââ¬Å"accidentâ⬠in many decided cases both in the United States and the in the United Kingdom. To get a clearer picture of how the courts define the word ââ¬Å"accidentâ⬠and how this definition has affected the insurable interests of aircrafts and their passengers, let us take a closer look at the leading cases decided by the Courts. The definition of the word ââ¬Å"accidentâ⬠in the airline industry is the same in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Note that the Warsaw Convention was meant to establish a uniform liability of airline companies towards their passengers thus, the courts, in defining the word ââ¬Å"accidentâ⬠according to Article 17 of the convention, adopt a more or less interpretation. According to the provisions of the Warsaw Convention, it is not enough that the carrier failed to convince the court that it took all necessary
Kishwar Naheed Essay Example for Free
Kishwar Naheed Essay She conveys that women were unwanted and were not cared for. In particular female infants were seen as a financial burden to an Indian family as they were discriminated from working and were not allowed to have an education. Naheed emphasises that she felt as if she was in the family for no purpose. Male infants were seen as the family gaining prosperity, they were celebrated and it was a gift to be proud of. The opening of the stanza Brash with glass immediately tells the reader that this is a luxurious place or arrogant. The word Brash is ironic as it can mean white faced. The harsh vowel of the assonance helps the reader to suggest the poets anger. The simile and alliteration of the phrase flaring like a flag conveys the idea that the restaurant asserts itself, even in its name. The word flag suggests that the people who set up a flag, have conquered someone elses land. This highlights the idea of when the whites stole the land of South Africa. Flaring suggests that the whites are bragging to the masses (blacks) about their superior lifestyle and it conveys Afrikas anger as this links to the image of heat used earlier in stanza two anger of my eyes. The simile guard at the gatepost suggest that the restaurant is reserved exclusively for white people. The guards are threatening the masses (blacks. ) He explains that even though there is No sign displayed outside the whites only inn and Apartheid was supposed to be put to an end. The guard is replaced instead of the sign as they block the masses (blacks) from entering the haute cuisine. Therefore, Afrika gives a clear image to the reader that Apartheid still exists. In I am not that woman Kishawar Naheed attempts to redefine the man-woman relationship; and address the situation she faces in her everyday life of exploitation and oppression. It is illustrated in the words Now it is time for me to flower free. The alliteration gives the impression that she wants to fight back and does not want to live restricted anymore. The words Now and free shows when she wants to redefine the man-woman relationship. Moreover, she explains how she wants to live like. Naheed wants a life with no restrictions and for men and women to be treated equally. The message in the poem is that men and women are not always treated equally; and how there is still sexism and discrimination. In particular, women are not dominated by men and men are treated with prestige and power. The poem helps her express her thoughts and feelings. Afrikas words are ambiguous we know where we belong. This perhaps emphasises that the masses (blacks) know that they are discriminated from entering the inn as there is a guard at the gate post. The use of the pronoun we emphasises that he believes that his identity belongs with the masses (blacks.) The single rose on each table contrast with the working mans cafe. As a single rose symbolises high quality lifestyle or perfection. It could also mean the arrogant wealth that was amongst the mass poverty at the time. In the words My motherhood Naheed conveys that women were born to nurture and care. On the other hand, the men in her society have stolen this substantial and amazing gift from them. Instead women are forced to be voiceless, obedient and were unfairly treated as servants due to the male dominance. My loyalty suggests that her husband and her father took away her loyalty and treated her unfairly. Naheed is aware that she has the right to achieve her loyalty again. In the fifth stanza the poet uses the words bunny chows to convey the masses (blacks) poor lifestyle in the working mans cafe. Bunny chows was cheap at the time and a common local snack of a poor mans hamburger; it is a stark contrast with haute cuisine. In the restaurant there are plastic tables top, this suggests the poor lifestyle the masses had. The plastic tables top suggests that there is no tablecloth and they felt incomplete, empty and it must have been uncomfortable to eat on. Wipe your fingers on your jeans gives the impression that there is nowhere to wash ones hands after eating or a tissue to wipe hands. Afrika uses direct imagery to show the life of the masses (blacks. ) Kishwar suggests that women do not have self respect. This is evident in The woman on the poster half naked. Naheed is commenting on how men view women as objects or for sexual pleasure. She wants this view to change. The tone No, no I am not that woman! emphasises that Naheed is not a woman who is obedient, subservient and does not want to avoid any arguments or disagreements with anything the men verbalize. The repetition of no shows that she is certain on her actions and strongly disagrees with how many women in the Asian culture are living. Afrika uses the words boy again to show that the appearance of District six brings back memories of his childhood when the Apartheid system existed. He does not feel independent as he feels like a boy and believes he is following the whites like how a child is with their parents. Hands burn emphasises his anger against the system and his urge to destroy the symbol of segregation. Afrika repeats the title Nothings changed at the ending of the poem. He conveys that even though Apartheid has been Abolished, the masses (blacks) are still treated inferior. The final stanza shows his anger and disappointment of the economic division between the whites and the masses (blacks) and conveys that the society has not changed at all. The layout of Nothings changed is set out in eight short lines in each of the six stanzas. The layout creates a sense of control as he is clear on what he is feeling and no sudden rage is introduced at any point in the poem. His anger increases gradually within each line. The poet makes his argument straight forward by emphasising his feelings in a calm manner. In the first stanza the use of imagery makes the reader feel as if they are in the poets shoes. This makes it clear and easy to imagine how life was like for Tatumkhulu Afrika. This is illustrated in the words Small round hard stones click under my heels. It makes it easy to imagine the masses (blacks) unpleasant and unfortunate lifestyle. The structure of I am not that woman is informal. The layout of the stanzas do not fit in a regular pattern and none of the words rhyme with each other. The free flowing structure shows how determined Naheed is about her argument. This conveys that nothing can change the way she is and nothing will hold her back. Even by the simple rules of poetry. It emphasises how infatuated she is towards emancipation. Furthermore, she is protesting about women having access to equal opportunities and rights as men; and women should not be treated as if they are worthless or disempowered. It is seen in the words my loyalty. The tones between Nothings changed and I am not that woman are very different. Kishwar Naheeds tone in I am not that woman is very calm, but firm. Her steady tone conveys that she has control over what is being said by repeatedly claiming I not that woman. Tatumkhulu Afrikas tone contrasts compared to Naheeds. In Nothings changed the poet seems to be increasing his rage within each line as he sees more things that have not changed even though Apartheid was abolished. Moreover, he is feeling angry because he had not been to District six for many years. In-conclusion, I believe that Kishwar Naheed in I am not that woman argument is stronger as the poem relates more to her lifestyle, cultural beliefs and traditional values about what she has experienced as a woman herself. Naheed clearly explains that wants equality between men and women. Moreover, she does not want to live a typical lifestyle of an asian; and leaves the reader in hope that there is a chance of change. However I believe that Tatumkhulu Afrika argument in Nothings changed. Is not as strong as Naheeds as he leaves the reader feeling helpless and has not attempted to change his lifestyle as much as Naheed has in nothings changed. Afrika has allowed the whites to treat the masses (blacks) unfairly; because he was not as determined or eager as Naheed. He mainly just agreed how nothings changed however, Naheed believes that no one can stop or change her views. This is why I strongly believe Naheedss argument is more effective. I believe that Naheeds argument will become more powerful if the majority of women did not accept the cultural beliefs of a submissive Asian housewife and they were all determined to fight for equality. By women taking action as a group by giving their views and speaking; the men may realise that women are treated unfairly, and their lifestyle may change once they have taken action.
Monday, October 14, 2019
Forming Strategic Alliances Business Essay
Forming Strategic Alliances Business Essay During the globalization, managers are confronted with a rapid changing competitive landscape. In order to overcome this difficulty, firms try to make alliances. Making strategic alliances is the relevant choice for managers to search for ways for how to compete effectively and create the successful future. Recently, collaboration between companies became fashionable .Strategic alliances is a cooperative agreements between companies. It involves all kinds of companies such as large, medium and small. In strategic alliances, partner companies join forces for common goals without losing their strategic autonomy. Representation of an alliance: Goals and interests Goals and interests specific to A specific to B Source: Dussauge and Bern (1999), Cooperative Strategy, ch.1, p. 3 The Advantages of Strategic Alliances There are several advantages of forming alliances: It may facilitate entry into a foreign market Many firms who want to enter foreign market, they need local partner who will understand business conditions and who has good relations with local government and organizations. For example, in 2004 Warner Brothers entered into a joint venture with two Chinese partners to produce and distribute films in China. Through the partnership with local firms, Warner Brothers succeeded to distribute any films it produces It allows firms to share cost and risks for developing new products or process For example, an alliance between Boeing and Mitsubishi share 8billion U.S Dollar among the partners for building a new aircraft such as 7E7. It stimulates to develop skills and assets which are difficult to do alone For example, in 2003 Microsoft and Toshiba established an alliance for developing a new microprocessor for entertainment for automobiles. Microsoft brought its software engineering skills and Toshiba its hardware engineering skills. It helps companies to establish technological standards For example, in 1999 Palm Computer formed an alliance with Sony under which Sony agreed to license and use Palms operating system in Sony PDAs. The motivation was to establish Palms operating system as the industry standard for PDAs against Windows-based operating system from Microsoft. The Disadvantages of Strategic Alliances Establishing alliances can be risky. Unless a firm is careful, it can give away more than it receives. It means that, if the partner reckless of managing its know-how, it can be leaked to other partner. Main drivers of formation of alliances: The recent and rapid growth in the number of strategic alliances can be explained by various changes in the international business environment. Globalization of trade and acceleration of technological progress seem to be major driving forces that have led firms to enter into significant numbers of cooperative agreements. Strategic Alliance drivers: Globalization Technical changeDisenchantment with M A Source: Tayeb, M. H. (2001), International Business Partnership, ch.2, p.35. Globalization The Globalization is the process which includes the objectives relating to the need to establish a large global presence, to gain knowledge and size, ensure competitive defence and deal with regulatory and political barriers to new market entry. One of the main drivers of globalization is the fact that customer needs and preferences throughout the world are rapidly converging. This makes firms to produce so-called global products suited to all consumers, irrespective of their nationality. International alliances can offer an effective way to globalize more rapidly and therefore enhance a companys competitiveness. While making international acquisitions is both costly and risky; setting up a network of wholly foreign subsidiaries is long, expensive and hazardous; licensing gives little control. Global alliances can allow the partner companies to pool resources produce global product and distribute it worldwide: British Telecom, MCI and ATT for World Partners; Alliance of Sambuca and Nemiroff; Alliance of Philips and Whirlpool. Technical Change: The cost and complexity of new technology are increasing extremely rapidly. Between 1970 and 1990, RD expenditures rose three times as fast as spending on fixed assets (Collins and Doorley, 1991). With the increase in the diversity and complexity of technology know-how, the range of possible innovations based on this expertise is growing wider. While the range of possibilities offered by new research has been increasing tremendously, individual RD programs are growing ever more expensive and the chance of achieving technically successful and commercially profitable results have become more and more uncertain. This is why cooperation is viewed as unavoidable in many high-tech industries: by dividing up the RD work between the partner firms, it enables them to share costs, pool their expertise, and explore a greater number of avenues (Dussauge, Hart and Ramanantsoa, 1992). For example: The Peugeot/Renault JV, Alliance of PRV V6 Engine Disenchantment with MA The disenchantment that has followed many mergers and acquisitions seems to be one of the reasons behind the recent development of strategic alliances. Alliances make it possible to avoid the culture and organizational shock coming in the wake of a merger by proceeding step by step, and by gradually adapting the content and structure of the agreement. Formation of Strategic Alliances Formation process: Source: Schaan, J (2007), Cases in Alliance Management, ch. 1, p. 7 Strategy development The rationale for a strategic alliance needs to be firmly in a clear strategic understanding of a companys current capabilities and those it will need to be successful in the future. First of all, managers need to establish the strategic goals of their companys and then evaluate their resources and capabilities to see if they are capable of executing on their own. The process starts by developing a realistic appraisal of what resources are required to meet a companys long-term strategic objectives. The objectives are for increasing competitive advantage. The manager must state that what capabilities the firm has and searching for. With this undertaking, managers begin to establish their criteria for rating partnership opportunities if this is an option they choose. Before making the mind to go for the alliance, the potential costs involved need to be considered such as technology transfer, coordination and management costs, which is high indeed. (Tayeb, H. M 2001). Managers need to take into account of, if the firm has an experience on building alliance. If this is first alliance, a company should look carefully at its internal policies and practices and evaluate to what degree they will help or hinder an alliance. For example, if a company has difficulties on managing its internal communication, then there will be strain on the alliance relationship. It is best to modify internal practices as necessary before introducing a third party. The process of strategy development is as following: Strategy Development: Source: Schaan, J (2007), Cases in Alliance Management, ch. 1, p. 7 Selecting the right partner It should come as no surprise that choosing the right partner is a major determinant of how successful an alliance will ultimately be. Inexperienced companies should not hurry up to do a deal-choosing partner. Poor partner selection ranks high among the reasons for alliance failure. It invariably takes longer than anticipated to find the right partner. Managers should spend time and resources to thoroughly analyze the potential opportunity. Depending on the scope and complexity of the alliance, it takes from several months to a couple of years to find the right partner. Small companies looking for alliance partners are often tempted to look for shortcuts as they find themselves facing time and financial pressures. They may succumb to the temptation to partner with any company, whether or not it meets their strategic needs. This is the mistake that companies make, because a partner must fit a companys strategic needs. Small companies mostly keen on forming partnership with large companies. The reputation and image of the large company can often cause the small firm to ignore its own strategic objectives. After the strategic objectives were defined, managers should decide how many partners to approach. The search process starts by formalizing partner profile screening criteria, developing a list of prospects, ranking the list against the criteria and then focusing on a manageable number of the best prospects. Complementary assets and capabilities is the core characteristic of partners for evaluation the strategic fit. Having identical strategic assets is not a good basis for a partnership because the possibility of competitive conflict can be high over the long term. It is necessary to evaluate partners according to their strategic, cultural and operational fit. Concerning to strategic fit, managers should take into the balance of need between the partners. If the needs of other partner are to get more profit, then this will not be long-term alliances. The nature and durability of the strategic fit is also a critical consideration. It is important that the long-term objectives of the partner are not in conflict and that the intended benefits can be sustained. During analyzing strategic fit, firms need to choose a partner who has a potential strategic network. In high-tech industries, most of the firms have cooperative network with each other. As it said above, building an alliance with large firms is risky. Companies should choose a partner who is almost the same size. Research indicates that choosing substantial size of partner can decrease successful collaborative activity. It can lead Merger and Acquisition. Cultural fit is core of choosing partner. It can affect business logic, competitive behaviour, time orientation, and decision making. It directly impacts the ability of partners to work together to meet their common objectives. Research of KPMG shows that, the reason of 70 % of strategic alliances failure is cultural contradiction among the partners. Culture of companies has profound effect on organizations operational practices such as management and organizational structure, decision-making practices and employment policies. Negotiation The major part of long-term collaboration is established at the negotiation stage. Negotiation should be as first and foremost as a means of building the linkages that will support effective collaboration between the partner companies. The negotiation process is perfect way for developing some unique insights into how the other party does business. In negotiation process, several areas require particular attention such as: collecting negotiation team, negotiation preparations, the process of negotiation itself and forming a negotiation agreement. Negotiation can be stressful and managers need to be sure that his team members can have contribution. Besides, legal and tax professionals have a very important role to play in putting a partnership together, but during the negotiation it is best to avoid them to attend the process. Well preparation can make the negotiation process easy and smooth. Advanced preparation should also help assess bargaining power, understand the concessions to be made and forecast issues that might arise. Good negotiations are characterized by honesty and an open flow of information between the partners. The agreement should be well written and set out the purpose, term, duration, warranties, obligations. Implementation Making the right decision about strategy, partner and structure is only the beginning. The real work starts when companies implement their alliance. While the chosen structure and scope of an alliance will significantly influence the kind of implementation required, the material covered in this section presents principles for creating winning conditions that are applicable to all. The main problems of forming strategic alliances There are different problems of forming strategic alliances. As it is obvious that strategic alliances in most cases are managed by two or more parents makes them inherently risky. The problems in forming alliances stem from one cause: there is more than one parent. The owners of parent firms are powerful. They can and will disagree on just about nothing (Killing, 1982). Such as Queensland Minerals alliance, owners of both parts parent companies were disagree. Amcon Corporation wanted to expand to Queensland, but the CEO of Victoria Heavy Industries did not want to. As a result Amcon renegotiated the alliance agreement. Organizational culture, a companys ways of doing things, refers to basic assumptions and beliefs that are share by members of an organization. These operate unconsciously and define an organizations view and its environment. Organizational culture can cause problems where companies with distinctive cultures merge or form a strategic alliance. Employees from the parent firms tend to use their home-company culture. In this connection, Datta and Rasheed (1993) mentioned that, a lack of cultural sensitivity can easily lead to misunderstandings in strategic alliances. Main Problems of Forming Strategic Alliances Unsuccessful rate of alliances are high. The success of an alliance seems to be a function of three main factors: Partner selection Alliance structure Managing alliances
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Reopening Old Wounds :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay
Reopening Old Wounds Professorââ¬â¢s Comment: Bobââ¬â¢s essay is an intensely personal, admirably honest introspective examination of his repressed emotions concerning his parents divorce. I would cry, but that would be a pointless waste of energy. Itââ¬â¢s one of those things that I envied my mother. In a flash she could go from the stoic lady of the house to a sobbing goose. I never understood how. Iââ¬â¢d go from astonishment to disgust to envy. I take more after my old man. Iââ¬â¢ve never seen him shed a single tear. Then again Iââ¬â¢ve never really seen him smile either. I grin a lot. I was supposed to be in my home town right now, tossing back cold ones and laughing with my best and oldest friends. My schedule wouldnââ¬â¢t permit it, however. Itââ¬â¢s probably for the best. Itââ¬â¢s never a good idea to hit oneââ¬â¢s home town in a poor mood. Iââ¬â¢d probably just end up hanging around the main drag, pissed off my ass and yelling at cruisers. Chances are I would end up in jail, or calling an old girlfriend and reopening old wounds that should have healed years ago. I wonder which of those two prospects is worse. Instead of expressing my emotions as I should, I have withdrawn them and locked them away deep inside me. Rather than call a friend and talk, or go walking, or listen to records, or break things, I am in front of the computer, writing. It is a safe form of expression; if this gets too revealing or too corny, I can always delete the file, or password protect it, restricting access to me alone. So the question on my mind lately has been why. What happened and when that has left me so numb to my feelings? Iââ¬â¢ve tried countless times to trace it back and pin it down to an event, to that key moment when I started down the path of self-imposed isolation. Of course, Freud would insist I failed the oral stage, the stage where trust and security develop. It occurs usually around the second year of life, when parents wean their child. If all goes wellââ¬âaccording to Freudââ¬âthe child tastes for the first time independence from his or her mother and begins to explore that independence.
Friday, October 11, 2019
I Want to be an Art Teacher :: Teaching Educacion Admissions
I Want to be an Art Teacher Have you ever been to a point in your life where there were to many decisions and not enough time? This is what happened to me in my senior year of high school. Throughout my teen years, I never discussed college with my family or did they with me. College for some reason was not on my agenda. Then I realized that I wanted to go to further my education. The reason I chose to go to college was that I am an artist, and felt that I needed to learn more about art techniques. I didnââ¬â¢t want to loose my talent, and I realized how much I enjoyed being in class. I had the privilege of being a student of some wonderful teachers at the high school I attended, and they influenced my decision to becoming an art teacher. Teaching is a challenging profession, but also very rewarding. I had the opportunity to do an art project with local kids of Monroe County over the summer. That experience helped me a great deal to see a glimpse of my future. During the four-week program the kids worked and learned about all forms of art. The teaching experience gave me pleasure on departing some knowledge and interest to the children that were there. That feeling of accomplishment for myself and seeing it in the faces of the children encourages me to proceed in my goals on becoming an art teacher. My goals as a teacher will be managing my classroom in an eclectic way of combining philosophies. Differing seating arrangements in art classes are limited, therefore are materials need to be shared among the students. In my class, there will be at least four chairs to each table so that material can be dispersed equally. On the bulletin boards I will display work of past and present students to show their accomplishments in my class. The materials needed is wide range, they include paints, color pencils, drawing pencils, markers, differing sizes of paper, scissors, and much more. Projects will be fun and pertaining to the Arts.
Friabililty Test of Mefenamic Acid Tablets
One of the testing criteria of mechanical strength of tablets tablet friability testing. Tablets must be able to withstand mechanical stresses during their manufacturing, distribution and handling by the end-user. During the process of coating, transportation, packing and processing tablet, tablet will lose some weight. Because of that, the friability test is performed in the pharmaceutical industry to test the tendency of a tablet breaking into smaller pieces during transit.It includes repeatedly dropping a sample of tablets over a fixed time by using friability tester and then checking whether any tablets are broken, and calculate the percentage of loss weight of tablets. A good compressed tablet should not loss more than 1% of its weight. Based on this experiment, after the operation ended, the weight loss of tablets is 0. 0395g which is equivalent to 0. 68% loss from its weight. This means, those tablets are good quality and strong tablets which then can endure the stresses.There are maybe some error during handling the experiment that can lead to incorrect results. After operation ended, the tablets are not fully cleaned from dust which is affect the result. When finished, the samples have to be de-dusted first before weigh again. CONCLUSION The percentage loss of weight of samples is 0. 68%. The samples are good quality tablets because the percentage loss of weight are not more than 1%. 1. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Friability 2. http://www. anabiotec. com/testing/detail/hardness-friability-disintegration
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Light in the shadow of jihad: the struggle for truth
IntroductionThe world needs to learn to understand each otherââ¬â¢s faith and belief and respect it in every way.à Following the September eleventh tragedy, Christians face the dilemma of comprehending the truths of the tragedy and responding to it in a Christian way. That dilemma is answered through deep study and understanding Islam guided by the bible and prophesies contained in it. America and the world must realize that God fulfills his purpose frequently through disasters.With the tragedy, a lot of essential questions arose: Is terrorism the true focus of Islam? Is god absent in such disasters?As America mourned, some celebrated. It is true that some people may think that they are terrorists but some may think they are freedom fighters. The belief that actions can be justified politically has been going on for years. Politicization of morality has given an opportunity to justify actions politically and one it is done, it could be morally accepted as well (Lyon). Other demo cratic nations believe that the individual is the arbiter of right and wrong. But some like Bin Laden thinks differently.Faith is the basis of morality but at the same time it is the root of relativism in every means to establish one religion. This makes their inconsistencies evident. If moral agnosticism is the absolute of relativism, how come relativism tells us that no one can discern right from wrong?à On the other hand, the attackers have spent their last hours with prostitutes in night clubs. If their absolute is Islam, why spend their last night to satisfy their sexual needs instead of their spiritual needs?Zachariasââ¬â¢ BookRavi suggested in his book, Light in the Shadow of Jihad: The Struggle for Truth, five major questions that prevail in peopleââ¬â¢s mind after the September 11 Bombing. These questions are: Did the terroristsââ¬â¢ action portray a true Islam belief? What can state and church do in shaping the outlook of people on religion and how does it affec t the culture of the nation?Did the incident illustrate an Islamic tradition or such only undermine the religion of Islam? Were there any known predictions that such phenomenon would actually occur? What is the implication of such incident to the world and to the Future?à Moreover, He implicitly asked how God views the incident (Zacharias). Was God in favor of what happened? Why did He allow such violence take place? These were few of the questions directed to question the inclination God towards the 9/11 Bombing.Osama Bin Laden; A Protagonist or an Antagonist?Discernment begins with intuition. But as everybody knows, may often be wrong. Like for instance, Osama Bin Ladenââ¬â¢s intuition has failed him (Zacharias). After 9/11, he deliberately complained about the bloodshed in Afghanistan. The bloodshed has suddenly become too reprehensible for Bin Laden. Intuition is simply not enough bases for discernment. Therefore, reasoning must come to place. But how do we move from intuit ion to reasoning? Relativist has said that reason could not move us to morality and that people are not capable of discerning right from wrong simply because right or wrong does not exist. Morality derived from intuition then become in conflict with morality derived from reasoning (Zacharias).As these conflicts arise, a need to go back to the foundation of morality is in place. The society merely recognizes that need. It is urgent and must be taken into consideration.Bin Laden, has his own way of looking at and discerning of the Islamic belief and tradition. Likewise, he has his own way of interpreting the codes of conduct or the morality included and written in the Quran. If his decision failed him, then logically, somehow his knowledge and interpretation of the Quran may be different from the original message of it.Muslim, Islam, Allah and the 9/11 BombingSeptember 11 terrorists thought or believed that their action is Allahââ¬â¢s will (Zacharias). While other Muslims think it is corrupted Islam. If such difference of belief exists among Muslims, what does other people from other beliefs to believe?Is terrorism a fruit of an Islamic worldview or a fruit of socio economic situation? People then must examine Islam to answer this urgent question. As discussed in the book, Islam is a religion which originated from Muhammed. It was through military invasion that Islam was spread out. After the death of Muhammed without a heir or successor, Islam movement was divided (Zacharias).In this time of division, some readings of Quran were destroyed. Thus, this incident becomes a controversy among critics for they think that textual tampering took place. Four sources of Quran accounts and history after the incident emerged- the Hadith, the Sunna, the Sira, and the Tafsir (Zacharias). But different sects of Islam have different levels of importance to these sources. This is an evidence why Muslims, most of the time, are not unanimated in terms of opinion, actions or met hods within their religion today. In this situation, Muslims rely on abrogation. But in this method, another problem arises. Which Quran readings abrogate other Quran readings? Differences among Muslims arise even more. Some Muslims persecute Christians to the point of killing them. There have been several reports about it. Like 9/11 tragedy is persecution to Christians (Muhammad). It is extreme and unfair.Educators has attempted to have an in-depth study of Islam but has met resistance with Muslim leaders. There is a chance that they are trying to manipulate the minds of other Muslims. What could be derived from Islamic history?There exists a major confusion among Muslims about their religion. This confusion is primarily caused by the division that is still evident today. From this as well, we can safely say that not all Muslims agree to violence (Zacharias). Organizing and restudying of Islam is urgently needed by Muslims.Christianity and the War of the Religious FaithsWhat about in Christianity? Is it not in any way predicted or prophesied by the bible? Throughout history, the prophesies in the bible has come to pass. As for example, in the book of Daniel about Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar had a problem about a statue which has four different parts.à It was a dream that Daniel had to interpret. Daniel explained to Nebuchadnezzar that it concerns kingdoms (Muhammad). The first kingdom would overcome the kingdom before them until it reach the fourth. These came to pass as prophesied. Jesus conquered human history without any political agenda. According to theologians, God is there but his presence is not obvious. This is called ââ¬Å"the hiddenness of Godâ⬠à (Muhammad). Atheist, on the other hand, thinks that if God would manifest himself, they would believe he exists. Other Christians sometimes wish so too.As Muslims persecute Christians, Christians persecute Muslims as well (Muhammad). After 9/11, Muslims faced everyday the discrimination against the m. Every Muslim is perceived to be a terrorist (Lyon). What does that say about Christianity? What is the difference between Muslims and Christians with this king of discrimination?This desire to see God tells more about us than about God. We turn to God when we have no one or nowhere to turn to and questions him when are needs are not met. This happens because of our tendency to rely on our intellect and the continuous nurturing of our minds with knowledge. Deep inside each of us yearns for rational evidence.à With Christians, faith varies but same beliefs are evident. A true relationship with God is when we begin to relate to him in both our ups and downs. God has a purpose. He intends to have us trust him and submit our lives to him in the midst of tragedy.Religion and the FutureThe world is suffering from lack of critical minds in relation to worldviews (Lyon). We are corrupted with so much information, too many voices. But it will never be enough for people top just listen to them and absorb everything. It is important for people to filter it before accepting it as true.The world should put to use faith as a basis of morality. Intuition and Reasoning is not enough. We should put to use the basis of religion as the solid ground of morality in our society. Religion may vary but it is sure the most solid, even if it may be inconsistent, foundation for morality.Respect for other culture and religion must be evident in every individual for the betterment of humanity. We may live in a democratic society but still discrimination is still evident. We must realize and accept that our religion or faith varies. Respect comes from understanding and learning each others cultures. Learning from the experience and moving on from it is in need. It is a challenge for everyone to understand each other. It is time for us to move on from the tragedy. It is time to move on from the corrupted and discriminating society that we are today. Let us move on and be better.Works Ci ted:Lyon, David. Surveillance after September 11 . Blackwell Publishing Limited , 2003.Muhammad, Elijah. Christianity Versus Islam. Secretarius Memps Publications , 1997.Zacharias, Ravi. Light in the Shadow of Jihad: The Struggle for Truth . Multnomah , 2002.
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