Poverty and Gender Violence in Congo

Poverty and issues of women discrimination and violence are some of the greatest problems facing the Democratic Republic of Congo. Poverty has worsened since 1980 following the conflicts associated with the Cold War.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Poverty and Gender Violence in Congo specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The UN report indicates that half the population lives below the poverty line. The report further indicates that the country is struggling to resolve issues related to economic inequalities whereby the rich are becoming while the underprivileged are languishing in great poverty. The country has a population of over 64.8 poor individuals, who live in rural areas. Studies indicate that women are most affected because the social structure does not favor them in any way. A report released in 2006 indicated that over a third of children were suffering from malnutrition while women are subjected to inhuman conditions, such as giving birth under poor sanitation that predisposes them to diseases. In many rural areas, access to women is a problem since a UN report indicated that only 11 percent of the households could actually access clean water. In Urban areas, which are populated by the ruling class, an estimated 75 percent of households could access clean water. In the country, unemployment is ever increasing because the government does not have a clear developmental plan that would give the locals employment opportunities. An estimated 50 percent of the locals are unemployed yet they have necessary qualifications that could land them decent employment. In this regard, youths and women are affected more as compared to other categories in society (Makana, Sean, 2006). The poverty rates and gender inequalities in Congo are attributed to the country’s tumultuous history. The country came up with a transition program, which was meant to transform the economic system from a centra lized Marxist planning to a market oriented economy. This program is accused of bringing about gaps that led to economic mismanagement and military coups. The shift from Marxist economic program destabilized the lives of many people and brought about tension among various groups. In the 1990s, the country witnessed a brutal civil conflict that was attributed to struggle for power and the interest of the foreign powers. Because of civil wars, the country’s railway line was badly affected rendering a majority jobless.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, the civil war displaced quite a number of the local population, women being the worst affected. During and after the 1990s civil wars, the financial crisis in the country was persistent. To the new government, it was perceived that development meant shifting from communism to capitalism, which was never the case. It was based on this idea that market oriented economy was preferred over Marxism. The ongoing conflicts have generated problems, which are interfering with the developmental goals of the country. The ruling class is now engaged in trade with the bourgeoisie from the west. Natural resources are being exported to the western countries for processing while the locals get nothing in return. The external forces are accused of fuelling conflicts because it is believed that peace and stability in the Congo region would interfere with their interests. The country is endowed with natural resources, among them Coltan, which is used in the manufacture of phones. From this analysis, world systems theory could be employed to explain the poverty in the Congo region. The theory states that development in the core (developed countries) leads to underdevelopment in the periphery (developing countries). Regarding sexual violence and discrimination against women, the country still lags behind in terms of gender equality. The society still believes that women are superior to women given the fact that they possess masculine features. In this regard, women are incorporated in the financial system as underdogs because they are misrepresented in the labor market. This has affected the development of the country because an important section of society is not involved in policy formulation. Background Congo is an expansive state found in central Africa, with an area of 2345410 square kilometers. This means that Congo is the largest country in Africa without a desert. However, the size of the country is perceived to be a curse because the government has never been able to manage it effectively. Various militia groups, who unleash terror to innocent citizens simply to control natural resources, control the country. The country has a number of resources, including Gold and Copper. Analysts observe that resources in Congo are the major source of conflicts because each group would wish to co ntrol some. Regarding the population, the country has a huge population, with unskilled and semi-skilled labor. This means that the country does not have a skilled labor force that could contribute in eradicating poverty.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Poverty and Gender Violence in Congo specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The population is predominantly rural implying that the major economic activity is peasant farming. Even though farmers engage in agriculture, the government has never been able to provide adequate markets for their produce. This has worsened the economic chances of many farmers. In Congo, access to land is not a problem to the locals because there is a low population density in the rural areas. However, land has become a scarce resource in urban areas because of the influence of the ruling class. In fact, people living in towns are the poorest. Youths and women, who are the most vulnerable gro ups in society, mostly practice peasant farming. Women engage in small-scale agricultural production and processing, but their products do not have ready markets. Poverty in Congo is most severe in rural areas because people, especially women and youths, are isolated and little investment opportunities are accessible (Semazzi, Song, 2001). In Congo, the populace in rural areas is the most vulnerable because the government has never provided microfinance services. Women and youths cannot access critical financial services that would empower them economically. Since farmers employ traditional farming methods, their production is usually low. Most farmers have no access sufficient inputs such as farm seeds, fertilizers, and machinery. Moreover, the road network is another problem facing the population in Congo because roads are impassable during rainy seasons, which leads to delay in supply of farm inputs and agricultural produce. In the country, the population does not have a clear d istribution and collection organization that coordinates the buying and selling of agricultural produce. All these have worsened the economic capabilities of the population, leading to abject poverty. The form of government in Congo is also a problem as far as poverty and gender inequality is concerned. The form of government is purely presidential whereby the president is the head of state and government. The president makes policies without consulting other actors. Under such systems, the population does not have a say as far as foreign policy is concerned.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Before the 1997 civil conflict, the system of government adopted in Congo was similar to that of France. However, the election of Sassou-Nguesso brought about changes. The president suspended the constitution and adopted a form of government that would give the president more powers. The judiciary has never been given room to check the powers of the executive and the legislature. Lack of a clear system of checks and balances has been a contributed to poverty and gender inequality in Congo. This has in turn affected development because the cabinet is not subjected to public scrutiny. Discussion Poverty, gender inequality, and violence against women are not new issues in Congo. These issues have been there since the colonial era (Vlachova, Biason, 2005). Due to poor governance and external interference, these issues have continued to haunt the people of Congo. The government has come up with various strategies aiming at stamping out poverty and gender violence. In this regard, the go vernment has established poverty reduction strategies, which are believed to be effective enough to end poverty. At least five strategies exist, but this article will simply discuss the first strategy because its main aim is to end poverty and gender violence. However, a snapshot of other strategies would be highlighted. The second strategy aims at promoting microeconomic growth and stability. In this case, the government will focus on improving the oil sector, forestry, agriculture, mining, supporting the private sector, formulation of policies to boost the crafts industry, promotion of tourism, and transport. In the third strategy, the focus would be on improving access to basic social services such as primary and technical education, healthcare, sanitation, research, culture, and sports (Witte, 1992). The fourth strategy entails social protection and integration of the vulnerable groups into the main economic sector. This means that the government would strive to protect the yout hs, women, improve employment and working conditions, and protect the indigenous people. The fifth strategy is related to eradication of HIV/AIDS in the country, which has claimed the lives of the able individuals. As early noted in this article, the main problem in Congo is poverty, which is caused by poor governance. Due to this realization, the government, with the assistance of other stakeholders such as World Bank, IMF, and the concerned UN agencies, came up with strategies to address the problem. Some of the strategies have been discussed in the previous paragraph, but the main strategy was related to improving governance and consolidating peace and security. For economic development to flourish in Congo, it was agreed that peace and tranquility had to be prioritized. Through good governance, the government would facilitate capacity building in the public sector, which would enable the country to run the institutions in the most cost-effective way. The country endorsed the Par is Declaration as one way of supporting development and eradication of poverty. The endorsement showed the country’s commitment to a political will that would be synchronized, visible, comprehensive, and more efficient. Under the strategy, the first agenda would be to improve political governance whereby the political leadership would undertake important structural and administrative reforms. The political class would be expected to come up with laws aimed at improving capacity building for institutions established under the acts of parliament. Moreover, it was perceived that democracy and peace were the major pillars of any economy hence political leaders were urged to come up with laws regulating the behavior of leaders. Political power was to be sought through political parties meaning that political parties and interest groups were to be recognized as genuine actors in the development. As one way of ensuring gender representation, the political class was urged to come up with an affirmative action aiming at giving women an advantage in political affairs. The media was to be given freedom to air any views that were critical to nation building. The second agenda under the first strategy aims at promoting peace and security. Under this agenda, the role of government is to ensure that people coexist freely, irrespective of their tribal affiliations and political party affiliation. Again, the government ensures that people move from one place to the other without acquiring necessary travelling documents. It can be concluded that the aim of government is to strengthen security and prevent conflicts, which are brought about by resources. In Congo, the government burned the importation of weapons after establishing its own gun racks and munitions depots. This gave the government a chance to control the weapons held by the military and the police. Regarding gender, the government came up with a law that criminalized discriminations based on gender. Women wer e encouraged to take part in economic and political development, both in the public and private sector. In this regard, policies were drafted aiming at punishing those who unleashed terror on women. In 2008, the government adopted a policy on gender that would give women an advantage in socio-economic life (Nsokimieno, Shouyu, Zhang, 2010). Theoretical and Practical Solutions Theoretically, the ideas of Marx could be used to define and resolve poverty and gender inequality in Congo. Marx found out that capitalism was responsible for massive economic growth in most parts of Europe. Since capitalism had taken root in Europe, workers underwent some form of suffering since their services were not needed. Marx differed with Malthus on the role of capitalism as regards to population increase. Malthus had earlier noted that population increase was a result of biological pressure whereas Marx noted that surplus population was caused by capitalism. It is interesting to learn that capitalism is responsible for the increase of population. States would want its people to multiply in order to obtain a large workforce, which would push the economy forward. Marx referred to this sort of population increase as the reserve army of labor. Before Marx conducted an analysis on economics, Ricardo had suggested that any good is priced based on the cost of labor. However, Marx went against Ricardo’s postulation to suggest that a product is valued more as compared to the worker in the capitalist society. This is a shocking revelation, which might be hard to forget in Congo. The working class in Congo has been forced to live under deplorable conditions because of the greediness of the ruling class. Theoretically, the working class should rise against the ruling class and claim for its share in society. This would force the ruling class to incorporate the poor into production (Puechguirbal, 2003). Practically, the strategies discussed in the previous section should be applied t o address the problems facing the poor in Congo. In this case, democracy is the most important factor when considering the application of the strategies. Conclusion Congo is one of the countries in Africa that is endowed with natural resources. However, political instability has affected the exploration of resources to an extent that foreigners have taken over the mining process. The locals are languishing in great power while the ruling class cooperates with foreigners to exploit the poor. The only viable solution to the problems facing Congolese is related to political governance. Through political governance, the institutions of government would have the necessary power to offer opportunities to the local poor. References Makana, J., Sean, C. (2006). Impacts of Selective Logging and Agricultural Clearing on Forest Structure, Floristic Composition and Diversity, and Timber Tree Regeneration in the Ituri Forest, Democratic Republic of Congo. Biodiversity and Conservation, 15(4): 1 375–1397 Nsokimieno, E., Shouyu, C., Zhang, Q. (2010). Sustainable Urbanization’s Challenge in Democratic Republic of Congo. Journal of Sustainable Development, 3(2), 242–254. Puechguirbal, N. (2003). Women and War in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Signs. Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 28(4), 1273-1290. Semazzi, F., Song, Y. (2001). A GCM study of climate change induced by deforestation in Africa. Climate Research, 17(2), 169–182. Vlachova, M, Biason, L. (2005). Women in an Insecure World: Violence against Women—Facts, Figures and Analysis. Geneva Center for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces, 2(1), 109-119. Witte, J. (1992). Deforestation in Zaire: Logging and Landlessness. Ecologist, 22(2), 58–64. This essay on Poverty and Gender Violence in Congo was written and submitted by user Emmitt B. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ essays

THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ essays In the Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Mordecai Richler clearly intends to portray his main character as a failure. Duddy understands perfectly well that a man must pursue his dreams, which is why he is one of the most motivated young man of his time. From the moment Duddy hears his grandfather say, "A man without land is nobody, he is prepared to seek the land of his dreams. This aspiration of Duddys is very respectable, but unfortunately his methods are totally inappropriate, and that leads to him being a failure. The moment that Duddy began to immerse himself into the establishment of his film company, it could be seen that he was willing to do anything to get money, even if he had to lie. For example, the film Duddy made for the bar mitzvah was of extremely poor quality, and as a result, the product was an obvious failure. Duddy himself knew that well: Duddy didnt say a word all though the screening but afterwards he was sick to his stomach. (Page 148). Later, Duddy said to Mr. Friar: I could sell Mr. Cohn a dead horse easier then this pile of _ (page 148). After this particular incident, Duddy does not even speak honestly to his clients. In conclusion, the only way Duddy sells his waste films is by telling lies. He always lies to gain money, and thats all that Duddy cares about. Duddy has never been loved in his family, so originally he was quite content to know that Yvette cares about him. At the beginning, Yvette and Duddy are in love. Its so nice to see you lie still for once, she said. Your always running or jumping or scratching. Duddy was surprised and flattered to discover that anyone cared enough to watch him so closely. (Page 92) As time passed by, however, Duddy began to use Yvette as a tool. The main reason for that is Duddy was striving to get the land, and since he could not legally own it as a minor...

Your Income Depends on How Well You Cope with Rejection

Your Income Depends on How Well You Cope with Rejection To make money as a freelance writer you cant just play offense (networking, learning how to pitch, improving your craft, finding new markets, negotiating). You also have to play defense. And that means developing something researchers have identified as crucial to financial success:   a  higher threshold for failure. The eminent psychologist Dean Simonton, in his masterpiece On the Origins of Genius, investigated personality traits of highly successful creative types. What exactly made them successful? With all had talent, discipline, creativity and intelligence, why did some succeed and others fail? It turns out that the most successful had a high threshold for failure. They owned a coping strategy for rejection.   The unsuccessful tended to give up sooner, approaching their work with more fear and trepidation and, hence, could not raise their creativity to the level it needed to be. Whats your coping strategy for rejections? I realized I had to change after a series of painful rejections threatened to derail my writing career. So I studied up on the latest research on resiliency and interviewed a host of grit experts. The centerpiece of my coping strategy, and the one I teach fellow writers, revolves around purpose. Why do you write? If its to see your name in lights, impress people youve never met, and have your calls answered But if you write to help solve other peoples problems, shed light in darkened areas, and maybe ease someone’s burden with a little laughter, you have a purpose-driven response to rejection. The kind that leaves you empowered instead of gutted. My friend, Lisa McLeod, a thought leader in performance, likes to ask her CEO clients this question:   Does your company have a purpose or does it just sell stuff? Lisas research shows that if, for example, a pharmaceutical company operates strictly out of revenue goals, it will generate x number of sales. If it emphasizes purpose (i.e. selling a drug that saves the life of a young mother so she can see her daughter grow up) then it will generate significantly more revenue than x. Lisas work found that selling to achieve a noble purpose produces more income than selling to meet revenue goals. Why? Because you become more resilient, more hopeful, more resourceful, more determined to succeed with that loftier purpose. I applied that to my writing and in a matter of months my income exploded, my hit rate increased, and I was in high cotton as they say in the south. The rejections didnt stop (they never do), but now they dont paralyze me. Of course, operating out of your purpose rather than your ego isnt the only thing needed to develop a coping strategy, but its a great place to start.   They say the proof is in the pudding, but in this case, look in your wallet. A coping strategy for constant rejection is almost guaranteed to fatten it.

Current Problems with the US Public Education Essay - 103

Current Problems with the US Public Education - Essay Example Low-income is the source of poverty for a number of Americans today. According to (Strauss 1), the numbers of students of children, from preschool to 12th grade, that benefit from the federal free and subsided feeding have increased exponentially over the years.   Children from low-income backgrounds now dominate most of the public schools. Despite the magnitude of the problem, the federal education policy has not considered poverty to be a major challenge to the education system in the United States. It is obvious that students find it difficult to cope with school hence ends up missing classes or are psychologically affected by the poverty levels in their homes. To emphasize the magnitude of the problem of poverty, a study by National Student Clearinghouse Research Center showed that schools with high-income students sent more students to college as opposed to those that have been sent by schools dominated by low-income students (Strauss 1).The No Child Left Behind Act is one of the major policies that give the parents a leeway to choose schools for their children. The law allows parents to consider taking their children to schools of their choice while at the same time providing a free tutoring platform for schools that do not perform well. Safety is also captured as a major consideration in the choice of the school that the parent prefers. The law provides that both local and state school districts should provide information to the parent in order to make an informed choice of the school to take their child.

English people versus American people Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

English people versus American people - Essay Example The United States is made up of many sub cultures and values within sub cultures vary from region to region which is not true in the case of Britain. The British hold a more conservative approach to their lifestyles and a common set of values prevails over the entire country making it and its people less receptive to outsiders and alien ideas. Furthermore, the British also have a more conservative immigration policy for outsiders to come to the country either to visit or settle with the natives of the land. On the contrary, America has shown more flexibility to its naturalization process and immigration is actually supported by the system- making it a land of opportunity for all. Moreover, people in Britain are linked with their heritage and location as where they are from and where their ancestors have been linked to. This creates a strong internal discrimination among themselves and has developed a class system within the country. Anywere starting from linkage to the royalty to the lords of the land, people feel pride in their heritage to an extent where hey actually discriminate their values over others living within the country and not belonging to the same level or maybe higher to their lineage (Denning, 1996). Equality among people in Britain has suffered where no two classes are treated equally between the circles and this difference is clearly visible when comparing the labour over different industries. A coal miner does not get the same respect as a restaurant waiter. A manager in a big corporation feels and shows his elevated grace to a manager in a small firm. In the contrast, the American system of the society, though may at times be unjust, but is more liberal in the concept of equality (Christopher, 1999). Human Rights are made into laws and discrimination is discouraged by implementing legislations that enact to support equality and discourage gender or race discrimination. With equality of

Environmental Analysis Of Mobile Phone Industry Marketing Essay

Environmental Analysis Of Mobile Phone Industry Marketing Essay To analyse the external environment of a mobile industry and to identify the implications to the marketing department of a large mobile producer, which is decided to develop a new range of high-tech mobile devices for young professionals, it would need to produce a report covering various external influences that have an impact on the activities of the organisation and research on the effects on our customers and suppliers. Any organisation is affected directly or indirectly by the internal and external factors, whereby the external factors are the ones which an organisation has no control over them but can try to handle the internal ones. In looking at this report, it has been divided into different parts which will make it clear and explain them accordingly. The first part will go through the marketing research process where in it will explain deeply about the primary (qualitative) research which involves in live interviews questionnaire survey and secondary (quantitative) research which will be referred from books, magazines and internet and the second part of this report will talk more about the PEST and SWOT analysis. MAIN BODY Marketing research Marketing research is the efforts put into finding the feelings and opinions of consumers to make a better product or service. It is the systematic design, collection, analysis and reporting of data and findings to a specific marketing situation facing the company. (Lecturer notes Kotler p, Marketing management 2009, p 190) Marketing research process: Define the problem and develop a research plan Collect and analyse the information Present the findings and making decision. To produce High tech mobiles for young professionals company should know the current prevailing situations in the external environment. Looking at the above diagram we can see the main ways how marketing research can be processed in marketing by, Secondary research Primary research Secondary Research: This is a type of research which contains existing information which is published already that can be obtained from; newspapers, magazines, internet, books and even journals. We can get quantitative information from this research and less investment needed for this kind of research. Advantages and disadvantages of secondary research. Advantages are: Its available it can be acquired quickly at any time, unlike the primary research which is being acquired from the field ,there for our mobile phone company can acquire their information from internet ,journals and books even others. It is cheap (affordable) less expensive than primary method. Its gotten from books ,internet which does not cost them much compared to primary which will male it very hard fro our company to acquire information provides a good starting point for the research-the exploratory stage. T has happened indeed this is because it shows the outcome of what others have done and what has happened to them there for makes our company know to start Disadvantages are: It is not specific since it does not answer the question straight away. And existing information may not be true fro example they could give wrong figures on the answers of the their research Its often out of date, for example; census is done once in every ten years to become commercially available. The information could have being there for many years for example books are written long time ago hence put of date now Different sets of secondary data are often inconsistent, especially when it is an international data. [Based on lecturer notes] According to the various methods used in conducting the research which involved both secondary and primary data, found various marketing authors such as Geoff Lancaster, David Jobber and Philip Kotler who have defined various external factors which can also be referred to as: PEST (Political, Social, Economical and Technological factors) analysis. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis. These eternal factors are the ones which the company has no control and they are discussed below as follows: PEST ANALYSIS POLITICAL FACTORS : The political law The company must be up to date with the changes of the political law, which are established by the government and have an influence to the company, because the company must comply with laws made, as it can be seen the labour government in the, Geoff Lancaster et al states that, United kingdom in may 1997 led to a whole lay down of new policies made by the newly elected government like training programmes to encourage the unemployed to work. Imposed taxes can also be seen as another law affecting our company this due to the rise of the taxes that our company must be able to meet with. Due to the fact that this is an external factor, therefore any business institution cannot avoid but get prepared at any time, And thus leads to overcharging of our customers and the company must be aware that the laws are made with action, so if not followed can lead to consequences and thus should be avoided. The political stability: Its essential for the company to operate in a peaceful place one in order to increase in the security of the company and thus increase in the confidence of our abroad buyers and suppliers which is good for our business like the country in the UK enjoys a high political stability ECONOMICAL FACTORS : This consists of various factors that have an effect on consumer purchasing power and spending patterns, this varies according to the places and its level of income The company must respond to the changes of social attitudes basing on buyer behaviour like it can be seen in the U.K with recession most people tend not to buy luxury goods so in such a situation the company must know on how to rate their prices. Inflation is also one of external factors affecting the company, therefore this issue must be considered because the company has no power over it (whereby money loses its value). The company cannot control the supply of money in an economy. SOCIAL FACTORS : This includes demographic and cultural aspects of the external macro environment, these factors have an effect on our customer needs and the size of the potential market, some of the factors include; Cultural habits of people and beliefs Age group TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS : This can be seen as the most dramatic force in our company due to the rapid improvement of technology regarding to the product, the technology seems to be improving on a higher rate before we had phones just for picking up but now we can see phones which serve internet and are touch screen enabled, as a company have to keep up with this high technology in order or else our customers will consider us outdated. Need to keep track and monitor the technology in order to keep up with our competitors and monitor this will help us in avoiding and missing new products and opportunities. Preparation of innovating: Innovating new technology as a company should be prepared with a certain quantity of money in order to purchase and keep up with the upraising technology in the world. SWOT analysis: (http://www.excelsia.ch/htmlgb/blog/images/swot-analysis-image.png, retrieved on 13/02/2010 at 1:18 am) The overall evaluation of a companys strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats is called SWOT analysis. It is a way of monitoring the external and internal marketing environment. (Philip kotler, marketing management, 2009. P 101) In SWOT analysis Strengths and Weaknesses are internal factors of a mobile industry. Strengths are: Business location. A good, unique, new advanced innovative product. Procedures and processes of product quality. A specialist marketing expertise in the industry. (http://www.marketingteacher.com/Lessons/lesson_swot.htm, retrieved on 13/02/2010 at 1:23 am) Weaknesses are: Maintaining poor or bad quality of goods and services. No suitable location for business. No uniqueness in the product compared to the competitors products. Damage in reputation. In SWOT analysis Opportunities and Threats are external factors of a mobile industry. Opportunities are: Benefit from converging industry trends and introduce hybrid products in the market. Making buying process convenient and efficient. Offer product at lower price and fast delivery. Customizing the products offered in standard forms. (Kotler Philip, marketing management, 2009. P 102) Threats are: Introduction of tax on the product. Better distribution channels by competitor. New unique advanced product from competitor. Competitors offering products for lesser price. (http://www.marketingteacher.com/Lessons/lesson_swot.htm, retrieved on 13/02/2010 at 1:25 am) FINDINGS Secondary research: As about the consumer needs found in the secondary research done by referring the available sources the following results were obtained about the current marketing situation for production of high tech mobile devices for young professionals. (http://www.handcellphone.com/wp-content/uploads/mobile-marketing-coupon.jpg, retrieved on 14/02/2010 at 4.24 Pm) Primary research: Findings of primary research Personal live interviews: I visited few mobile stores called The carphone warehouse on the 15th of February 2010 at 11:30 Am and Phones 4u on the 15th of February 2010 at 02:00 Pm to enquire the specifications and requirements of high tech mobile devices for young professionals and interviewed fifteen (15) young professionals who had come for purchasing mobile devices. I personally interviewed eight (8) people at The carphone warehouse and seven (7) people at Phones 4u who were between the ages of 22 to 26 and were professional job holders. Results: A multipurpose usable device with wide range of features like internet for email access, camera, music player, touch screen, MMS, GPS receiver, QWERTY keypad and other applications. Portability of product for convenient carrying (to fit inside pockets). Affordable pricing of the product (in a range between GBP 300 to 500) Most of them were choosing phones with good design, quality combined with advanced technology. Questionnaire survey: I prepared a questionnaire consisting of 10 questions with few being multiple choices, dichotomous rating scale. I visited canary wharf the business and financial capital of England and conducted the questionnaire survey with professional workers in many multi national companies. The questionnaire used for survey: Mobile devices should be of multipurpose use? Yes No Which kind of mobile do you prefer? QWERTY keypad Touch screen Touch screen and QWERTY keypad Alphanumeric keypad Which one do you prefer the most to access email? Phone Laptop Would you like to have a music player on phone? Yes No What range of pricing would you prefer for a phone with good features? 200-300 pounds 300-400 pounds 400-500 pounds 500+ pounds Which one do you prefer? Good design and features helpful for work Good design Just helpful for work and work Any design for communication

Islams Early Interactions with Judaism and Christianity

Chantel Hunt MNE 347 Palestinian Studies Bashir Bashir ISLAMS EARLY INTERACTIONS WITH JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY Because of its harsh desert environment, the Arabian Peninsula was left relatively unmolested by the several competing empires that swept through the Fertile Crescent just north of it in the early centuries before Islam. At the beginning of the 7th Century, the Byzantine and Sassanid empires were embroiled in a 26-year war for supremacy, which had a lasting cultural impact on the Arabs of the Peninsula eventually leading to the emergence and subsequent explosion of Islam into the monotheistic sphere.The interaction Islam had with existing religions led to a unique monotheism better suited to the Arabs, yet still maintained traditional elements with Judaism and Christianity, even enabling it to fall under the Abrahamic title. Monotheism was initially introduced through trade. According to Jonathon Berkey, â€Å"†¦the exchange of people and ideas between Arabs of the int erior and predominantly Aramaic-speaking inhabitants of Syria was, and had been for centuries, a routine element of life. That exchange touched on religious matters†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (64). Elements of these religions competed and intermingled with existing Arab paganism and traditions, creating a unique take on â€Å"the one God† that was much better suited to the Arabs than the politically-charged imperial baggage of the former traditions. Islam holds many similarities with the religions it sprung from besides its monotheism and devotion to the idea of a â€Å"true God,† yet even these similarities come with a unique Arabian flavor. These include a prophet-messenger, a holy book of scripture, and an ancestral link to the Abrahamic line.The idea of a special kind of person able to transcend mortal boundaries to commune with deity and transmit knowledge or specific messages to mankind has been an integral part of the Judeo-Christian experience. There are many prophets throu ghout Torah and Old Testament including Noah, Samuel, and Isaiah. The New Testament continues this tradition with the addition of new messengers from God (though not by the term prophets) such as John the Baptist, Jesus Christ the declared Son of God, and his disciples, the apostles.Islam adds one more prophet to the scene—Muhammad. Muslims view Muhammad as the greatest and last messenger of God. Muhammad's message was similar to the previously accepted prophets: to turn aside from false devotions and to worship the only true God in the right way. Like other Biblical prophets, Muhammad’s message was initially unpopular towards the masses, necessitating his flight to what became Medina (Esposito History of Islam 8).Despite initial troubles, however, Muhammad gained a considerable following and was able to later turn the tide against his former oppressors, and subdue them in a way no prophet of the earlier traditions was able to do: as a political conqueror (Esposito, Hi story of Islam 8-11). Unifying several Arabian tribes created the beginning of an empire that would bring the Byzantine and Sassanid Empires to their knees and open up the spread of Islam to the whole world. Also significant to each Abrahamic denomination was the creation of a holy book.Each consists of compilations of sacred texts, considered to be the words of God or of his prophets, though the original texts from which our modern ones are comprised of are non-existent today. It is generally assumed by many scholars that each text has likely been through apocryphal revisions and retellings before getting to us in their current state, but many adherents to Jewish and Christian faiths still view their books as the pure transmitted words of God.The holy book of Islam, the Qur’an, is also a compilation of revelations regarded as divine, though unlike the other sacred texts, it is only credited to one â€Å"receiver. † According to Muslim tradition, the Qur’an was preserved in both oral and written formats by Muhammad and his secretaries exactly as he had been given them from Allah, and were compiled in precise order of revelation and in their entirety (Esposito, Islam: the Straight Path 137). Yet like its contemporaries, it was not completed in written form while the receiver writer of the revelations lived. The Qur’an was compiled during the reign of Muhammad’s third successor, Uthman, leaving a window (admittedly a much smaller one than of the Jewish and Christian texts) where possible changes or mistakes in oral or written transmission may have occurred. In addition to a prophet and a holy book, Islam created a third link with the previous traditions giving it a higher sense of legitimacy and authority.Islam claims a direct ancestral link to Abraham—the great prophet to whom God promised nations of posterity, the land of Canaan and religious stewardship. Judaic and Christian traditions trace their spiritual ancestry t o Abraham through Isaac, Abraham’s son born to his legitimate wife, Sara. Islam instead, connects their heritage to Abraham through his first son Ishmael, born to Sara’s Egyptian handmaid, Hagar. Each separate tradition maintains that their particular son of Abraham was the favored son and heir to both the temporal and divine.There are many other similarities Islam has with its older brother religions, but it is by no means a copy or mere synthesis of them either. While drawn to many aspects of the new religions that had sifted to them from the north, the Arabs had a substantially different religious, political, and economic environment than origins of Judaism and Christianity, making many doctrines and practices of the religions completely foreign and ill-suited to Arab sensibilities.Islam has many similar components with the other two religions making its association with the other religions under Abraham a commonly accepted one. However, the unique political and spi ritual environment of Arabia created unique elements in Islam not to be found anywhere else, and is possibly responsible for its exponential rate it acquired followers. Works Cited Berkey, Jonathan Porter. The Formation of Islam: Religion and Society in the Near East, 00-1800. New York: Cambridge UP, 2003. Esposito, John L. Islam: the Straight Path. New York: Oxford UP, 1998 Esposito, John L. The Oxford History of Islam. New York: Oxford UP, 1999 *As I could not find the original books to get exact page numbers, I used the page numbers given in our packet of materials instead for those ideas that came from them. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Qur’an 47:19. See also Exodus 20:3 in the Bible