Islam is a monotheistic Abrahamic religious group that follows the teachings of the Allah and his messenger Muhammad. It is the second largest religion in the world behind Christianity, with over 1.8 billion followers, known as Muslims, around the world (The Future of World Religions 2015). The primary scripture of Islam is the Qur’an and Muslims strive to uphold the Five Pillars of Islam. In this paper, I aim to explore the role of religion in the development and culture of Muslim people. With the assistance of two of my closest friends, who happen to be Muslim, I was able to immerse myself in their culture and understand the sociological factors that affect their daily actions. People who are religious tend to place higher values on symbols and interactions with other members of their group, and religious institutions provide an agent of socialization that can last throughout a person’s life.
Muslim culture exhibits characteristics of all three sociological theories. Functionalists view society as a system where all the parts function together to create a well-rounded society (Griffiths et al. 2015:66). Members of the Muslim community place heavy emphasis on helping each other and using cultural and religious values as building blocks of their society. Mosques are the places of worship for Muslims. Mosques are also typically used as community centers for holding festivals, gatherings, weddings, etc. Since they double as community centers, they are used to educate members of the community on both material and non-material culture. There are also aspects on conflict theory in traditional Muslim culture. Conflict theory states that social structure is unequal due to power differences based on class, gender, age, or race (Griffiths et al. 2015:66). Although the Qur’an does not detail specific gender roles, they still emerged in Islamic practice due to differences in rights and cultural expectations between Muslim men and women. At the founding of Islam, men and women participated alongside each in religious practices, but over time, these practices began to exclude women (Khalid and Frieze 2004:294). Symbolic interactionism is based on face-to-face interactions between members of the society and assigning symbolic meaning to objects and actions (Griffiths et al. 2015:67). Muslim beliefs and values are spread and maintained through constant interaction between members of the society. Objects and actions that have symbolic importance in Islam include the Qur’an, the pilgrimage to Mecca, and fasting.
I was fortunate enough to be able to visit a mosque at the Islamic Society of Norman and observe various religious actions and interactions between members of the community. I talked with some of the people at the mosque to discuss how their religion has been an important factor in their lives. From what I gathered, many Muslims will introduce their children to the religion as early as they can understand it. As a result, religion and the mosque are important agents of socialization in Muslim children. The Qur’an discusses the rights that Islamic children have as well as the responsibilities they have toward other children and their elders (Omran 1990). Muslim children are raised on the teachings of Allah, meaning their social development is primarily a result of their religious beliefs.
From those in attendance at the mosque, there was an overwhelming sentiment that the entire Muslim community was part of their primary group, i.e. the group of people who they interact face-to-face and form long-term emotional bonds with (Griffiths et al. 2015:118). The Muslim community is a very tight knit group, with practically everyone knowing each other. Due to the amounts of praying they participate in, it is more likely that members of the Muslim community will interact each other prior to or after praying at the mosque. While it is not required to pray daily at a mosque, there is a congregational prayer at a mosque held each Friday, known as Jumu’ah, where a majority of the Muslim community will attend. I was also told that on occasion, there will be parties within the community where nearly all Muslims in the central Oklahoma region will attend, as another way for them to interact with each other and bond over their religious and cultural beliefs.
While at the mosque, I was able to observe the social structure and organization of Muslim culture. During the Jumu’ah, there was a clear hierarchal structure between those in attendance. The Jumu’ah is led by an imam, or congressional prayer leader, who is chosen as the person most knowledgeable about and preferably has memorized the Qur’an (Mosques and Congregational Prayer 2014). The imam stands on the Minbar, a structure of raised steps, while delivering the sermon. The remaining members all stand behind the imam as he leads the group in reciting religious passages.
There are also gender differences present for Muslim people. There are rules that govern the interaction of men and women. At the mosque, there were separate rooms for men and women to pray in. The imam is usually able to be seen by both groups, but in the case that he is not, he will be broadcast over television to the women’s worship area. Although the Qur’an does not prevent women from worshiping in the mosque, it has been interpreted that it is preferred that women pray at home. Muslim women also typically wear head coverings when out in public. The most common type of head covering is the hijab, which is a scarf that covers the head and neck while leaving the face open. Most Muslim women wear hijabs to represent modesty and womanhood, while also showing obedience to Allah and the Qur’an (Sparrow 2018). For people in which Islam is their out-group, head coverings can be viewed negatively as a form of oppression against women. However, in reality, the hijab is a symbol of cultural and religious identity for Muslim people. Although typically associated with women, I found out that there are men who also wear head coverings. The hijab is a symbol which Muslim people use to express their religious beliefs and align themselves with the cultural traditions of their ancestors.
At the mosque, I was able to observe a typical prayer session. Typically, Muslims pray five times a day. These prayers are known as: Fajr (dawn prayer), Dhuhr (noon), Asr (afternoon), Maghrib (sunset), and Isha’a (night). Each prayer session consists of a series of movements collectively known as rak’a or bowing (Saqib 1986:20). Prayer is the second of the Five Pillars of Islam, making it a formal norm in Muslim culture. Formal norms are established, written rules that detail expected behaviors of a society (Griffiths et al. 2015:58). The prayer pillar establishes the rule that Muslims are to pray five times a day, performing specific movements and reciting passages, while kneeling toward Mecca. The decoration and construction of the mosque also provided a lot of insight into both formal and informal norms of Muslim culture. At the entrance of the mosque, there is an area for people to place their footwear. Removing footwear prior to entering is an informal norm in many cultures that developed to show respect and avoid dirtying the interior of the building. Prior to prayer, Muslims must perform a cleansing ritual known as wudu, another formal norm, where they wash their hands, ears, face, arms, and feet. Mosques will typically have washrooms that are solely used for wudu, but the ritual can also be performed in an outdoor pool or fountain (Gerbis 2010). On the walls of the mosque, there were scriptures and intricate patterns that symbolize important aspects of Islam. There were also bookshelves containing works about Islamic philosophy, traditions, and beliefs (Gerbis 2010). Another of the Five Pillars of Islam is zakat, or charity. Zakat is an expected practice for financially stable Muslims who received their wealth and good fortune from Allah to help members of the community in need. In the mosque, there was a designated spot for zakat.
Islam is a religion rich in unique beliefs, traditions, and rituals. Muslim people exhibit a variety of sociological concepts throughout their lives as a result of their religion. Religion is an important factor in the social development for members of the Muslim community. Islam is primarily based on symbolic interactionism, in which meaning is assigned to objects and actions. Mosques, prayer, charity, and clothing are all important symbols in Muslim culture that enable people to connect not only to their god, but also to each other.