Journal Entry Essay

As I think back to the beginning of the semester, I have realize that I knew extremely little about the Islamic faith. While reflecting on the semester, I decided to re-read my first journal entry. Students were prompted with a few questions to answer while writing out journal entry. I decided to address the questions that asked us not only why we opted to take the course, but also what we hoped to learn from the course. In my journal entry, I wrote that my main reason for taking the course was to “develop a better understanding of Islam as a global religion” (Gaining a Better Understanding, 1). I have always felt that it is important to not only educate ourselves on different cultures and religions, but also gain a number of different perspectives of these cultures and religions. In my journal entry seven, I wrote that “I personally stress the importance of understanding each other and each other’s faith, but this should be done through factual evidence, rather than through stereotypes that could be based on false information.” (Gaining an Understanding, 2). Over the course of the semester I could see myself learning and growing; …show more content…
I was thoroughly surprised when I discovered that Jesus was considered a prophet and a messenger of God in the Islamic faith. Furthermore, I was taken by back when I came across the fact that Jesus was mentioned numerous times in the Qur’an. Being born in a Christian household, I was taught that Jesus was not only a messenger of God, but the son of God. As the semester progressed, I began to notice similarities between Islam and Christianity. The Qur’an and the Bible both document stories of miracles performed in the name of God. Furthermore, the Qur’an and the Bible have a set of commandments for all people to obey. I personally found it thoroughly interesting to see the differences and similarities between Islam and