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

Mecca - Essay Example As the second most widely practiced religion in the world, hundreds of millions of Muslims have made the hajj to Mecca over the decades and centuries. IN addition to the pilgrimage that has thus far been described, there are many Islamic rituals that are associated with Mecca as well. First among these is the act of circling the Ka’ba seven times and kissing its cornerstone. Further, there is a ritual stoning of the devil that takes place during the pilgrimage as well. Finally, almost each and every Muslim that goes to Mecca drinks from the well of Zamzam; a well believed to have mystical properties. Finally, most pilgrims travel to Arafat; a small hill on which Muhammad is believed to have delivered his final sermon to his followers. Instead of representing rituals only, Mecca is meant to be a place in which Muslims draw upon their traditions and come to a greater and more profound determination of what sets them apart as a unique religious entity. In much the same way that Christians might travel to the Holy Land or to Rome, Muslims consider their pilgrimage to Mecca as a defining element of their faith (Amur 11). Yet, beyond merely religious significance, Mecca is a place in which Muslim families represent a level of solidarity together. Naturally, there are cases in which single individuals attend Mecca and the Hajj; however, the broad and overarching theme is for entire families to go there together. Although children are welcomed, it is traditionally observed that boys and girls attending their first Hajj should be at least in their early teens; not only so that they will remember it but so that it may have a lasting level of religious symbolism and importance to them. Further, the orientation of the city itself is very much fixated with the issues that have already been discussed. The entire city is positioned around tourism and the need to accommodate millions of individuals from around the globe and

Quantitative Data Analysis- SPSS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Quantitative Data Analysis- SPSS - Essay Example Ethnicity has its impacts felt in many aspects. In education, ones ethnic group determines a lot whether the individual will have a future or not. In some ethnic groups, education is relegated to a far position when one rates other things (Zeichner, K., & Schulte, A. 2001 p. 251). Education in such cases is viewed as being not important at all. According to Flores, G et al. (1999), despite its importance as a hinge to all and every aspect in life, it is viewed by some ethnicities as passage which is not a must for one to undergo. In some African societies for example, education is a thing un-heard of and parents don’t consider taking their children to school. According to Skaggs, M. C. (2001), some ethnic communities have the will to have their children in school, however, the aspect of little finances which they get hinder them (p. 41). Skaggs argues that, if all ethnic communities in diverse countries are given equal opportunities to that accorded their peers from other ethnic communities, then the probability that, they will also attain some grades in very high. To him, lack of proper representation in education institutions of middle and higher learning is not because of their liking but because of the situations they find them selves in (p. 48). The marital status of a parent is another aspect which leads to low education levels. The institution of marriage is one of the conducive environments where education can thrive well. To Stephens, J. (1999), minorities in the US and other developed countries suffer a lot since most of their parents are single parents and lack the will to educate their children (p. 31). To Stephens, a single parent faces the problem of educating since he/she is the sole breadwinner and with the cost of education soaring high, the possibility of educating is dim (p. 33). To Su, Z. (1996), the level of one’s education determines what he/she will earn after the completion of education. According to him,

The south after the civil war Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The south after the civil war - Essay Example Earlier the south enjoyed a competitive advantage over the rest of the country with the help of slave energy and cultivation of huge plots of land. This measure had dual advantage. Firstly, the wage or cost per labor was considerably low and secondly this cost benefit was ploughed back into the agricultural business by buying large plots of land and cultivating huge area at one time. Thus it is obvious that the yield this way used to be generating formidable surplus out of the business. Once the civil war was lost and the advantage of slave energy was diminished the landlords or the region found it difficult to adjust with the changed situation of escalated labor cost and in the process they were forced to employ tenants and divide the land into smaller plots. Both these factors diminished returns and this caused the south to face a low per capita income and in the process became the most backward states of the nation. (Kunreuther, 526-51) However, there are opposing views to this hypothesis. Ransom believed that the main cause of economic degradation was due to the fact there was a substantial amount of racism present in the South even after the Civil War. This racism induced low legal and social support for the African American in the region.