RELS 2300
Functionalist and Faith
Perspectives in Real World Issues:
Considering Rohingya
Religious
beliefs can be a powerful thing, and can bring much structure and organization
for those following a religion. This can be positive or negative for other
religious groups living near. Looking at Functional and Faith perspectives of
religion, it is apparent why this is the case negatively for the Rohingya
Muslims living in Myanmar.
Looking
at the way religion effects society from a Functional perspective creates an
image of positivity, as well as seems very logical when viewing the concept of
religion from a universal perspective. When looking at one religious group and
applying the framework of the functionalist perspective, we are able to see
that the theory of religion being useful in society holds true. Taking Emile
Durkheim's proposal and applying it to one religious group will prove his point
to be true in most cases. Addressing Durkheim's abbreviated proposal; that humans
need some kind of social organization or structure to live successfully, which
is religion, and this religion has the ability to hold that society together.[1]
Looking at all religious groups worldwide, it is easy to see the truth of this
statement.
Islamic
religious beliefs begins and is centered around stories of their prophet
Muhammad, and the Qu'ran. He lived during a time in Pre-Islamic Arabia where
tribes were the most important social groups. These tribes would fight one
another if contentions arose, but would also keep in contact and trade with
other tribes. They all worshipped various deities, and when Muhammad was in his
40's and was told through revelations to share and teach what he had revealed
to him. He faced persecution and ridicule from some, but as time went on he was
asked to help the city Yathrib solve political problems, he even wrote up a
constitution for them. Him and his followers fought to take back Mecca, and
won.[2]
This story is holds true to Durkheim's interpretation of religion's ability to
hold society together, and create a social organization and structure to live
successfully.
Looking at Buddhism as an example of this, we
see that with the history of its' founder. Siddhartha was looking for something
more beyond his life of luxury because he didn't feel fulfilled or feel like
there was that social organization that he felt he could live successfully in.
He left his old life, witnessed the four sights, felt suffering, experienced a
spiritual awakening, and then dedicated his life to teach what he knew and
gained many followers.[3]
From this story and from Buddhist teachings alone we can also apply Durkheim's
second portion of his proposal: That religious teachings have the ability to promote
harmony among social groups. This is due to the virtuous things that are taught
and practiced among themselves, such as love, compassion, justice, and to have
control over specific desires and emotions. This list of virtuous traits can align almost
completely parallel to the basics of the Dharma found in Buddhism. Buddhist
teachings are to be realistic about the human experience, to acknowledge and
feel pain. With that acknowledgment of pain you are able to feel empathy and
compassion for others pain. One is then able to let things go, to and serve
others with having control over their own selfish desires.[4]
These teachings can easily be understood to fit in Durkheim's theory when
viewing one religious group, but unfortunately does not always hold true when two
religious groups are coexisting.
Faith is interesting, because it is the belief
that one has achieved enlightenment, or direct wisdom not from one's own mind but
an unseen force, it takes a person's thoughts away from the world and instead
fully on that enlightening experience. One's faith perspective has the
capability of bringing someone to be so passionate about one's belief and
spiritual experiences that it drives them to act in extreme ways. Whether one
is driven to live in an extreme way, such as a Monk or a Nun or religious
follower that make a covenant, or promise, with a God or supreme being to devote
their entire life to that entities' teachings and will, and even going an
extended time with no food or water, also known as fasting.[5]
Or in another way, to be so engrossed in one's faith perspective that it drives
them to believe that their faith is more important or more right than another
person's faith, or even well being; this extreme will always lead to contention,
and can lead to prejudice and violence if it is challenged.
The
Rohingya are a Majority Muslim ethnic group that live and have lived for
centuries in the Rakhine state of Myanmar, also known as Burma, which has
Buddhism as its' most predominant religion. With a complicated past, the state
Rakhine that the Rohingya live in is among the poorest of the states in
Myanmar. They live here because this is where the rest of the country is
forcing them to live, as well as only allowing them to leave this rubble of a
city with the permission of the Myanmar government. The list goes on, they are
denied citizenship which inhibits their ability to work certain jobs, gain
education, get married, vote, and even run for a job in the government. They
lack proper resources for clean water, safe food to eat, as well as proper
forms of healthcare. There have been situations where Myanmar government troops
have shot at and killed innocent Rohingya men, women, and children; these
troops are also burning down homes, and blaming it in the Rohingya people. With
many accounts of rape and explicit
murder, this situation has been noted as that of genocide, and ethnic
cleansing. For these reasons, millions of Rohingya people over the years have left
the country to try and find refuge from this persecution in nearby countries.
In these countries, these people are still not facing welcoming arms. Forced to
stay and live in overcrowded refugee camps in neighboring countries; the
government of Burma doesn't want the Ronhingya people to stay there long term
and have even considered the fact sending them to live on an island that is
flooding.[6]
Why,
if the Ronhingya people are living among majority Buddhist, a religious group
with such beliefs as having compassion, empathy, and being able to look beyond
selfish desires, are causing this negative treatment as well as not doing
anything to cease such treatment? John Bowker, an author, is paraphrased by
Fisher and Rinehart in their textbook Living
Religions Tenth Edition by saying "religions are organized systems
that serve the essential biological purpose of bringing people together for
their common survival".[7]
With a focus on the last portion of the phrase mentioned regarding "common
survival", a valid point can be made by addressing the current circumstance
of the Ronhingya people caused by the Buddhist in Myanmar, as well as other
forms of tension or war caused because of religious tensions in history from
various other religions. It is apparent that the closeness and social
organization that religious groups bring can have a powerful effect on people
in those groups, even powerful enough for people to feel so protective of their
religion that they threaten or harm other religious groups in close proximity
to them. This we can see between the Buddhist and Rohingya Muslim groups in
Myanmar.
The
need to protect what is precious to someone, or group, can have an overwhelming
effect on what actions are taken place. Functionalist and Faith perspectives of
religion show the power that a social
organization and structure that is made within that religion. People band
together to protect what is important to them, even their faith promotes peace
and service to those around them, they may feel the need to act in violence and
hostility to bring safety to a threat of a nearby religious group.
Bibliography
Al Jazeera. “Who Are
the Rohingya?” GCC News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 18
Apr. 2018,
www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/08/rohingya-muslims-170831065142812.html.
Eisenman,
Debra. “Explainer: What's Happening to Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims.” Asia
Society, 24 Feb. 2017,
asiasociety.org/blog/asia/explainer-whats-happening-myanmars-rohingya-muslims.
Fisher,
Mary Pat, and Robin Rinehart. Living Religions. Tenth ed., Pearson, 2017.
News,
Channel 4. YouTube, YouTube, 3 Sept. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHXPVg9a8RY.
Person.
“Who Are the Rohingya Muslims and What's Going on in Burma?”
BelfastTelegraph.co.uk,BelfastTelegraph.co.uk,8Sept.2017,www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/viral/who-are-the-rohingya-muslims-and-whats-going-on-in-burma-36112793.html.
Ratcliffe, Rebecca.
“Who Are the Rohingya and What Is Happening in Myanmar?” The Guardian, Guardian News and
Media, 6 Sept. 2017,
www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/sep/06/who-are-the-rohingya-and-what-is-happening-in-myanmar.
Shams,
Shamil. “Rohingya People in Myanmar: What You Need to Know | DW | 12.09.2017.”
DW.COM, 9 Dec. 2017,
www.dw.com/en/rohingya-people-in-myanmar-what-you-need-to-know/a-40340067.
Reflection
My
site visits throughout the semester definitely reassured my original definition
of religion. I did find however, that just having the simple definition of a
religious group being there to provide social structure as well as support
group, does not put the feeling into perspective. When I went to my first site
visit, to a Buddhist meeting house, my observations of all who were part of
that religious group was undoubtedly a strong connection between them. They all
knew each other by name, and what was
going on in their individual lives. They greeted one another so warmly, and the
peace that they felt among one another along with the practicing of their
religious beliefs was obviously apparent. My second site visit was similar. I
visited a Mormon church, of Christian beliefs, and they all were so incredibly
friendly and loving with one another. You could sense and see the comfort that
the congregation felt being there. Amazing how sharing beliefs, and having a
place to practice those beliefs can have such a strong connection among
followers, and even such a positive outlook on life.
Doing
this assignment, writing and reading about the Rohingya people in Myanmar
really made me realize that religion can truly be a creator of contention among
people of opposing faiths. I was so surprised to learn that a religion, as
peaceful seeming at that of the Buddhist faith, can have practicing
participants harming people of another religion. As I was learning of these
events, I was able to reflect and think of other events in history that were
caused by a religious group harming that of another religious group.
Remembering things I have learned from World War II, and the genocide and
concentration camps happening in reaction to Judaism. I can't help but be so disappointed
in humans. How can something be so beneficial for a social group, and then harm
another social group that is trying to do the same thing, support one another. Humans
get in the way of something positive they have created.
[1] Fisher,
Rinehart 6
[2]
Fisher, Rinehart 375-380
[3]
Fisher, Rinehart 137-140
[4]
Fisher, Rinehart 142-143
[5]
Fisher, Rinehart 9
[6] Al
Jazeera
[7]
Fisher, Rinehart 6
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