TEAM PROCESSES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

TEAM PROCESSES - Essay Example As a part of customer service, it was required to assist the customers to select the merchandize and offer them suitable products as per their needs. In terms of handling the complaints of the customers, the role had to comply with the company policies of no refund but only exchange. Thus the entire team was dynamic in its work functions with specific purpose of adhering to the company policies and in maintaining the overall profitability of the retail business. This was achieved through improved customer service that played the role of attracting the customers time and again to the retail store. A situation was encountered when the customer wanted a refund of money due to the non-receipt of a free product that was offered with the product. It was found that the stock of the free product was depleted in the retail store for which it could not be provided while selling the primary product to the customer. However, the customer had a non-negotiable approach on his demand. This created an undesired situation which occurred due to lack of effective communication and non-fulfillment of roles and responsibilities of the team. Analysis of team activity: overall effectiveness, limitations, challenges, interactions with other teams The analysis of the overall effectiveness of the team activity has been given below. The activities in the retail sales in the store demand healthy interaction of the different functions of the retail sales. The spontaneous interactions lead to strong co-ordination between the teams and its members. Due to exchange of information, the areas of concern within the team could be addressed. The experience encountered was solely due to lack of co-ordination among the team members and non-availability of updated information on the product sold to the customer. The non-availability of stock of the free offerings with the product was not communicated to the sales person by the store manager who did not inform the same to the customer. The customer af ter buying the product checked later on to find that the free offer was not packed with the sold item by the retail store. This created a sense within the customer of being cheated. For this reason, the customer wanted a refund from the store as the contract of buying and selling was breached by the retail store. This shows the limitations of overall effectiveness of the retail business in dealing with their customers. This is a challenge faced by the team as the there was no free exchange of information. The integral function of the retail store is an aggregation of the individual retail functions (Brannick,  Salas and  Prince, 1997). The communication with other teams is thus important for delivering effective customer service and in sustaining the profitability of their business. Key recommendations for improvement In order to deal with such situation in the future, the key recommendations for improvement of the retail operations are given below. There should be respect among the team members for each other and they should be aligned to overall retail sales activity. The alignment of the roles towards common interest of the overall work of retail sales triggers action from the individual roles that are aimed to make the system error free. In this experience in retail sales, the team members should have exchanged information on

Memories on Cities, Nature and People through the Lenses of Andre Essay

Memories on Cities, Nature and People through the Lenses of Andre Aciman - Essay Example Definitely, Alexandria goes first in such a recollection by the author. It is a source for his passion where he is inclined to take a glimpse at the past experience which is never-ending for his entire life. Thus, the first claim of significance is that Aciman is well devoted to the value of a memory. Thereupon, in Alexandria: The Capital of Memory he states on what he gained and missed being an ordinary denizen of the city while the political conflict sprang up in his youth and what Alexandria means to him at present (Aciman 6). It is a so-called memoir represented through the lenses of the writer’s vision of sweet memories and dreams about this location. On the other hand, Aciman is sensitive to the subtle facets of his soul each time he reproduces his own vision of life and living it in close relation with the environment. Just roaming the streets of Alexandria helps the writer focus more on the way everything functions and stays in the city (Aciman 10). It is a particular way to fix the picture of the location at the writer’s specific foreshortening just in case something will change in the future. Such sweet things keep track to the writer’s appreciation of his young ages and how they went on. Besides, In Search of Blue depicts Aciman’s reasoning on the most valued features to stay in mind. It is unlikely that he is dreaming about some material amenities or some lucre. He is dedicated more to the abstract images of what he sees and what will be accumulated in his widespread mind afterwards. Flashbacks feed Aciman in his trip to Rome along with his parents. Along with Alexandria, Rome is a part of the writer’s colorful life (Aciman 24). It is all about a man living his life along and with the family at once. Aciman is open to describe the power of his feelings through the shades and hues of blue, namely: â€Å"For years this wonderful expanse of still and timeless blue, where hills and rippleless beaches seemed made to ex ist in memory alone, belonged nowhere† (Aciman 24). Admittedly, the writer aims at the height of his imagination while taking a look at the natural beauty of the city he lived in. Past memories presuppose the sense of living for Aciman. He takes care of each slight memory so as to keep it alive and vivid. Thus, in search of blue, Andre Aciman seems to find out the exact way of thinking about what a man can bear with him/her throughout life. In his another essay called Shadow Cities, the writer makes an attempt to bind another city to make sure a reader knows what New York means to him. The essay represents his worries about what happened to a little Straus Park just within the city (Aciman 38). He does not hesitate to come closer to the overall idea of a virtue and social responsibility of people inhabiting the city and contributing into its further development. It is all about the way Aciman once shared the significance of natural episodes within concrete jungles of todayâ₠¬â„¢s urbanized world. However, it does not describe him as an opponent of the city. He finds New York pretty magnificent along with its streets and avenues. Therefore, the writer’s great desire states as follows: â€Å"I wanted everything to remain the same† (Aciman 38). It is a voice of despair the writer faced in New York and realized it would never stop in the future. Everything is in the state of flux, as they say. However, Aciman behaves as a real foreigner keeping in mind the things as they were earlier. Hence, he illustrates his strict incapability to get accustomed with new names of the stores or some change to the places of sightseeing he once encountered in his life. To say more, being an adolescent, Andre Aciman obtained precious knowledge of what the world means to a man. Insofar, the essay called Square Lamartine is also a compilation

Church History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Church History - Essay Example Moreover, many of the religions followers were being converted to Finney's theological teachings.3 As Charles Finney's following grew in numbers, so did the criticism he received from those who felt as if Finney was threading and invading their own territories.4 As it has been mentioned, Finney's lectures were broken down by his staunchest opponents. Every single detail of his teachings was analyzed to reveal anything that they might be able to use against him. The following discussion will focus on Finney's thoughts and how these differed from the traditional teachings of the Church. Furthermore, the reactions of various groups and individuals to Charles Finney's lectures will likewise be included in the discussion. The primary objective in undertaking such analyses is to reveal the rationale behind the Finney's castigation. Finney asserts that the need for a revival comes from the assumption that the church is in a, "backslidden state."5 Furthermore, Finney believes that a revival is the rise of the church from its backsliding. This should happen together with the conversion of sinners.6 Finney believes that revival is but merely the commencement of the people's new obedience to God. He furthers this by saying, A revival according to Finney is the renewal of the Ch... g from the backslidden state where members of the church were blind to the state of sinners.8 In this backslidden state, Christians do not see the reality of the truth embedded in the scriptures. Although it may seem as if they admit to such truth, and that, "their conscience and judgment assent to it," the faith of Christians does not see such truth as it stands out in reality.9 Furthermore, Finney believes that, A revival breaks the power of the world and of sin over Christians. It brings them to such a vantage ground that they get a fresh impulse towards heaven. They have a foretaste of heaven, and new desire after union with God; and the charm of the world is broken, and the power of sin overcome. 10 In all of Finney's thoughts regarding revival, one element stands out. Finney's concept of revival is not one that is a gift from heaven. Finney did not believe that a revival is a product of a miracle and that the church needs not to do anything but accept such gift from God. This is what one may deduce from Finney's statements on the origin of a revival, "A revival is not a miracle, nor dependant on a miracle, in any sense. It is a purely philosophical result of the right use of the constituted means."11 This statement clearly explains Finney's concept of a revival. For Finney, the revival is the product of human effort.12 He believes that Christians have the capability to initiate a revival. Miller states Finney's view of spiritual reformation was that of a self-reformation rather than a divine reformation.13 He did not believe that a miracle or a gift from God is needed in order for any miracle to begin. Finney's view of revival was pragmatic just as his view of the universe was. According to Horton, The American pragmatic impulse that produced both Finney and

Changing Trends in Indian Marriages

Changing Trends in Indian Marriages INTRODUCTION: Marriages are divine alliance between the two individuals and have to be maintained for the entire life. They portray a bond which unlike business should not be dissolved if any problem arises. Marriages on the other hand make it important to maintain heavenly relationships among the humans and promote peace and love. In this modern world, meaning of marriages has changed all throughout the people making more intense problems to maintain a good relationship among individuals. Even though there are some countries which still follow the traditional ways to make this heavenly bond, there are influences from the western societies and the minds of the people which cause the break-up in relationship and some problems which affect the entire society. In this essay, let us see the trends which have made some huge changes to the cultural marriages in India. The rich customs and cultural heritage in India make marriages a special occasion for the friends and relatives. The marriages in India have different varieties owing to the different religions that prevail in India. Every different religion has different wedding rituals, methods and way of celebrations. The common feature of Indian marriages is fun and excitement due to the gathering of friends and relatives. The developing India, has liked the changes that were brought to marriages from the recent past. In the olden days, there used to be many rituals and customs that take place in the marriages and the marriages were considered as a heavenly bond between the individuals and the families as whole. Traditionally, the approval by the elders of the families was considered more important than of the individuals. The trend that was prevalent among these Indian marriages is that of the dowry system. Main reasons for the plummeting trend of arranged marriages are that of the problems that are created by the dowry system which affects the entire society. This system demands material gifts from the family of brides for the exchange of the bridegrooms. This trend in this modern India has caused some deaths of the entire family or the bride because of the rising of the demands even after the marriages. Other trends which had caused some unrest in the society were that of the practice of Sati by the widow women and child marriages. According to the laws, practice of Sati is illegal in modern India but some cases have been reported. This practice of Sati resembled and was followed by the acts performed by Gods and Goddess depicted in the epic writings of Mahabharata. On the other hand, child marriages portray the suppression of choice of the individuals in the field of marriages. This was done in the early days to maintain the status of the upper caste families in marrying peoples from other castes or of religion. The existence of a society mainly depends on the customs and traditions of the people. These customs remains as a strong pillars in identifying a particular society. Without a tradition or a culture, the man will represent the primitive man from the jungle. This thought urges us to follow a tradition and culture to be respected and make a path of life for the people. The practice of arranged marriages was performed since the fourth century and it primarily was done to pass on the family tradition and culture from one generation to another. The concept of arranged marriages is liked by the majority of the people in India because the love marriages are not penetrated throughout India. The unlikeliness of love marriages is because it is considered against the Indian culture. Nowadays, both love marriages and arranged marriages are accepted in India. The Indian way of marriages is entirely different from the western way of a marriage where the main difference is the matter of choice of b ride or bridegrooms. In the western countries, the couples tend to live together before their marriage which will help them to understand each other in every aspect. But, In India, marriages are planned according to the factors of dowry, caste, age, order of birth among their siblings and the needs of the family to showcase their pride. This tradition which is followed in India causes in inequality to the communities and is also mistreating women in this modern world. About 90% of the Indian marriages are arranged and follow the old tradition of social rituals. Making the individuals in India marry within their caste system bounds them of choices for their likes and also oppresses the ability of women because of the dominant character of men. Marriages are a divine relationship between man and a woman which depends on love, trust and faith between each other. Marriages are celebrated as a festival by the both families to make the couples understand the tradition and value behind the relationship. Problems of Dowry System Treatment of women in India has been on a rise since 1920s before which the women were treated poorly and badly making the life tougher to lead. The change mainly occurred due to the modernisation and because of the laws introduced by the Indian government. Even nowadays, the countries in Middle East have restrictions for women to own land, or to come out of the houses. Even the modernisation of the life of people has not changed the aspects of the oppression of women in the world. In India, â€Å"dowry deaths†, different form of assault on women and â€Å"stove burnings† have become common in India. In India, even the family of a girl tend to show hatred owing to the financial struggle because of the dowry that the girl will bring to the family in the future. This also causes many families to choose unsuitable man for the girl who might have some problems in his health. In India, there are many factors which play an important part in requesting of dowry from the girls family. One of the factors is that of the age of the woman, which should be less if the dowry needs to be less and vice versa. Taking this into account, many families tend to marry the girls just after the girl reached 21 or 23. The gifts or the dowries that are requested from the bridegrooms perspective also depends on the boys study i.e. higher studies is equal to higher bribes(dowry). In India, dowries range from as little as $2000 to as high as $200,000 with some material gifts and jewels. If the girls family cannot stick on to the demands of the boys family, the bridegrooms family might not respect the girl and may exploit and treat her as a maid in the future or may result in dowry deaths. Dowry deaths in India are common and not taken serious by the governments or not bought in to notice. These dowry deaths may make way for the bridegroom to remarry requesting for a better dowry from the other family. The newlyweds in India are the ones who are subject to the â€Å"Dowry Dea ths†. This aspect of violence is skyrocketing due to the living costs and other rise in costs. According to an investigation, there were about 7000 deaths due to the dowry demanded from the brides family. Many deaths go un-noticed or reported due to the status of their family and because of the dominant nature of the bridegrooms family. Other common death prevalent among the Indian marriages due to the dowry systems is that of the â€Å"Stove-burnings†. These incidents occur due to the dowry issue or that of the hatred or misconduct with their wife. These are also classified as kitchen accidents but it is false in the real sense. The husbands who commit crime by killing their wife easily get away from law by bribing the police, judges and other people who serve as an evidence for that case. Most of these crimes go un-noticed in India because of the inequality for women. Taking into account the evil deeds of dowry system in India, government has proposed the dowry prohibition act in 1961 which punishes the person taking dowry for imprisonment and fine. If the demand of a particular person is proved in the court of justice, such person is subject to imprisonment for six months and a fine of $500. A Joint Family System Until the twelfth century, the Indian couples liked the principle of joint family structure and the concept was a main feature of Indian society. But, nowadays due to the urban influence, this principle started to fade out in many families. This system represents the main feature of the Indian society and had a good reputation for the society as whole. Even in many rural villages, this trend of joint family has been reduced to a great extent. The males in families are subject to leave their native to pursue higher education or for a lucrative job in the metros. The main reason that can be blamed for is that of the industrial growth in many countries which has led to this decline. Other reasons for this decline can also be stated to the increase in divorce rates and urban migration. The people who are financially sound, career oriented and who has the freedom to make their independent decision mainly contributed for this change in the joint family system. This decline in joint familie s has improved the bond between the couples in many cases and vice versa in some cases. In case of any misunderstanding between the couples have been easily solved if they were in a joint family or the situation could become worse and lead to deaths in other cases. Other important issue that arise in the Indian marriages is the age of women, where the concept of two people uniting together is side-lined. According to the marriage act of 1986, the idle age for marriages is below 18 for female and below 23 for males. This rule by the government has caused infertility and population growth in India. The population growth in the recent years has called the people of India to go in for a one-child per family policy. This is also a main cause for the gender equality prevailing in the country. Another reason for this gender gap can be pointed out to the act that made abortions legal but, illegal to sex selective abortions. The trend of Indian marriages are changing because of the immigrants who get to foreign countries for work and living. In the past, there were many cultural limitations as women getting separated from the own family system and moving to another system. This system allows the tradition of Indian marriages intact and keeps balance of the shift from immigrants in culture these days. Although there are some laws passed in the past to protect women from oppression or ill-treatment, these customs will still prevail as they are deeply rooted in the minds of people from India. Nowadays, the trend of marrying a person who is of other caste or other religion is getting common. These changes were mainly due to the social awareness and advancement of the society. These changes arose due to the approval of the love marriage decision which brings happiness to their sons or daughters life. Although, love marriages are accepted, the final result of the marriage turns out to be an arranged marriage by the approval of the elders in the family. The people of the orthodox family background still follow the tradition of marrying within the caste and religion. The love marriages which are not performed by the approval of the family members may lead to hatred of the each community and may turn in to a riot between the communities or families. Change of Surnames after marriage Another important aspect of marriages in India is that of the tradition of changing the surnames of the brides after the marriage. Even though this concept of changing the surnames portrays a male dominated India, it creates a strong feeling of love and togetherness among the couples and the family members. In Hindu mythology, it says that the unique family name brings a feeling of secure and love. It also says that the women are epitome of familys pride and respect and the replacement of the surname depicts the responsibility taken by her in sustaining and improving the familys name in the society. This change also expresses the sacrifice and obedience to the elders in the family. Its main aim is to show the status of the women and show that she belongs to that particular family. Man in the other hand secures his wife and children and leads a happy life in the society. This change helps in securing the family tradition for many generations to come. The women regain her maiden family name if she plans for a divorce from the husband which is the common system around the world. Due to the advancements in the society and the empowerment of women, this wonderful tradition is vanishing in many metros in India. This portrays the women values are on the rise and there are getting more secure in the society by being independent to make their decisions. Dissolution of marriage Divorce or dissolution of marriages has been a rare case in the Indian family history. The respect, values and public opinion have made this decision unfeasible in the past. Indian marriages are a sacred bond between the couples of two families and not just an agreement to stay together as liked by the elders in the family. Even in case of torture, pressure and stress from the husbands family or the husband himself have not caused any dissolution keeping in mind the difficulties that the woman has to face in the future. In Hindu culture, virginity of a woman is an important aspect of a marriage and guarded as a respectability of a woman. This makes it difficult for the women for a remarriage after her divorce. Owing to this entire problem a woman can face in the future, marriages nowadays are just a transfer of a female from one community to another. The sacred moments between the couples are missing and are just a relationship to share some aspects of life. Even though there is a change in shift of the culture, the Indian marriages are strong in every aspect and unlike that in western countries which are very fragile and break for silly reasons. The divorce rates are very rare in Indian society where only one in fifty couples apply for it when compared to four out of ten couples who go in for separation. The divorce rates in the urban India are on a rise owing to the advancements in the society. Government has also made the divorce and remarriage legal by law and have to apply for their separation before the court. The higher rate of divorce in the cities cannot say that the concept of life long marriages are in trouble, it only gives them the freedom to keep away from the unlike that pre vious generations accepted. The increases in rate of divorces only mean that people are ready to sacrifice their marriage for unsatisfactory relationships. The Muslim law of Sheriat says that it is legal for a Muslim to have multiple wives in India. The government has also recently approved the concept of homosexual marriages in India Conclusion Even though India is emerging in all the fields for improvement, its culture of showing inequality for women is still not changed in form of marriages. The dowry system, stove burnings, female foetus abortion ratio all state and remain as an evidence for the issue. Even though these factors are a hindrance to the emerging society, this tradition is important in every means to lead a decent life in India. The empowerment of women has given a new dimension for them to show their talents in many fields. The government has allotted 33% for the women to encourage their ability and prove that women in India are living in a modern era and not that of the times when they were not given permission to study or come out of their houses. This initiative from the government in the past has made India accept the first president after the regime of A.P.J.Abdul Kalam. Even though government has been giving many percentages for women, the tradition of arranged marriages wont change in the coming year s. The deed of arranged marriages is also related to the respect and pride got from the close family relatives and friends on regarding the marriage system. In India, almost 90% of the marriages are arranged and successful owing to these positive outcomes, people go by the traditional way of arranging the marriages. The practice of arranged marriages in India cannot be judged as a false idea because of the divorce rates in India are less than 5% of the total marriages and the society is optimistic about these outcomes.

Recommendation Letter for Former Employee :: Business Recommendation Letters

November 20, 2004 Mr. Richard Pillsbury Manager, Marketing Services All Industries Inc. 111 Strawberry Bend, Suite 1551 Smallville, OH 05252 Dear Mr. Pillsbury: This is in response to your recent request for a letter of recommendation for Mary Lamb who worked for me up until three years ago. Mary Lamb worked under my direct supervision at Technical Technologies for a period of five and a half years ending in August 2003. During that period, I had the pleasure of seeing her blossom from a junior marketing trainee, into a fully functioning Marketing, Program Co-Ordinator, in her final year and a half with the company. That was the last position she held before moving on to a better career opportunity. Mary is a hard-working self-motivator who understands exactly what a project is all about from the outset, and how to get it done quickly and effectively. During her year and a half in the Marketing Co-Ordinator position, there was never an instance in which she missed a major deadline. She often brought projects in below budget, and a few were even completed ahead of the deadline. Ms. Lamb is a resourceful, creative, and solution-oriented person who was frequently able to come up with new and innovative approaches to her assigned projects. She functioned well as a team leader and she worked effectively as a team member under the direction of other team leaders. On the interpersonal side, Mary has superior writing and verbal communication skills. She gets along extremely well with the staff under her supervision, as well as colleagues at her own level. She is highly respected, both a person and a professional, by colleagues, employees, suppliers, and customers. A year ago, when Ms. Lamb announced her resignation to take up a new position with a larger company, we were not happy to see her leave, although we wished her the best in her new undertaking.

Renaissance Drama and Staging :: Free Essays Online

Renaissance Drama and Staging Margaret Jane Kidnie states â€Å"an area significantly impacted by William Shakespeare, Renaissance Theater developed into an influential period of drama deviating upon various elements of perception in each performance† (456-473). Many scholars wrote responses about renaissance drama and staging. There was a diversity of focus portrayed throughout each presentation, therefore resulting in differentiation between performances. Jealousy, gender, and spectatorship were some of the many topics that were represented in theater throughout the Renaissance Era, influenced greatly by William Shakespeare. Having written numerous plays performed during the Renaissance era, â€Å"Shakespeare’s influence on drama and staging can be shown through the language of performance criticism,† (Masten 341). interpretation of the drama, different focal points, and the way these plays were performed in relation to the text. During the seventeenth century, most plays that were written had a focal point of jealousy and had tragic endings. According to Katharine Eisaman Maus, â€Å"Anxiety about sexual betrayal pervades the drama of the English Renaissance† (561) and becomes the plot of many plays. Many critics cannot understand why many characters have the quality of being jealous and also to being curious. Maus continues to state, â€Å"Some critics are inclined to look for cultural explanations; for then the phenomenon reflects in a particularly telling way†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (561). English Renaissance dramatists are more likely to include jealousy, sexual disloyalty and anxiety rather than non-dramatists. Shakespeare uses sexual fidelity that lead up to jealousy in many of his dramas such as Othello, and The Winter’s Tale. Maus reveals an answer to the question of why jealousy always becomes in a Renaissance drama. She states â€Å"sexual jealousy fascinates English Renaissance playwrights n ot only because it is a psychologically and socially interesting phenomenon but because the dynamic of sexual jealousy provides a complex analogy to theatrical performance and response to culture†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Maus 563). When people come to the theater, they want a good performance. A good issue to represent in most Renaissance dramas is sexual jealousy and anxiety. This allows the audience to enjoy the play, while having their own interpretation as well. Many historians and Shakespeare scholars show a great interest in how to connect the script and the performance of the play. The script or text of a play is only half of what the drama turns out to be. In order to understand the whole drama, one must comprehend the relationship between the text and the performance. Renaissance Drama and Staging :: Free Essays Online Renaissance Drama and Staging Margaret Jane Kidnie states â€Å"an area significantly impacted by William Shakespeare, Renaissance Theater developed into an influential period of drama deviating upon various elements of perception in each performance† (456-473). Many scholars wrote responses about renaissance drama and staging. There was a diversity of focus portrayed throughout each presentation, therefore resulting in differentiation between performances. Jealousy, gender, and spectatorship were some of the many topics that were represented in theater throughout the Renaissance Era, influenced greatly by William Shakespeare. Having written numerous plays performed during the Renaissance era, â€Å"Shakespeare’s influence on drama and staging can be shown through the language of performance criticism,† (Masten 341). interpretation of the drama, different focal points, and the way these plays were performed in relation to the text. During the seventeenth century, most plays that were written had a focal point of jealousy and had tragic endings. According to Katharine Eisaman Maus, â€Å"Anxiety about sexual betrayal pervades the drama of the English Renaissance† (561) and becomes the plot of many plays. Many critics cannot understand why many characters have the quality of being jealous and also to being curious. Maus continues to state, â€Å"Some critics are inclined to look for cultural explanations; for then the phenomenon reflects in a particularly telling way†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (561). English Renaissance dramatists are more likely to include jealousy, sexual disloyalty and anxiety rather than non-dramatists. Shakespeare uses sexual fidelity that lead up to jealousy in many of his dramas such as Othello, and The Winter’s Tale. Maus reveals an answer to the question of why jealousy always becomes in a Renaissance drama. She states â€Å"sexual jealousy fascinates English Renaissance playwrights n ot only because it is a psychologically and socially interesting phenomenon but because the dynamic of sexual jealousy provides a complex analogy to theatrical performance and response to culture†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Maus 563). When people come to the theater, they want a good performance. A good issue to represent in most Renaissance dramas is sexual jealousy and anxiety. This allows the audience to enjoy the play, while having their own interpretation as well. Many historians and Shakespeare scholars show a great interest in how to connect the script and the performance of the play. The script or text of a play is only half of what the drama turns out to be. In order to understand the whole drama, one must comprehend the relationship between the text and the performance.

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According to Hector Avalos, religions might preach peace, love, and harmony, but establishing a textual canon or sacred site which only some have privileged access to also establishes an illusory â€Å"scarcity† which causes people to fight. This is the intent of religious leaders, but it's an inevitable outgrowth of their actions — and we can see this occurring in the context of Islam with its holy sites and cities: Mecca, Medina, the Dome of the Rock, Hebron, and so on. Each city is holy to Muslims, but while Muslims focus on what they regard as the positive aspects, they cannot pretend that the negative aspects don't exist.Moreover, even the positive aspects can be criticized as often inaccurate. The holiness of each site is associated with violence against other religions or against other Muslims and their importance has been as dependent on politics as religion, a sign of the degree to which political ideologies and parties make use of the religious concept of â₠¬Å"holiness† to further their own agendas. Mecca Islam's holiest site, Mecca, is where Muhammad was born. During his exile in Medina, Muhammad had his followers pray in the direction of Mecca instead of Jerusalem which was the original orientation site.Going on a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a person's life is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Mecca is closed to non-Muslims because of a revelation Muhammad allegedly received from God, but some outsiders have entered while disguised as Muslims. Even before Muhammad, Mecca was a pilgrimage site for pagan polytheists and some argue that the Muslim practice of pilgrimage was borrowed from those ancient rituals. Some scholars argue that because Jews and Christians rejected Muhammad's message, ancient pagan practices had to be incorporated into Islam in order to more easily capture the allegiance of local polytheists.Christianity did much the same throughout Europe in order to convert pagans there. Located in the courtyard o f the Great Mosque in Mecca is a windowless cube known as the Kaaba, believed by Muslims to have been built by the prophet Abraham In the southeastern corner of the Kaaba is the â€Å"Black Stone,† an object which Muslims believe was given to Abraham by the angel Gabriel. Reports of local pagans worshipping gods in the form of stones go back centuries and Muhammad probably incorporated this practice through the Kabaa itself.Pagan rituals were thus re-told through the lives of biblical characters and so that local practices could continue under the guise of Muslim tradition. Medina Medina is where Muhammad was exiled after he found little support for his ideas in his home city of Mecca, making it the second holiest site in Islam. There was a large Jewish community in Medina which Muhammad had hoped to convert, but his failure eventually led him to banish, enslave, or kill every Jew in the area. The presence of non-believers was at first an affront to Muhammad's claims that his religion superseded theirs; later, it was an affront to the holiness of the place.Medina was also the capital of the Muslim empire until 661 when it was moved to Damascus. Despite its religious status, this loss of political power caused the city to decline precipitously and it had little influence during the Middle Ages. Medina's modern rise to prominence was again due to politics, not religion: after Britain occupied Egypt, the Ottoman occupiers of the region funneled communications through Medina, transforming it into a major transportation and communication center. Thus the importance, decline, and growth of Medina was always dependent upon the political situation, not on religion or religious beliefs.Dome of the Rock The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is a Muslim shrine which stands where the first Jewish temple is believed to have stood, where Abraham tried to sacrifice his son to God, and where Muhammad ascended into heaven in order to receive God's commandments. For Muslims this is the third holiest site for pilgrimage, after Mecca and Medina. It may be the oldest surviving example of early Islamic architecture and is modeled after the Christian Church of the Holy Sepulchre, located nearby. Control of the site is a hotly contested issue for Muslims and Jews.Many devout Jews would like to see the mosques torn down and the Temple reconstructed in their place, but this would destroy one of the holiest sites of Islam and lead to a religious war of unprecedented proportions. True Believers have gathered together in a variety of Third Temple societies in active preparation, even going so far as to prepare the precise clothing, coinage, and sacrificial implements needed for use in a rebuilt Temple. Stories have spread among Muslims that the creation of Israel was the first step in an apocalyptic process which will culminate in the total triumph of Islam over all the world.The Dome of the Rock is thus one of the best examples of Avalos' argument about how reli gions create false scarcities which encourage violence. There are no natural resources on this site which humans might be expected to fight over — no oil, water, gold, etc. Instead, people are willing to launch an apocalyptic war simply because they all believe that the site is â€Å"holy† to them and, therefore, that only they should be allowed to control and build upon it. Hebron The city of Hebron is holy for both Muslims and Jews because it contains the â€Å"Cave of the Patriarchs,† supposedly a tomb for Abraham and his family.During the Six Day War of June, 1967, Israel seized Hebron along with the rest of the West Bank. After this war, hundreds of Israelis settled in the area, creating conflict with thousands of Palestinian neighbors. Because of this, Hebron has become a symbol of Israeli-Palestinian hostilities — and thus of interreligious strife, suspicion, and violence. It's not possible for both Jews and Muslims to have exclusive control of Heb ron and neither group is willing to share control. It's only because of the insistence of both that the city is â€Å"holy† that they fight over it at all, though.Mashhad Mashhhad, Iran, is the site for the burial places and shrines for all twelve of the imams revered by the Twelver Shia Muslims. These holy men, believed to be a source of sanctity, are all martyrs because they were murdered, poisoned, or otherwise persecuted. It wasn't Christians or Jews who did this, though, but other Muslims. These shrines to the early imams are treated by Shia Muslims today as religious symbols, but if anything they are symbols for the ability of religion, including Islam, to encourage violence, brutality, and division among believers. QomQom, Iran, is an important pilgrimage site for the Shi'a because of the burial sites of numerous shahs. The Borujerdi mosque is opened and closed each day by government guards who praise Iran's Islamic government. It is also the site of Shia theology trai ning — and thus also of Shia political activism. When the Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran from exile, his first stop was Qom. The city is thus as much a political shrine as it is a religious one, a monument to authoritarian politics and the authoritarian religion which provides politics with existential justification. –>