Reflection on Imperial Harem

Women have always played an integral part in history, known or behind the scenes. Today, we can easily recall woman such as Cleopatra and Susan B. Anthony who have exercised power to promote their goals. Leslie Pierces’ Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire, enlightens its reader on the important significant role women played in the long reign of the Ottoman Empire. During the 16th and 17th centuries, literature was concocted describing the era of the harem. This book in its beginning pages denounces the myths following the term harem. Pierce makes it a point in each page to denounce the Western view of a harem as a place where sexual activities occurred by expressing its important in the role of family and politics. The harem was important because it was an imperial harem, where ultimately the line of succession was created. During this time, women had power; they influenced political structures, the decisions of the reigning sultans, created public projects, training their sons to use sovereign power successfully, and ultimately decided the line of succession.

the Development of Islamic Civilization

[taken from readings and class lectures]

Conceived as a small religion within a community of believers, Islam quickly became of the worlds second largest religion. The basic core of the religion is to believe that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of God. Formulated as a minor group of faith in Arabia in the seventh century, Islam became one of the fastest growing religions in the world. By the tenth century, Islam became a religion adopted by almost all Middle Eastern, North- African, and European people.

In the late sixth century, tribes ruled the land known as Arabia. These nomadic tribes sporadically spread across the land where they were in constant contact and struggle with powerful groups such as the Persians, Ethiopians, and Byzantines. During this time, the land known as Mecca, today located in Saudi Arabia, was ruled by a tribe called Quraysh, which in 570 AD was the tribe Prophet Muhammad was born into.

During the 23 years that the prophecies were given by Angel Gabriel, Prophet Muhammad was a warrior, engaging in battle constantly while establishing and facilitating the spread of Islam.

First off and very importantly, it is a monotheistic religion that states that its followers shall believe in one God, that is Allah, and the Prophet Muhammad is his messenger; this line is also called the Shadah which is to “bear witness”, and once this line is spoken, one is able to convert themselves to Islam. One who follows Islam is called a Muslim and these people regard the Qur’an as the final word of God to all of humanity sent down to Prophet Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel. It is seen as the successor to the completion of scriptures sent to Prophets Moses, Jesus and others. Muslims view the Qur’an as the only uncorrupted word of God because earlier revelations have not survived in their original rendering. Moreover, it is important to Muslims because it is their main reference to spiritual matters, states the requirements of day to day living, and functions as a manual of prayer, a guidebook for moral living, a text of linguistics, a source of literary and historical significance that encourages scientific inquiry. Furthermore, it is important to acknowledge the Five Pillars of Islam. These are vital duties for a good adherent Muslim to perform. They include Prayer, which is required five times a day at specific times; Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan from dawn to sunset; Pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca at least once; the Shadah or declaration of faith, and charity, which requires 2.5% to be given of ones net wealth. These duties and the importance of the Qur’an, could be seen as potentially significant players in the role of the spread and conversion to Islam.