Globalizing Armenia essay

Nowadays globalization is becoming more and more popular. It allows us to meet and experience different cultures, societies, technologies and many other things. It helps different countries to exchange useful information. Globalization just unites people from all over the world. In the n present age globalization has also a great influence on Armenia, which can be seen from our cultural changes, educational changes and religious changes. Globalization allows us to experience different cultures in our country. Many foreign countries have spread their culture, lifestyle in Armenia.First example of these can be the mobile phones we use. They may have been created in China or Japan, but here we use them. Second example can be the cars we use on our streets, which may have been also created in foreign countries. Third can be American culture, which has been spread here through famous American companies such as Coca cola, McDonalds and so on. All we can do is accept cultural changes, which help us to live more comfortable. In Armenia globalization has also affected on our education. Today better and more advanced methods of education have spread in Armenia through globalization.First can be Bologna system, which is used by some Universities in Armenia. Second is learning English language, which makes easier to communicate with foreigners, because English is spoken in almost every country and everybody understand it. Globalization helps us to expand our teaching and learning experience. Today globalization has also a great influence on religion. Now many new religions and religious groups have spread in our country. A result of religious globalization can be different sects, which have been spread here from Europe and are protesting against a church.Globalization needs to be more widely understood by people, especially some of its aspects, which have negative results for our society. So globalization plays an important role in our life. It interferes with culture, edu cation, religion and so on. Globalization helps us to learn more about different countries, their culture and lifestyle. It helps us to expand our knowledge and to live more comfortable and peaceful. Globalization also helps people to create new things but it`s very important to maintain our national values, identity and personality. Globalizing Armenia essay Nowadays globalization is becoming more and more popular. It allows us to meet and experience different cultures, societies, technologies and many other things. It helps different countries to exchange useful information. Globalization just unites people from all over the world. In the n present age globalization has also a great influence on Armenia, which can be seen from our cultural changes, educational changes and religious changes. Globalization allows us to experience different cultures in our country. Many foreign countries have spread their culture, lifestyle in Armenia.First example of these can be the mobile phones we use. They may have been created in China or Japan, but here we use them. Second example can be the cars we use on our streets, which may have been also created in foreign countries. Third can be American culture, which has been spread here through famous American companies such as Coca cola, McDonalds and so on. All we can do is accept cultural changes, which help us to live more comfortable. In Armenia globalization has also affected on our education. Today better and more advanced methods of education have spread in Armenia through globalization.First can be Bologna system, which is used by some Universities in Armenia. Second is learning English language, which makes easier to communicate with foreigners, because English is spoken in almost every country and everybody understand it. Globalization helps us to expand our teaching and learning experience. Today globalization has also a great influence on religion. Now many new religions and religious groups have spread in our country. A result of religious globalization can be different sects, which have been spread here from Europe and are protesting against a church.Globalization needs to be more widely understood by people, especially some of its aspects, which have negative results for our society. So globalization plays an important role in our life. It interferes with culture, edu cation, religion and so on. Globalization helps us to learn more about different countries, their culture and lifestyle. It helps us to expand our knowledge and to live more comfortable and peaceful. Globalization also helps people to create new things but it`s very important to maintain our national values, identity and personality.

Everything’s Arranged

The short story ‘Everything’s Arranged’ by Siew Yue Killingley is about a Ceylonese girl named Rukumani that having a secret affair with a Ceylonese boy named Devanayagam while studying at University. Both of them love each other deeply. As they went for longs term vacation, their secret affair discovered by their parents. The story tells about how these young couple, especially Rukumani has struggled and suffered because of their family members, relatives and their community as they try to get together in life. Her marriage was arranged against her own wish.The main characters in this story are Rukumani and Devanayagam. Meanwhile, the other characters are Johnny Chew, Amy Wong, Mr. Sambanthan, Susheela, Nadarajah, Rukumani’s mother and grandmother, Devanayagam’s father and Auntie Sally. As from the story, the setting of the story might be around early stage after our country’s independence. During that time, love marriages are still alien to Indian cultural. The typical India Community thought fall in love as a big sin and only arranged marriage is allowed. The conflict of the story is about the rejection of love marriages by old generation.The story reveals the conflict faced by the two lovers, Rukumani and Devanayagam, who are secretly in love. Their parents, who do not know about their love story, have arranged a marriage for them, and the problem comes when both of them have to marry to another persons. The first theory that can be related to the story is Feminism Theory, which can be defined as a â€Å"recognition and critique of male supremacy combined with efforts to change it. † Feminist Theory is an outgrowth of the general movement to empower women worldwide, and it involves every sense, including belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.According to the theory, feminists fight for the equality of women and argue that women should share equally in society’s opportunitie s and scare resources. They try to fight for women’s right to be equally and fairly treated in the society, regardless of their gender. There are three ultimate goals of feminism, which include demonstrating the importance of women, revealing that historically women have been subordinate to men, as well as bringing about gender equity. ‘Feminist Theory’ is an umbrella term for Liberal Feminism, Radical Feminism, Socialist Feminism, and also Marxist Feminism.Radical Feminism According to Radical Feminism, male power and privilege is the basis of social relations, and sexism is the ultimate tool used by men to keep women oppressed. As we can see in this story, Rukumani is not allowed to decline the marriage which is arranged by her parents as it is considered as rude. She does not even get the chance to make a decision for her own future. â€Å"The time for her marriage to be arranged would soon come†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Based on this line, we can deduce that sexism is t he ultimate tool used by men to keep women oppressed.Even at the beginning of the story, it is mentioned that Rukumani will soon get married to a guy who she does not know, and it is all arranged by her parents, without considering her feelings. Her father especially, has chosen someone who he thinks is the best for his daughter because of the cheap dowry his family willing to give. Even though Rukumani already has a guy who she loves, she knows that there will be a lot of obstacles that she has to go through for their love, and it might be impossible to continue the relationship because of the arranged marriage.Realizing it or not, Mr Sambanthan, Rukumani’s father, is the one who gives oppression to his own daughter. He thinks that it is his right to find someone to be his daughter’s husband. â€Å"†¦had proved a disgraceful and shameless hussy by rejecting a match with a promising lawyer who was willing to accept a cheap dowry because of her B. Sc†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Rukumani is accused as an ungrateful child after her parents find out about her Chinese friend, Jonny, whom they taught her boyfriend. In this situation, women’s oppression is the deepest as the woman in the story has no right to do the things she likes.On that day, Jonny, who is her classmate, came to her house in order to have a talk with her during the long term vacation. However, her little brother and her mother misunderstand about them, by claiming that Rukumani brings her Chinese boyfriend to their house. It is seen as a very shameful and immoral act, that her mother starts to think of what the society might think about their family. Plus, her mother tends to compare her with the neighbours by saying that their daughters have never brought a man into their houses. Rukumani is oppressed and she does not know what to do in order to set her free.Her parents think that the guy whom they want to take as their son in law as the most perfect match for their daughter without considering Rukumani’s feelings. â€Å"At the same time, they liked to pretend that Rukumani was too spiritual to know everything about sex†¦Ã¢â‚¬  According to this line, women’s oppression is the most widespread as their lives are arranged that they do not have the chance to plan their future by themselves. Men use sexism as their ultimate tool to keep women oppressed. In Rukumani’s family, everything has been planned by her father and no one is capable of objecting it. At times I think of committing suicide but I am not sure how to kill myself. † Referring to this line, we can conclude that women’s oppression causes the most suffering in their lives. In the letter she writes to Auntie Sally, Rukumani has mentioned that she somehow feels to commit suicide for the sadness and oppression she faces because of the arranged marriage. Marrying a guy who she does not even know is not her choice, and she is not willing to do that. At certain extent , she just feels like her life is reaching to an end, which she feels hopeless, hence thinking of committing suicide.However, she does not do that as she does not know the way. It clearly shows that the decision made by her father has caused her to suffer in her life; she does not have freedom to make a decision for her own life. Liberal Feminism Liberal Feminism is about freedom, which all people are created equal and should not be denied equality of opportunity because of gender. It highlights the efforts on social change through the construction of legislation and regulation of employment practices. However, in this short story, the bias towards men can be clearly seen. †¦he could go out to shows with his friends.† During the long vacation, Devanayagam can still hang out with his friends, but not for Rukumani. In their culture, women are not allowed to freely go out with their friends, and they are strictly controlled by their parents. It is not fair for Rukumani as sh e also has feelings and freedom to do the things she likes, just like men have. The freedom should be equally given to everyone, regardless of their gender. Just like men, women can as well manage their own lives independently and should not be restricted just because of one’s wish.Psychoanalysis According to Sigmund Freud there are parts that involve in humans’ lives, which are id, ego, and superego. Id allows humans to get their basic needs met. Freud believed that the id is based on pleasure principal. In other words, the id wants whatever feels good at the time, with no consideration for the reality of the situation. The id does not care about the needs of anyone else; it is only its own satisfaction. As in ego, which is the second part, the personality begins to develop after interacting more and more with the world.The ego, which is based on reality principle, understands that other people have needs and desires and that sometimes being impulsive or selfish can h urt us in the long run. It is the ego’s job to meet the needs of the id, while taking into consideration the reality of the situation. The ego acts a balancer or reminder, and it puts limitations to the id. It tells us whether our particular action is right or wrong. In this short story, Mr Sambanthan, who is Rukumani’s father, has a very strong id. He does not even care about others’ feelings whenever he wants to make a decision.He has been arranging Rukumani’s marriage without even discussing with her, as knows that he has power to anything he wants to. â€Å"The time for her marriage to be arranged would soon come and she would find out all about that after she was married. † This line clearly shows Rukumani will only know about her own marriage after she get married, and there is someone who is planning for her. With a very strong id, Mr Sambanthan wants the marriage to be successful without even realizing that he is actually being unfair to hi s daughter.He only takes his feelings into consideration, and neglects others’. As a good father, he should first discuss with her daughter, and think of her feelings, as this matter is related to his daughter’s future. Instead, he rules everything in the house and once blaming his wife for not teaching good morals to Rukumani. Because of this, Rukumani feels so sad and worried if she had to break up with his boyfriend and got married with a guy she does not love, or even knows. â€Å"At times I think of committing suicide but I am not sure how to kill myself. In the other hand, the ego makes Rukumani not to kill herself because of the problem.Rukumani once mentions in the letter she writes for Auntie Sally that she is thinking of committing suicide as a result of the pressure she feels. However, she does not do that thing as she is still able to think rationally. Nevertheless, Rukumani also has the strong id as she eventually tells her parents and the guys’ th at she has a boyfriend that she loves. The action is considered as rude, and it is the reason why the guy’s family rejects her, and do not want to proceed with the marriage.

A Research Study On Evolution And Evolution Essay -- Evolution, Creation

According to The Huffington Post, only 66% of adults in the U.S. believe in evolution and about half of the 66% believe that there was a divine being guiding evolution (Kaleem). A lot more people believe in creationism than expected. In order to know the full significance of this statistic, one must first know what it means. We have learned in school that evolution is thought to be a long-term, ongoing process by which single-celled organisms grew to be complicated organisms through natural selection. Natural selection occurs when organisms with the best traits survive to reproduce more, making those traits more common and effectively changing the species over time ("Natural Selection: Charles†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). The rest of the 33% of adults in the previous statistic believe that humans have existed in their current form since the beginning (Kaleem). In other words, these remaining people are likely creationists. Generally, a creationist believes that a god or some divine power created the earth and the heavens out of nothing, through its own will. This creator will interact with his or her world as necessary (Ruse). Using this definition, Christians would be considered creationists. Now, when factoring in the amount of Christians in the United States, that 33% makes more sense. Naturally, these two ideas clash. Their very definitions negate the other’s. Evolutionists and creationists have an ongoing battle about which one is more valid due to the extensive amount of accreditation and history the ideas possess. The study and idea of evolution have been going on for a long time and there is a great deal of history behind the theory. An article reports that even before Charles Darwin, scientists and philosophers the possibility of an â€Å"intelligent being† (â€Å"Creationism Should Be†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) Teaching evolution would also be bad for students, according to Christians. Some blame modern science for diluting the integrity of God and man. Fighting for creationism in schools is a righteous act in their minds and these creationists must do their best to bring Americans back to a God. (â€Å"Neither Creationism nor†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). There are plenty of reasons why each theory should be taught in school. However, the question still stands of whether or not they should be. From a fair perspective, they should both be taught. However, from a legal standpoint, only evolution should be taught. Perhaps one day the United States will not have to worry about this issue. According to a study, the amount of non-religious youth and adults have been increasing for several generations and this trend will continue (Lipka).

Review #3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Review #3 - Essay Example The appearance of hand axes is evidenced in the Lower Paleolithic period as used by the Homo erectus. The initial radiation Homo erectus is found to emerge from Africa and Eurasia. The evolution of this species of Homo sapiens dates back to approximately 160,000 years from both Africa and Eurasia. Ultimately, Homo sapiens are described as more civilized humans, with the appearance of bows and arrows being linked to Homo sapiens sapiens in the past 10, 000 years. The five part discussion in this article have an historical significance to the humans as they help in understanding the origin of mankind. From the 5 parts of the article it is possible to ascertain that human beings have through the evolution become wiser, from one ancient period the other. This is crucial to human understanding that every generation that emerges is always at a better intellection capability than the preceding one. Lastly, the entire five parts of the article focuses on the origin of humankind based on many assumptions that do not embrace a religious account of the creation of human beings. The differently can only be seen as an opposed illustration of evolution of human from a primitive ape, which highly differ from religious

Which of the current management challenges,globalization,managing Assignment

Which of the current management challenges,globalization,managing adiverse workforse, technological innovation and ethics are likely to have the greast impact on Googles future operation - Assignment Example For instance, managing a diverse workforce and adhering to ethical and moral codes of conduct would continue to impact the organization’s future operations; therefore, management must be adept in apprising themselves of current and future trends affecting these areas. However, there are more relevant issues affecting technological applications where Google could be affected; such as security issues, breaching privacy and confidentiality concerns and protection of personal and organizational domain from hackers, cyber terrorism, and other forms of intrusion. As such, Google’s future operation would depend on how their organization could significantly assist in the improvement and solution of cybercrime, for instance, or other concerns affecting future technological applications. By reinventing themselves and by assuming a proactive stance in scanning the external global environment for opportunities and addressing eminent threats, Google should be able to sustain market dominance and leadership in

Real Estate Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Real Estate Law - Essay Example While denying Steinichen's motion for new trial, the trial court ruled that Steinichen gave up her right to point to the special master's report and the trial court's judgment by running out to object to the report before the trial court adopted it. On further appeal, Steinichen argues that this ruling was error. Thus, the Trial court's judgment was reversed and the case was remanded to the trial court for it to address the merits of Steinichen's motion for new trial(http://www.lexisone.com/lx1/caselaw/freecaselawaction=FCLRetrieveCaseDetail&caseID=7&format=FULL&resultHandle=ae14b712d0559ea22a3d8054440e2522&pageLimit=10&xmlgTotalCount=89&combinedSearchTerm=adverse+possession&juriName=Georgia&sourceFile=STATES;GACTS accessed on 21 October 2009). At issue is title to a rectangular-shaped piece of real property with dimension of 25 feet by 75 feet in Hoschton, Georgia. The appellant filed an appeal to quiet title against the entire world with regard to four contiguous parcels of real property. The appellee and the owner of the property adjacent to that of appellant, Larry Stancil, filed an answer and counterclaim in which he contended he held fee simple title to the property at issue. Consistent to OCGA 23-3-63, the case was presented to a special master who quieted title to three of the four Tracts in Stancil after ruling that Steinichen had failed to present evidence-establishing title to those parcels. As to the fourth parcel, the special master ruled that Steinichen had failed to carry her burden of proof to establish title, and that Stancil had presented sufficient evidence to establish adverse possession under color of title as well as prescriptive title without color of title. The trial court figured an order assuming the findings and the testimonial of the special master and announced Stancil as the holder of fee simple title to all the property in dispute. This appeal follows the denial of Steinichen's motion for new trial (http://www.lexisone.com/lx1/caselaw/freecaselawaction=FCLRetrieveCaseDetail&caseID=7&format=FULL&resultHandle=ae14b712d0559ea22a3d8054440e2522&pageLimit=10&xmlgTotalCount=89&combinedSearchTerm=adverse+possession&juriName=Georgia&sourceFile=STATES;GACTS accessed on 21 October 2009). Appellee's Argument Steinichen does not take issue with the trial court's finding that she was not able to prove her title to the disputed tract. Instead, she maintains that the manifest was deficient to back up the conclusion that Stancil had gained the property by adverse possession. "To establish title by adverse possession, whether by twenty years or seven years under color of title, a party must show possession not originated in fraud that is public, continuous, exclusive, uninterrupted

Enterprise resource planning Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Enterprise resource planning - Research Paper Example By definition, Extended ERP components is the entire set of collaborating companies, both up-stream and down-stream, from raw materials to end-use consumption, that work together to bring value to the market- place. The advantages of extended enterprise derive from a firm’s ability to quickly utilize the entire network of suppliers, vendors, buyers, and customers. The flows of information that lie at the core of the coordination and collaboration among network members not only link disparate information sources, they also provide an opportunity to build knowledge based tools. Companies engage in long term partnering relationships built around mutual goals and accompanied by very rich and deep exchange of information. Members view that their element of joint action, value chain partners as still retaining some aspects of self serving behavior. Business intelligence (BI) is an information technology concept, representing current state of the historical development of information technologies. This development started in the mid 1960s with the first versions of management information systems (MIS).Therefore BI is more than the fashion and needs to be defined, categorized and explained and analyzed. Of course, information systems are an important variable determining the design of organizations and demand in some cases organizational restructuring processes. Thus BI has direct impact on the organizational structure without giving any direct recommendations and prescriptions as to what the organization is supposed to end up like. CRM uses information technology to create a cross-functional enterprise system that integrates and automates many of the customer-serving processes such as sales, marketing, and services that interact with a company’s customers. CRM systems also create an IT framework of Web-enabled software and databases that integrates these processes with the rest of a company’s business operations. CRM systems include a family of software

UnSpun Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

UnSpun - Essay Example Some consider it as a city with all the various societies ranging from business to private users. It makes users feel close to each other while in reality they are distance apart and this distance causes disorientation and confusion for users. The Great Crow Fallacy discusses on how the thoughts of a person and his or her unprofessional observations were highly manipulated into becoming facts which had been researched. According to this chapter, saying about something does not make it to be so one does not have to believe in everything they hear. This chapter also states that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence and so one should ask about the origin of the claim. A person should also ask questions whenever possible on any evidence. The chapter emphasizes on believing on data more than anything else. The first presidential debate 2012 in USA between Mitt Romney and Barrack Obama can be used to bring about the great crow fallacy. In the debate, Mitt Romney is seen to be correcting misleading statements uttered by Obama about Romney’s plan for health care and entitlement reform. The people of the United States voted for Obama from his sayings that he was out for change. The people therefore believed in him as a pro human rights activist who will stand up and bring every injustice to justice and transparency. However, these expectations were barely met after 100 days upon his election as he is on record in terms of the US encounter to the terrorism polices to have been reviewed by the Amnesty International report. This brings about the great crow fallacy as Obamas words prior to the election does not hold on through out. Here Romney is seen to accuse Joe Biden of making misleading statements on the consulate attack in Libya. This brings about the concept of the great crow fallacy as saying about the misleading statements does not make it be true as this may have been mare

Discuss the role played by morality or obligation in Antigone Essay

Discuss the role played by morality or obligation in Antigone - Essay Example Creon had passed over the instructions that forbade everybody to bury the dead body of Polyneices. Creon wanted the dead body of Polyneices to rot and get eaten up by wild animals and vultures because Polyneice had died as a traitor in an attempt to attack the city. Antigone, like many people in her time, held a belief that the souls of deceased people remain restless as long as they are not buried. Not only did Antigone take a stand against Creon’s decision of leaving Polyneices’ body unburied, she actually took practical measures that prove her sincerity. However, it was not easy to go against the consent of the powerful ruler of the time. When Antigone had decided to bury her brother’s dead body, she knew she was going to risk her life and was most likely to be assassinated for her act. However, the fear of worldly punishment could not keep her from carrying out the orders of her gods. Not only did Antigone comply with the standards of morality on burying the dead body of Polyneice, but also, she would not let Ismene take the charge for having done the job because this would put Ismene into trouble. This causes the reader to draw conclusions about Antigone that she was daring, courageous, bold, prudent and considerate. She offered so much importance to her moral values that she would happily embrace death to live up to them.

Social and economic Essay Example for Free

Social and economic Essay Aka fathers spend a high degree (almost half of their time) with their infants due to the cultural acceptance of this and the bond that is already in place with the mother. It is socially acceptable in this tribe and since the Aka do not hunt, the men have more time available to them. So economically, it is smart for the men to care for their children while women forage and farm to keep a strong symbiotic relationship with other tribes around them. Since, the men do not hunt and engage in more parenting than other tribes, they are not out competing with these other tribes and do not have any enemies for this reason, there is no warring or aggressiveness displayed by Aka fathers, because it would be detrimental to their survival. Other tribes are engaged in more aggressive behavior and this is dangerous, as the Aka (with their foraging through the jungle) are cited to be at a very high risk for the Ebola virus, so these fathers pay strong attention to the safety and closeness of their offspring. Describe the differences between father-infant bonding between the Aka and Americans. What are some of the cultural explanations for these differences? Parenting in any group is contingent upon money, time, and perceived power. Americans believe that fathers have more power in the family and that child-bonding is something that a mother can more powerfully achieve, while fathers are entitled to what is believed to be more important than bonding and that is providing monetarily. This power structure is strongly embedded in the American culture and is in direct contrast with the Akas. The Akas believe that caring for children is an equal enterprise between loving, bonded parents. There are no cultural sanctions on the fathers for spending time with their children (time that many American fathers do not have do to working outside the home). American fathers, if they do find time to bond to a high degree with their children, may find themselves labeled as feminine and this does not happen with Aka fathers. It is fair to say that the American culture overall is masculine in nature while they Akas are more androgynous.

Effect of Enlightenment on Punishment

Effect of Enlightenment on Punishment Punishment is a concept which is open to many definitions in a sense that, when looking at crime and punishment, the definition depends purely on the place, culture and beliefs that an individual associates themselves with. When we look at crime and punishment in particular, the meaning behind punishment differs due to it being a concept that can be defined in many different ways, for instance, a â€Å"the legal process whereby violators of criminal law are condemned and sanctioned in accordance with specified legal categories and procedures† (Garland, 1990, p. 17) or in a more general sense â€Å"the act of inflicting a consequence or penalty on someone as a result of their wrong doing, or the consequence or penalty itself† (Your Dictionary, 2015). Throughout history we have seen a drastic change in not only the way that a criminal receives punishment, but also the environment in which the individual is placed, shifting from the general public humiliation and intense p hysical punishment to punishment of one’s personal ability to think and reason in a private sphere. Furthermore, this paper is going to look further at the movement of intense punishment of the body in the public eye to seeing how punishment has lessened over time by punishing the mind in a private environment, also critically analysing what it is that we consider to be ‘punishment’ today. Throughout the early eighteenth century, offenders were prone to incapacitation devices and corporal punishment such as stocks, the pillory, flogging, stretching, etc. which were located in a public space in an attempt to humiliate or deride the offender hoping to prevent future offending or re-offending (Miethe Lu, 2005). In saying that, these systems did not only apply to those criminals who went against societal norms but they also applied to individuals or groups of people who did not follow the law properly in terms of religion. Classen (2012), mentioned that throughout the Middle Ages, it was known as the period that was filled with law-breaking criminals, violence, blood feuds, anarchy, vengeance and also exposing the people to groups of criminals such as gangs and murderers. In saying that, due to the shortage of surveillance and technology in this period of time, this meant that innocent people were more likely to be punished if there were no eye witnesses present at the ti me of the â€Å"crime†. Knowing that there was a lack of surveillance and technology meant that an innocent individual were more likely to be punished for a crime that they did not commit. Furthermore, when looking at the huge impact that violence had on this time period and combining it with the understanding that the law was not systematized, this could have welcomed not only the opportunity to use public corporal punishment in assorted ways but also punish an individual tyrannically no matter how severe the crime is (White, Haines, Asquith, 2012). As we begun to approach the eighteenth century, we not only saw the rise into the Enlightenment era, but we also begun see some movement in terms of punishment where it focussed on independence, reason and logic over tradition. Not to mention, that this was the time period in which we saw the arrival of Classical Criminology, which then gave the view that criminals were considered to be rational thinkers who committed an offence of their own accord. However, the main key here is that this idea saw punishment as being prompt and corresponding to the offence that was committed. Classical theorists created a starting point in terms of authority systems which contradicts tyrannical punishment by offering other ways in which they can punish an offender through non-violent means. One major example of this would be from that of Michel Foucault, who further developed Jeremy Bentham’s concept of the Panoptican. The make of the panoptican is seen as a circular structure which contains a surveillance tower which contains prison cells around it. In saying that, the main reason behind this panoptican was to try and prevent the occurrence of bad behaviour by presenting prisoners with the delusion that they are put under surveillance watch 24/7. Even though the inmate knows that they are constantly being watched, they still do not know when it is exactly that the guards are watching them. This ends up leading to why this model was created, to increase good behaviour (Foucault, 1977). In addition, it is evident that a plan set up to shift public corporal punishment to the mind and the private sphere through using Bentham’s notion of the panoptican model as one of the many alternatives, although, this then meant that inmates freedom was taken from them by punishing offenders through the introduction to prison. That being said, the delusion that inmates are being watched constantly could possibly considered to be a move toward the punishment of the mind in a way th at the prisoner knows that they are on watch 24/7, perhaps resulting in mental health issues, an example of this is paranoia. Furthermore, notions that were put forward throughout the Enlightenment era have been developed and are the reason as to why there is a huge emphasis on alternative punishment instead of corporal today’s society. Throughout the Enlightenment era, the work that was proposed by many theorists has had a huge impact on punishment that is seen in more modern societies. When looking back to the traditional way in terms of punishment and how much of an emphasis there was on the punishment of the body in the public eye and comparing it to the alternative ideas of punishment that had appeared throughout the Enlightenment period, this has introduced brand new and more effective notions which transform from punishments of the body to the punishment of the mind. In addition, this is evident in today’s societies with the increase in the number of offenders who are being sentenced to prison, illustrating the shift where instead of forcing pain on the body, it is instead inflicted on the mind through not only restricting an inmate’s rights and independence but also restricting them from coming into contact with the public. This idea is visible in combination with other forms of punishment that are exercised inside and outside of the prison. One of the many alternative ideas that are exercised in the prison is that of solitary confinement which is also known as an individual who is prohibited from coming in to contact with anyone outside apart from prison staff where one may be prone to conditions where they are sent to windowless or close-confined rooms. In addition, exercising this practice by depriving an inmate of contact with the outside world can potentially create mental health issues for this individual such as emotional damage, a breakdown in terms of language development and in a more severe case, it could possibly make an inmate hallucinate or become deluded. Solitary confinement is one of many practices which show that the change from the public corporal punishment to the mind in the private sphere is evident in contemporary societies. One can argue that the movement from public corporal punishment to an individual’s mental thinking in a private space has not changed and this can be seen in many modern societies where there are many faults in the system of punishment. Though the system is encouraged to punish an offender in a non-violent way, there are a lot of defects present in today’s society that negate the idea of punishment of one’s mind in a private location. This can be seen in the way in which the environment that an offender is sentenced to. In addition, whilst an offender is sent to prison, it may not be seen as â€Å"non-violent†, however, the conditions inside that environment may be the exact opposite. An example of this can be seen in movies like Shawshank Redemption, when the offender (Andy Dufresne) became exposed to violence and many other horrific acts, not to mention that he also became a target for other prisoners which, he then had no choice but to defend himself in order to survive. This goes to show that the environment in which an individual is exposed to in the prison, can force those who are non-violent to turn to violence in an attempt to defend oneself from the chance of being attacked. Therefore transforming a non-violent offender into a violent one (Gilligan, 2001). Moreover, in terms of what has been said, the real question that we must ask ourselves is what is actually counted as punishment? Is it the sentence that has been given or is it also the conditions that one receives inside the prison? Another defect that is seen in terms of the shift from punishment of the body to the mind is shown where, although capital punishment is known as pain forced on to the body through violent means, there is another way in which punishment may not be necessarily considered to be corporal but it is, it is just that the way in which they are dealt with are done through non-violent means. One example can be seen where an offender is designated a hard labour job (as seen in the 1800’s and still present today) for example, the treadwheel, building roads and stone breaking where although it may not be seen as physical pain inflicted to the body, as time goes on, it will show as the inmate gets older and their body slowly starts to break down (Scarre, 2003). A second example is seen where prisoners are also deprived of the necessities in life such as a clean environments and good nutrition. Although, this may not be seen as direct pain to the body, it does affect the individual in a way that eating choices and food preferences and food intake are limited whilst in prison. Not only does this limit the prisoner of the health and nutrition that is required to help them make it through the day but also it could expose the prisoner to problems in terms of the kitchen staff such as the concern of cooking standards, hygiene and illnesses. As mentioned by Smith (2002), majority of women that she had interviewed in prison were concerned about the effects that the food would have on them such as weight loss and gain, diarrhoea, vomiting and constipation. Again, this may not be considered as corporal punishment, but it still punishes the body in terms of health. Furthermore, we again have to question whether the sentence is the punishment or is it also the conditions that come with it. It can also be argued that there has not been a complete shift in terms of the punishment in the eye of the public to the private sphere. When looking at the history of punishment and comparing it to contemporary society, punishment is nowhere near is public as it used to be. However, punishment is still visible to the public. An example of this is seen in community service workers where they â€Å"serve their sentence in the community rather than in the prison† (Department of Corrections, 2015). This means that an individual is exposed to the community, knowing that the public know that they are on probation and they are not doing it voluntarily. This is seen in New Zealand where community service workers are put in front of public places. It is easy to distinguish community service workers from your average worker as they usually work in groups doing hard labour jobs but the main thing that gives it away is the clothing, usually you will notice that there is a strip on the b ack of their clothing mentioning â€Å"community service†. Another flaw that contradicts the idea that punishment has moved from bodily punishments in front of the public eye to the private sphere is seen within the court system. What is meant by that is, the courts are the main place in which sentences are usually given to criminals and also a location where the community are welcome to observe the sentence that is being given to a criminal. Moreover, this is the case in New Zealand where the public are able to, in a sense, contribute insofar by observing the punishment that is handed to an offender, bearing in mind that there are some cases in which the public are unable to view (Courts of New Zealand, 2015). In saying that, this just goes to show that in terms of punishment, although it may not physical, public humiliation is still present in modern societies but to an extent when comparing it to the eighteenth century. Social media and the media in general allows for punishment to become visible by allowing the public to gain access to it by using several mediums such as the radio, the internet through live streaming or looking at online news articles, television programmes, such as the crime investigation channel or by simply watching the news. Not only does this illustrate that punishment is accessible to members of the public but it also allows them to become more knowledgeable by being exposed to crime and punishment through what is used by individuals daily. Although the public may not observe the punishment that is given to an offender, they are given the opportunity to get up to date through news reports, articles or even if they are lucky, through a photo which is then taken of the individual receiving the sentence. In addition, we must keep in mind that reporters look in particular for crimes that are more gruesome or crimes that they know would be of public interest so they are more like ly to exaggerate the crimes to get more of a following from the public (Bradley Walters, 2011). Furthermore, these examples show that punishment in the public eye is still present in today’s society but not as bad as it was in the past. However, when looking at this example in particular, it shows the power that reporters have over people not only in terms of making punishment and crime visible to the public but also the way in which they can distort the crimes knowing that they will keep the public interested. In conclusion, this essay has shown how the enlightenment era has had a major impact on the practices that are seen in terms of punishment today. In addition, it has also looked at how punishment has altered over time and periods where the intensity of punishment has lessened by shifting from the traditional corporal punishment and public humiliation to a more modern shift of punishment of the mind and in the private sphere looking more at taking away an offenders rights and freedom. However, even though the shift of bodily punishments in front of a general public setting to the punishment of an individual’s mind in more of a private location is present in modern societies, it is still seen in some cases that this may not be true as mentioned in the examples given above. The question that still stands in my essay is in today’s society, has there really been a shift from public capital punishment to private punishment of the mind. Bibliography Bradley, T., Walters, R. (2011). Introduction to criminological thought. Auckland: Pearson. Classen, A. (2012). Crime and Violence in the Middle Ages: The Cases of Heinrich der Glicheares Reinhard Fuchs and Wernher der Gartaneres Helmbricht. In A. Classen, C. Scarborough (Eds.), Crime and Punishment in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age (pp. 131-158). Berlin, Germany: Walter de Gruyter. Courts of New Zealand. (2015, April 03). The Role of the Courts. Retrieved from Courts of New Zealand: https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/about/system/role/overview Department of Corrections. (2015, April 02). In the Community. Retrieved from Department of Corrections: http://www.corrections.govt.nz/working_with_offenders/community_sentences.html Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and Punish: The Birth of Prison. (A. Sheridan, Trans.) London: Penguin. Garland, D. (1990). Punishment and Modern Society. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. Gilligan, J. (2001). Preventing Violence. London: James Hudson, Ltd. Miethe, T., Lu, H. (2005). Punishment: A comparative Historical Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Scarre, G. (2003). Corporal Punishment. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 6(3), 295-316. Smith, C. (2002). Punishment and Pleasure: Women, Food and the Imprisoned 1. The Sociological Review, 50(2), 197-214. White, R., Haines, F., Asquith, N. (2012). Classical Theory. In R. White, F. Haines, N. Asquith , Crime Criminology (pp. 23-41). Sydney: Oxford University Press. Your Dictionary. (2015, April 02). Punishment. Retrieved from Your Dictionary: http://www.yourdictionary.com/punishment

Essay --

There are many similarities and differences in the readings of Plato’s The Allegory Cave, Descartes’ Mediation and The Matrix. These stories share an alternative perception to reality and the implications that it is caused on the individuals who are affected by this alteration. These stories share skepticism of validity in the perception of reality. Firstly, these three stories, The Matrix, The Allegory Cave, and Mediation, share common similarities that questions the authenticity of the world around them and doubts their perceived perception of reality and its validity. Descartes discussed the possibility that everyone is dreaming and that our actions involving eye opening, moving our head, hands and our body are illusions.(Descartes, 1641) Plato also regarded the perception of men who were restrained to look forward only could only perceive objects and passersby as their shadows. Plato stated that these prisoners’ perception of reality would be no more than just shadows of objects.(Plate, 514-518) The Matrix relates with Descartes theory based on the fact that in The Matrix, there is a computer system that controls everyone’s mind in a computer-generated virtual dream world. These stories ask deeper questions on the basis of man’s perception of reality and the possibility that our minds and perceptions ar e controlled by something else and that something else determines our reality. (Wachowski, 1999) Secondly, although these three stories share common similarities about the validity of reality, they have distinguishing differences that separate them from one another. The Matrix depicts a stepford-like society that is completely controlled by the computer system. However, there is a group of individuals who have overcome their p... ...me where those who are living in an illusion will have to come to terms with reality eventually. The time in which that happens, those who are living in the illusion will have a much harder time trying to comprehend the true reality which would cause more troubles and problems than living with the harshness in the first place. Finally, The Matrix, The Allegory Cave, and Mediation all have significant importance is revelation of the perceived perception of reality and the validity of that reality. Each story has its own unique twist to whom or what has the control over that perception. The stories give the reader the opportunity to dive deeper into this meaning of reality. The skepticism that is used is relatable in each individual’s lives. Individuals have to determine what they perceive to be real and true and what they believe to be opinions that are truly false. Essay -- There are many similarities and differences in the readings of Plato’s The Allegory Cave, Descartes’ Mediation and The Matrix. These stories share an alternative perception to reality and the implications that it is caused on the individuals who are affected by this alteration. These stories share skepticism of validity in the perception of reality. Firstly, these three stories, The Matrix, The Allegory Cave, and Mediation, share common similarities that questions the authenticity of the world around them and doubts their perceived perception of reality and its validity. Descartes discussed the possibility that everyone is dreaming and that our actions involving eye opening, moving our head, hands and our body are illusions.(Descartes, 1641) Plato also regarded the perception of men who were restrained to look forward only could only perceive objects and passersby as their shadows. Plato stated that these prisoners’ perception of reality would be no more than just shadows of objects.(Plate, 514-518) The Matrix relates with Descartes theory based on the fact that in The Matrix, there is a computer system that controls everyone’s mind in a computer-generated virtual dream world. These stories ask deeper questions on the basis of man’s perception of reality and the possibility that our minds and perceptions ar e controlled by something else and that something else determines our reality. (Wachowski, 1999) Secondly, although these three stories share common similarities about the validity of reality, they have distinguishing differences that separate them from one another. The Matrix depicts a stepford-like society that is completely controlled by the computer system. However, there is a group of individuals who have overcome their p... ...me where those who are living in an illusion will have to come to terms with reality eventually. The time in which that happens, those who are living in the illusion will have a much harder time trying to comprehend the true reality which would cause more troubles and problems than living with the harshness in the first place. Finally, The Matrix, The Allegory Cave, and Mediation all have significant importance is revelation of the perceived perception of reality and the validity of that reality. Each story has its own unique twist to whom or what has the control over that perception. The stories give the reader the opportunity to dive deeper into this meaning of reality. The skepticism that is used is relatable in each individual’s lives. Individuals have to determine what they perceive to be real and true and what they believe to be opinions that are truly false.

Essay examples --

Minority entrepreneurs have many barriers they have to overcome in order to be successful. Some typical problems they face are limited access to capital, lower equity investments, and less exposure to entrepreneurship. Minority entrepreneurs are twice as likely to be turned down for traditional lending, which can discourage them from even applying for a loan. Not only that but they are less likely to be considered by traditional or angel investors. They also generally live in run down areas, with poor schooling and less access to successful people. One entrepreneur who has hurdled over all the barriers and became extremely successful is Russell Simmons, the co-founder of Def Jam Records. Biography of Russell Simmons Russell Simmons was born in Queens, New York, on October 4, 1957. Growing up in Queens, he spent part of his adolescent years as a street hustler. During his middle school years, he sold marijuana and was even a member of a local gang. He was arrested twice on other charges and was given probation. At eighteen he began taking college classes in the New York area and started working at an Oranje Julius, but financed his clubbing lifestyle by selling fake cocaine. One night in 1977 while at a club he saw the clubbers going crazy over a song from Eddie Cheeba, an early rapper and DJ, he decided that it was the sound of the future. Simmons quit selling fake drugs and left college to begin promoting concerts and forming his own management company for artists. He called his company Rush Management. He managed Kurtis Blow, and Run-D.M.C.. In 1884 he partnered with Rick Ruban and founded Def Jam Recordings and starting the cultural revolution known as hip-hop. Businesses & Industries  ¬Ã‚ ¬Russell Simmons has his fingers in a ... ...nced everything from music to finance and philanthropy. He has been the architect in creating the trends in current pop culture. A majority of Simmons’ endeavors would fall into the venture opportunity school of thought, and he took an integrative approach. My Thoughts Simmons built an entertainment empire, with hip-hop at the foundation. By fighting for hip-hop, even when everyone said it was a fad Simmons taught me that, even if everyone doubts something, all it will take is one person to believe and to fight for what they believe in. I also learned that if one person starts to work towards a goal, it would pave the way for others to follow. Simmons often said that â€Å"Black culture or urban culture is for all people who buy into it and not just for black people. Whether it’s film or TV or records or advertisement or clothing, I don’t accept the box they put me in.†

The Civil Rights Movement Essay -- Black struggle for civil rights in A

"Our problem today is that we have allowed the internal to become lost in the external"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today's world is based on appearance, and most often the goal is not as important as the means by which it is achieved. Why is this such a 'problem?' Time after time, people come to find that they have wasted their lives working towards a goal which, in the end, was never worth all that work to begin with, or they realize that they could have gone about their actions differently. The people of modern America are all about living live for the moment, taking risks, not making sacrifices, and never yielding to 'the long run'. Looking at the world of 2015, one can witness the apex of human civilization. Who can question the customs, morals, and nature of today's Americans, without arguing with results?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Consider the Civil Rights Movement (1954-1991). The integration of the two races would have gone a lot easier and faster if both sides discarded their internal principles and beliefs and did their best to make the other side happy, thus creating an equal society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Until Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, certain literacy tests restricted black voting. This was a decent attempt to meet black demands, but the act only opened voting rights to uneducated people (black and white) and put more control in their hands, which was a mistake. That now leaves the question, ?why were there so many more illiterate blacks than whites?...

Acadamic Misconduct

Academic misconduct is described as academic integrity violation for the unfair advantage of oneself or unfair academic advantage or disadvantage to others in academic community, academic misconduct can be a plagiarism, cheating, and collusion but not limited. The other academic misconduct activities such as not obeying academic staff directions regarding assessments and group work submissions, falsifying reports, having/spreading examination materials without unit teacher permission, arranging someone to do assessment work all these included as academic misconduct.If an allegation arises towards a student and if it’s proven in an investigation then student has to face penalties under student academic misconduct policy. In this essay we going to discuss in brief about plagiarism, cheating, collusion and academic misconduct procedural process depending on minor or substantial misconduct when allegations arise and appeal for the student.As per UWS policy Plagiarism is defined as an â€Å"act of presenting material as one’s own without appropriate acknowledgement that constitutes plagiarism, not the intension of the student when doing so†, for example when student submits work in which words or ideas are presented as their own as intentional or unintentional without proper acknowledgment of the original author such as website, other students work, lecture, journal article or book.Cheating is described as any attempt to give or obtain assistance in a formal academic exercise such as examination, without due acknowledgment such as speaking to other students during examination, carrying any information materials such as textbooks, using electronics devices such as mobile, Bluetooth any other items which are prohibited by examination supervisor. Collusion is where two or more people engage in plagiarism, cheating or encourage others to do so.According to UWS Academic misconduct policy there are Minor misconduct and substantial misconduct. A Minor misconduct is determine by the university as a minimal threat to integrity of the student assessment in writing such as lack of referencing or academic requirements. A substantial misconduct is determine by the university as a major threat to integrity such as, when a student repeats minor misconduct activities intentionally, any allegations in the examination and any allegations related to collusion.In the process of investigating the allegations unit teacher, unit coordinator, Dean, school academic committee and student academic committee will be involved. in the first stage of Investigation process and hearing of academic misconduct, If unit teacher or examination supervisor believe that there is any academic misconduct happened, and they have evidence or reasons to support, teacher of the unit will report to unit coordinator with relevant documentation by signed copy or email, then with in five working days unit coordinator will send copy of allegation to the Dean.The dean, will advise unit coordinator to do investigation, and then unit coordinator and unit teacher decides to do further investigation, unit teacher will notify the student and invite for meeting in writing by post and email. Student can attend meeting with fellow student or university academic staff member or a student welfare officer. Meeting will be organised between 8 – 15 working days after on invitation letter despatch date. Student must respond to the invitation with in seven working days date of despatch whether he / she will attend the meeting or not.The decision will be made on the allegation even in the student absence. If unit coordinator decides that the allegation is not substantial he / she will dismiss it. Other penalties like refer to academic counselling, student require to re-submit assessment task after re-submission unit coordinator makes a decision on the marks and grades student may get zero marks. If the unit coordinator determine its substantial he/ she will be referred to relevant dean for decision.After going through all the process as discussed earlier in which case the unit coordinator will send the invitation letter to student for meeting with dean. After meeting if dean decides it’s not substantial dean will dismiss the allegation. When dean decides the allegations substantial then dean can penalise student such as recommend to counselling, ask for re-submission of work, if required student has to sit for exam again, dean will decide marks and grades. If dean judges that the allegation very substantial or too serious then dean refers that allegation to SAC (student academic committee).After going all the process as discussed above, student will have meeting with SAC members. After meeting if SAC decides if allegation are true it will take any action of dean penalties or combination of them, or suspend the student from university minimum period of 6months not more than 12 months, or dismiss the student for minimum of 12 months not more than 24 months in this case student has to apply for readmission or SAC can suspend the student permanently from the university.A student can appeal against the unit coordinators decision when student considers that the decision was made against the procedural fairness or when student not agreeing with allegations or when student considers that there is a substantial new evidence which was not available previously to unit coordinator or when student considers the penalty imposed by unit coordinator was too severe. Student must appeal within 15 days with evidence in writing to dean from the date of the letter advising of unit coordinators decision.It is the responsibility of every student to respect and obey the policy of UWS for academic misconduct to maintain academic integrity among academic community, when allegations were proven the student has to face severe penalties imposed by university academic committee besides the appeal options for student, The best option for students is to work hard on their own and get help when needed from academic teachers before submitting any academic work.

Basketball vs Baseball

Basketball and baseball are among the most popular sports in the United States. Baseball has been around the longest, but it’s definitely not the best sport to watch or play. Basketball is a much more exciting sport to watch, be a fan of, and play than baseball because players are more athletic, it’s easier to play, and more fun to follow. Basketball players are some of the most athletic people in the world. The average basketball player can run faster and jump higher than the average baseball player. Some of baseball’s best players have been completely out of shape – from Babe Ruth to David Wells to Prince Fielder.Basketball players also rely on training and conditioning to stay in shape. Michael Jordan won 6 championships in the 90s, when the game was even more physical than today’s, by hiring the best trainers that money could buy. Barry Bonds broke the home run record by allegedly hiring the best trainers that could buy him steroids. Any time a feat in baseball is achieved, there are always questions that taint the sport. Whenever a feat in basketball is achieved, the athletes have earned it. Basketball is also a better sport because it’s easy to play. All that is needed is to do is go to any park and start playing a pick up game.Even if no one is there, it’s easy to just shoot around. People aspiring to play baseball aren’t so lucky. Rounding up 17 other people to play is almost impossible with the amount of other things kids would rather be doing. That doesn’t include making sure that there are enough gloves, baseballs, and everything else that is needed to play a game. It’s even a bigger hassle to go to the park and practice by yourself. Have fun hitting a baseball 300 feet and going to retrieve it every time. The only real option is to go to the batting cages. As you pass about 20 basketball courts on your way there, make sure you have enough money to practice.Not only is basketball e asier to organize, indoor-basketball games don’t depend on fair weather. Live in Seattle and it’s raining? Find a gym. You’re a baseball player that lives in Seattle and it’s raining? Come back in the summer. Because all organized basketball is played indoors, the hoop is always 10 feet high and every game that is played will be played on the same size court. Not only are there variables of the weather when it comes to baseball, the dimensions of each stadium differ. No matter where Kobe plays, he knows exactly how to attack from every spot on the floor.Take Josh Hamilton out of Arlington and put him into a â€Å"pitcher’s park† and he might be taken out of the MVP race. Being a fan of NBA basketball is much more exciting than MLB baseball. In the NBA, you are required to trade salaries that match the incoming salaries within 15%. If a team is trading a star’s max contract, more than likely they’ll receive another star (unless you’re the Orlando Magic). Regardless, you’ll receive someone that plays professionally in the NBA. Only in baseball can a team trade it’s best player who makes $20 million a year for â€Å"a player to be named later. That player usually ends up being a 21 year-old prospect who may never make it to the big leagues. This makes basketball much more exciting because teams have a better chance of staying competitive. Another thing that makes basketball more exciting is that your best player will play every single game and every single minute and make a huge impact on offense and defense if healthy. We saw Lebron James and Kevin Durant play against each other during the NBA Finals. We also saw Cole Hamels go 1-0 in 2 starts in the 2008 World Series and win MVP.He played 2 games, won 1 of them, and walked home with the MVP trophy. Count on basketball’s best players to play every single game and control their team’s last possession of the game. Many witn essed what Michael Jordan did in the NBA Finals with the flu against the Utah Jazz. He willed his team to victory, especially during the most clutch moments of the game. How many times has a team’s best hitter sat on the bench the entire 9th inning because it wasn’t his turn in the lineup? How many times has a team’s best pitcher sat on the bench in the 9th inning because he’s already pitched over 100 pitches?How many times has a team’s best defender stood in the same exact spot on the field during all three outs in the 9th because the ball wasn’t hit to him? In conclusion, basketball is a better all-around sport than baseball is. As an athlete, basketball keeps you in great shape. As an NBA fan, your star player will never be traded for an unknown D-League player. The pace of a basketball game is much faster and you can rest assured that an NBA championship will never be won with a final score of 1-0 – after multiple overtime quarter s. No matter how you spin it, basketball is just in a different class.

Islamic Banking

[pic] ISLAMIC BANKING: IS IT REALLY â€Å"ISLAMIC†? By: Omar Mustafa Ansari & Faizan Ahmed Memon Is it really Islamic? †¦. In this era of development and growth in Islamic finance and banking, this is a question being raised at every forum by various quarters. All those who raise this question, are undoubtedly well-wishers of Islam, Islamic economic system and Muslim Ummah. Accordingly, while we celebrate the achievements of Islamic banking on one hand, we should not be ignoring the issues and objections being raised by such quarters in order to ensure that we lay the foundations of this industry on strong, straight and acceptable-to-all footings. Objectives Of Islamic Banking Before discussing various objections raised on the present day Islamic banking, we should first try to understand the objectives of Islamic banking, which are as follows: 1. To provide Shariah compliant and prudent banking opportunities; hence providing an opportunity to Muslims to do their banking transactions – a Halal way: In other words, this is just an effort to avoid Riba and other prohibited elements from commercial and banking transactions, in order to ensure that we do â€Å"Nothing-Haram†; and 2. Achieving the goals and objectives of an Islamic economic system. We all can agree that, given the circumstances, the Islamic banking industry is making all efforts to ensure the first objective, while the second objective, although no-less important, is not the prime objective of current-day Islamic banking. History Of Islamic Banking Modern banking system was introduced in Muslim countries at a time when they were politically and economically slave to the western world. The main banks of the western world established their branches and subsidiaries in the Muslim countries and territories to fulfill requirements of foreign business. The Muslim community generally avoided the foreign banks for religious reasons but with the passage of time, it became more and more difficult to engage in trade and other activities without making use of commercial banks. Even then, a large number of Muslims, confined their involvement to transaction activities such as current account or hundred percent cash margin letter of credits. Borrowings from commercial banks or placement the access funds and saving accounts were strictly avoided by practicing Muslims in order to keep away from dealing in interest which is prohibited by Islam. With the passage of time, however, due to increase in cross-border transactions and other socio-economic forces demanding more involvement in national economic and financial activities, avoiding the interaction with the banks became impossible. Local banks were established in Muslim countries (including the names like Muslim Commercial Bank) on the same lines as the interest-based foreign banks and they began to expand within the country bringing the banking system to more and more people. Governments, businesses and individuals began to transact business with the banks, with or without liking it. This state of affairs drew the attention and concern of Muslim intellectuals which gave emergence to the contemporary Islamic banking. By the midst of the last century, many Muslim countries started their efforts to adopt the Islamic economic and banking systems. Many scholars, economist and experienced bankers came with different solutions to initiate the Islamic banking. Those experiences paved the route for modern Islamic banking. Nowadays Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) are spread all over the world including European countries and the United States. In particular these have their significant presence in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, other GCC countries, Malaysia, Sudan and Iran. Who Raise The Questions? Islamic banking is a weak industry†¦. In respect of resources, in respect of knowledge-bases, in respect of trained-knowledgeable-sincere human resources, in respect of availability of commercial options, in respect of state support, as well as, society support, in respect of sincerity of stake-holders and WHAT NOT. With such adverse footings, unfortunately, it really has certain weaknesses which are not only targeted by the enemies, but, are more severally and forcefully attacked by the FRIENDS. As a consequence, the Islamic banking and finance is facing disagreements from various quarters including certain â€Å"revolutionary† Islamic movements, certain â€Å"rigid† and â€Å"hard-core† religious scholars, and â€Å"idealistic† and â€Å"utopian† Islamic economists (without any disrespect to them all). Can Banking Ever Be Really Islamic? The first question is raised mostly by those who either do not have any knowledge about banking, or those who have the courage to evaluate the banking systems from its evolution to its objectives. They feel that the banking per-se is against the very basic concepts of Islam. They feel that just like the fact that there can not be any â€Å"Halal pork† or â€Å"Islamic prostitution†, there can be no â€Å"Halal banking†. This viewpoint is supported by the fact that, particularly in Pakistan, we have already faced a complete disaster in the name of interest-free banking and so-called IFIs particularly including Modarabas. The argument, as to whether Islamic banking is really Islamic, has two different facets. The first one is that whatever is being performed in the name of Islamic banking is apparently quite similar to the operations of a conventional financial institution hence creates doubts in people’s mind, as to on what grounds we can call it Islamic? So they feel that it is merely a change in name and documents and in fact, it is nothing different from conventional banking. The second facet of this question is more important nd deals with the socio-economic factors associated with the overall Islamic financial system. Due to significance of these objections, we will discuss these two issues before looking for other arguments. Merely A Change In Name And Documents The most common and most discussed argument against contemporary Islamic banking is that there is â€Å"NO DIFFERENCE AT ALL† between the conventional banking and Islamic banking and this is merely a change of name and doc uments. The second argument, which is in-fact a derivative of the first argument, is that even in Islamic banking, the most common products being used e. g. Murabaha, Musawwama, Salam, Istisna, diminishing Musharaka and Ijara Muntahia Bittamleek are on fixed return basis. Even the Musharaka and Modaraba based products are engineered in a way that the profits are â€Å"virtually-fixed†. One should realize the fact that unless we can distinguish an Islamic bank from a conventional bank, it would be difficult for any of us to rely on the same. Particularly, it is observed that they try to make sure that their product is similar to the conventional products in all respects, even if for that purpose they have to incorporate a few provisions in these products which are not considered to be good or a few of them are considered Makrooh. In addition, their endeavors are focused towards minimization of their risk through every possible option and accordingly, the essence of Islamic finance which is based on risk taking is killed. We can note that most IFIs market their products on the models very much similar to those used by the conventional banks. As an example, an Ijara Muntahia Bittamleek transaction introduced by an IFI might be very similar to a finance lease transaction offered by a conventional leasing company, except for a difference of Takaful / insurance cost which in Islamic mode is to be borne by the lessee and accordingly, the same is built-in the rentals. The basic reason behind this similarity is to ensure three objectives. The first one, which is more important one, is to provide an â€Å"even playing ground† to the IFIs in order to ensure their survival in the overall banking system. The second one, is that even by IFIs, it has to be ensured that their shareholders and depositors get some return and preferably a return equivalent to those of conventional banks. And the third reason is to avoid arbitrage amongst Islamic and conventional financial systems which may be exploited by a few big-guns to get the benefit of the pricing difference between the two parallel financial systems. For such reason, time value of money concept is used for performance measurement and pricing of financial products. Most importantly, it should be kept in mind that in some areas Haram and Halal have a very small difference. For an example, only saying the name of Allah Almighty on an animal at the time of slaughter makes it Halal and permissible while by not saying that name we make it Haram or by just a few words of acceptance in Nikah, in presence of a few persons, a man and woman become Halal for each other. Similarly, if a transaction can be engineered in a way that the same becomes Shariah compliant, then we should not conclude that the same is Haram only due to its resemblance with the interest based financing. It is also pertinent to note that since the Islamic financial services sector is in its infancy phase, as compared to the conventional banking, we unfortunately have to follow the conventional system in the pattern of financial products and are still not in a position to invent absolutely new financial services. During the last few centuries, the conventional banking system has well read the human needs and psychology and has invented a considerable number of financial products and accordingly, it is not simple to just invent a new financial tool just for the purpose of inventing one. For example, if they have running finance and overdraft as a financing tool, we have invented an alternate to the same in form of Istijrar with Murabaha or Musharaka based running finance model. Similarly, if they use finance leases as a financing tool, we have converted the same in a Shariah compliant form in form of Ijara Muntahia Bittamleek or in form of Diminishing Musharaka. These are only two examples, but the tally is practically very high and for each interest based financial product except for those explicitly Haram, more than one alternates have been engineered. The objective of this discussion was just to emphasize that merely an amortization schedule similar to the one offered by a conventional bank, is not a basis for declaring a Halal product to be Haram. If just a pricing model or just the similarity of a cash-flow model makes the transaction Haram, what you will say regarding a conventional loan offered at a price much higher or much lower than the market prevailing rates for which the pricing model and the cash-flow model are not similar to those generally applied in the industry. Does anybody think that such dissimilarity will make it Halal? Accordingly, from Shariah principles it is rightly concluded that it is the substance of a transaction what makes it Halal or Haram and not a pricing model used to price the transaction or the cash-flow model used for the payments and repayments in monetary terms. Socio-Economic Effects Of Islamic Banking And Finance Second most significant argument from such group, predominantly by certain Islamic economists and certain Islamic revolutionary movements, is about the socio-economic factors of Islamic banking. They feel that since Islamic banking is also based on profit motive and in present form, it generally works on â€Å"virtually-fixed† return basis; hence the same cannot attribute anything-positive towards the socio-economic changes that Islam desires. This is a crucial question and, we believe that, every conscious Muslim will concur with the concerns of those who raise the same, although the conclusions derived by different people might vary. Nobody can argue that virtually-fixed return based banking, although being Shariah compliant, is not what has been desired by Islam as a complete way of living. In addition, the current-day Islamic banking is emphasizing more on consumer finance as compared to financing to SME sector, agricultural sector, and more importantly, on the micro-finance; hence, it is not contributing enough towards the â€Å"just and equitable monetary system† that Islam needs. Having due regard for these arguments, may we remind you that that the Islamic economic system is not something that can work in isolation of the geo-political and legislative system, as well as, and more importantly the society’s behavior towards the injunctions of Islamic Shariah in personal and collective matters. Accordingly, one can easily imagine that in an economy whereby most of the businessmen are not honest in fairly presenting the financial statements of their businesses, how difficult it is to introduce a profit and loss sharing based financial solution. Similarly, in most of the cases payment of Zakat and Sadaqat depends on the individual and particularly, in view of the gigantic volume of the black economy in the country, what can be expected even if a good system for Zakat and Ushr is introduced? It needs to be emphasized that only the change in banking system is not a solution to the overall revolution of economic system unless other facets of Islamic economic system, as well as, Islamic social system are not implemented simultaneously. Accordingly, the complete transition of economy to an Islamic economic system can be performed, when and only when, the overall consensus of the society is developed towards practical application of Shariah in all the facets of human life, particularly including the governmental, political and legislative structures. Despite such an unsatisfactory and rather discouraging attitude of the society towards application of Islamic Shariah, it should be noted that such a situation do not relieve a Muslim from the applicability of Shariah principles, but rather increases his responsibilities in the way that it becomes his duty not only to try to abide by all applicable Shariah requirements in his personal capacity but also to put his endeavors towards improvement in such system. Consequently, in case the Islamic banking, in your opinion, is not contributing enough towards betterment of society, you cannot blame the same alone. The responsibilities of the Muslim Ummah as a whole (or of the State) can not be expected to be borne by a single sector only, which, at this point of time is in its infancy stages. Is It Heela Banking? This is a general discussion at various forums that contemporary Islamic banking is based on Heelas. From Shariah perspective, a Heela is an option utilized to disobey the divine guidance through engineering the circumstances and playing with the facts and intentions. Having an insight into the industry, one can not disagree with this argument to certain extent, as it has been observed in a number of cases that in-fact, certain transactions are practically applied on this basis. Having said that; this argument should, however, not be used to blame the entire industry. We should acknowledge that the foundations of the industry have been built using the pillars which are directly derived from the Holy Quran, Sunnah and Fiqh. It is worth-noting that mostly, a Heela is applied in the â€Å"execution of a transaction† rather than â€Å"designing of a transaction†. In other words, we can safely conclude that application of Heelas in Islamic banking is not a weakness in the theories of Islamic banking, but actually is a matter of misuse / misinterpretation of basic Shariah guidance in respect of various Shariah compliant financial transactions. Accordingly, it needs to be emphasized that in order to support the growth of Islamic banking and finance on right footings, we need to strengthen the Shariah compliance mechanism for the industry. In addition, in the longer run, we need to eliminate the Islamic financial products which have the potential of misuse. Use Of Interest-Rate As Benchmark; Is It Halal? Critics, including scholars, as well as, economists, strongly condemn that most of IFIs while providing financing by way of any of the â€Å"Halal† transactions, determine their profit rate on the basis of the current interest-rate benchmarks prevailing in the conventional money market. Scholars are of the view that by applying these benchmarks, the Islamic banking industry makes their transactions â€Å"similar† to interest-based transactions and as a consequence, these transactions become doubtful from Shariah point-of-view. Economists feel further issues and that and are of he view that this thing makes these financial institutions a part of the prevailing capitalistic economic systems, hence this sort of transactions are absolutely not desirable by Islam. Here it would be worthwhile to have a look on the arguments by the Islamic banking for better understanding of the pricing issue. They generally give examples like; s uppose you enter into a supermarket in UK and see that the pork, the beef and the Halal beef are all being sold for GBP 2 per kg. Do you think that this similarity of price or the fact that these products are being sold under the same roof renders the Halal beef as Haram? Or for example; in the same superstore you note that they are using the same balance for weighing these three types of meat. Do you think that using the same balance will render the Halal beef, as Haram? If not, then we should better understand the principle that it is the substance and legal form of the transaction that makes it Halal or Haram and not its pricing, rate or the cash-flow model or the institution, or even the environment that offers such transaction. This issue, however, needs to be addressed by the government, as well as, the market players. A strong Islamic inter-bank market will InshaAllah provide us opportunities to develop our own benchmarks for Islamic banking operations. Dealing of Islamic Banks with Conventional Banks Another strong argument against Islamic banking is against dealing with conventional banks. These dealings are of two types i. e. sharing of services and commercial transactions. As far as services are concerned, where the Islamic Banks are facilitating the foreign businesses of their customer or helping out their customers to transfer the money from safe channels. For these services, the remuneration or expense of Islamic banks is service charges which are allowed by Shariah jurists, although they recommend that such interaction should be avoided wherever IFIs are available. The second argument which is much strong is regarding the commercial transactions with conventional financial institutions. These transactions generally relate to the treasury side of the Bank whereby either the IFIs place their excess liquidity with the conventional banks or obtain financings from them to meet their own liquidity requirements. For placement of funds with conventional banks most of Islamic banks in Pakistan are using the product of Commodity Murabaha or they invest in certain â€Å"Halal assets† of the conventional financial institutions. On the other hand, they normally obtain financings from the conventional banks on the basis of profit and loss sharing, although the profit rates are once again â€Å"virtually-fixed†. Although, most of the Shariah scholars have allowed these transactions duly considering the Shariah requirements, however, nobody can argue that it is a must to avoid all such transactions. For this purpose, however, we need to strengthen the Islamic inter-bank market and to provide further liquidity management options to the IFIs particularly, in form of strong Shariah-compliant government securities and a stable capital market with plenty of Halal investment options available. All dealings with conventional financial institutions should remain limited to the necessities which reach the extremes of compulsion. Cost Of Being A Muslim Those who have bad memories of dealing with Islamic banks are in front-line of critics with this remark. People feel that there are serious doubts on the honesty and integrity of IFIs. They feel that these Banks are using the name of Islam to earn a few bucks more as compared to the conventional banks or rather they are exploiting the faith of Muslims by charging them, the â€Å"cost of being a Muslim†. On the financing side, they charge higher than conventional banks. In other words, internal rate of return on Islamic financial products is higher than the conventional products. On the contrary, it is observed that on the deposit sides they pay less as compared to the conventional banks. In addition, it is generally observed that the expected rates, as well as, the actual rates of return offered by these financial institutions are fairly equivalent to (generally slightly less than) the rates being offered by conventional financial institutions. A justification against the first argument is that since IFIs are subject to the commodity risk, asset destruction and holding risks and the price risk, as well as their relevant costs e. g. Takaful expenses, in addition to the risks and costs that a bank faces, they are justified in their demand i. e. higher internal rate of return. Nevertheless, financial experts have generally felt that even if these factors are considered, the pricing by these Banks is on the higher side. On the other side, in a profit and loss based model, it is agreeable that they assign weightage to different types of deposits in a manner that the total return on investment and financing pools is allocated amongst various depositors and the Bank (working as a partner). Even then, it is generally noted that IFIs are paying less than the market. We can only hope that in near future, with increasing competition in the Islamic banking industry, this effect will minimize because of market-forces except to the extent of pricing against actual additional risk elements. Marketing Approach Of IFIs Another valid argument is about the marketing approach being used by these financial institutions, which adversely effects the public reliance on this mode. People raising objections on the marketing approach of IFIs have two grounds for the same. The first one is the general marketing approach being applied by the a few IFIs which include advertisement and other publicity materials including involvement of women and traditional marketing and advertisement styles for promotion of â€Å"Islamic† banking business. Second ground is the marketing strategy in which sometimes it is felt that false statements are made for promotional purposes. An example of the same is the claim by a leading Islamic bank that all its day to day activities are monitored by its Shariah Advisor. Just imagine, if it is humanly possible, that a part time Shariah Advisor can look after all day to day activities of a full fledged bank with a number of branches even located at other cities. Another example is the claim by an Islamic mutual fund that it is the first one of its kind in the country, whereas another fund was operating in the country for around one year earlier to subscription for such mutual fund. They Don’t Look Like Islamic Once you enter into a glittering branch or office of an IFI, generally you do not feel any difference with a conventional bank. This issue is raised particularly by the blend of people who feel that once they enter into such location, it should look like a sacred place instead of a commercial office. You generally feel that they have over-spent on the furniture, interior-decoration and publicity stuff, which apparently, is against the injunctions of Islam. This impression is further strengthened when you see the overall environment, the dealing style of personnel and most significantly, you feel (in most of the cases) that there are ladies working for the organization without Hijab or even â€Å"appropriate attire† (in line with the dress-code of a Muslim woman as defined by Shariah). Although a few â€Å"moderate-enlightened† Muslims will not like this objection at all, nevertheless, it should be kept in mind that a common Muslim cannot digest â€Å"Islamic† banking while he feels that other factors of business are not really Islamic. We can’t argue with these objections as these have due weightage in them and the management of IFIs should take these objections seriously. However, we should keep in mind that the prime objective of Islamic finance, is to ensure that â€Å"financial† matters are dealt with in line with Islamic Shariah. In other words, environment does not make anything Haram. Needless to mention, from Shariah perspective, you can always buy a Halal product from a store where everything else is Haram although the same needs to be avoided if other options are available. Islamic Bankers – Don’t Know Islamic Banking This argument, once again, has key significance from the perspective of the overall control environment of these banks with regard to the applicability of Shariah principles. Particularly, it is astonishing when you deal with an Islamic banker, who knows very little about Islamic banking, but unfortunately, this is not very uncommon. The prime cause behind this issue is the fact that most of the IFIs have hired the conventional bankers and generally no or very little consideration is awarded to ensure that they are well conversant with the Shariah requirements with regard to the modes of finance being used by these Banks. Similarly, the IFIs do not spend enough on their resource-building for Shariah compliance and training of their staff, in comparison to what they spend for marketing. Having experience of training â€Å"Islamic Bankers†, as well as, performing Shariah compliance reviews, we may safely conclude that, this objection is not without substance. This accordingly, is a strongest need that the IFIs should allocate more and more resources for staff training and Shariah compliance. Monopoly Of Shariah Advisors Another objection is regarding the appointment of Shariah Boards and Shariah Advisors. People have largely noted and discussed at various forums that the major contribution in this field in Pakistan is limited to a very small group of jurists most of whom relate to a single family and their pupils (a single religious university). Besides this, another question is also being raised that generally the honorariums, consultancy fee and other benefits being offered to such jurists by the IFIs in Pakistan, as well as, abroad are quite high and this may jeopardize their independence. In addition, it is felt that they are the only ones who are whole and sole responsible for Shariah compliance. They approve the products, they review the transactions and in the end; they perform Shariah audit themselves, which is, however, an indicative of a conflict of interest (without any doubt on their personal independence and integrity). Most of the people conversant with the business and operations of Islamic finance do not agree with this observation, because the contribution of these people to the industry as a whole is remarkable and they deserve even more than that based on their contribution and efforts in the promotion of this industry. The general concept that a â€Å"Moulvi† should be paid the minimum for his life, is not justifiable. If you are getting benefits from their efforts, their knowledge and skills, then they should be justifiably rewarded. Having said that, it is always agreeable that it is the right time that contributions from jurist from other schools of thought should also be sought and they should necessarily be provided opportunities to enter into the field. For this purpose, it is a good proposition from the State Bank that a jurist should not be allowed to hold more than one remunerative position as a Shariah Advisor or member of a Shariah Board. This will ensure that fresh blood gets an option to enter into the field which will eventually improve the overall Shariah compliance in the field, as well as, will help these institutions to innovate fresh products. IFIs Use Conventional Insurance A valid objection; can’t argue with that. It was a real issue that according to the legal requirements, as well as, derived from real â€Å"compulsion†, the banks were required to obtain insurance coverage from conventional insurance companies and this practice was allowed by the Shariah Advisors to the extent of compulsion only. This situation, Alhamdolillah has changed after introduction of Islamic mode of insurance (Takaful) in Pakistani market. Unfortunately, there are a still IFIs who have not yet switched to Takaful while to-date three Takaful companies and a family Takaful company have commenced operations in Pakistan and now this lame excuse of compulsion can not be exercised anymore. Now it’s high time that the State Bank and the Shariah Advisors should take strong steps to ensure that no business is iven by the IFIs to any conventional insurance company either in respect of owned assets, or against assets held under security. Should We Still Prefer Islamic Banking? As a conclusion to this debate, we may say that we are required by our religion to implement a complete Islamic way of living in our individual and collective lives and the society and the government as well. The Islamic banking and financial system is a part of such system and is not construed to be applicable in isolation while o ther laws and customs repugnant to the Shariah requirements are still in force. However, for the sake of our own benefits, in order to avoid interest by ourselves and providing interest-free opportunities to our brothers and sisters in Islam, we should promote and support the Islamic banking and finance in the country with all our possible efforts and endeavors. We should not try to pull legs of an infant who is just trying to take his first step towards a long journey to go. However, we should try to ensure that he commences his journey on the right way, with strong footings. Such Islamic banking, may not be termed as perfect, but can provide us with a shelter from interest based transactions for the time being, and might support us in augmenting a truly Islamic financial system, and more appropriately said, will serve as an experiment for the time when we will really be in a position to the implement the complete Islamic way of living in our beloved country. May Allah Almighty bestow us his blessings and enable us to evolve a complete system of life in accordance with the principles of life provided by the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet (SAAWS). May Allah accept our efforts and forgive us for our mistakes in this field in our individual capacities, as well as, as a society. About Omar & Faizan: Omar is a Chartered Accountant by profession, and is presently working as Partner – Islamic Financial Services Group with Ford Rhodes Sidat Hyder & Co. (A member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited). Omar enjoys vast experience in audit, Shariah compliance and providing related services to Islamic finance industry in Pakistan. He is author of a Book on Islamic finance namely â€Å"Managing Finances – A Shariah Compliant Way†. Faizan holds experience in the field of Shariah audits and product development. In past, he has worked with a leading Islamic bank as Shariah Coordinator and Shariah Auditor. Presently, he is working with Ford Rhodes Sidat Hyder & Co. as Manager – Islamic Financial Services. [pic][pic]