Comparative Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparative Culture - Essay Example As Corrigan et al. (2003) suggest, one of the founding principles of this Constitution is that there will be no official state religion. The first amendment to the Constitution clearly states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . . ". Thus there is no official "American" religion, nor can the practice of any religion be banned. While more than 80% of the American population profess to be Christian, there are literally hundreds of religions practices freely in America (Corrigan, 2003). While many Americans accept religious belief as a guiding precept within their lives there is, in general, a great deal of tolerance regarding the practice of opposing beliefs. America was in part founded and populated by successive groups of people who were escaping religious persecution in their home countries, and thus tolerance is ingrained within even the most devout believers of one faith or another (Shea, 2003). In contrast, more than 95% of Iraqis are Muslim. This figure alone might suggest that religion could be used as a unifying force within a country that appears on the surface to be hopelessly fragmented. Unfortunately this is not the case. Iraq is divided between three different religious blocs: the Sunni, the Shia and the Kurds. For many years the mutual antipathy between these three groups was kept essentially frozen by the dictatorial, brutal regime of Sadaam Hussein. This situation has changed with the American invasion of Iraq and the subsequent fragmentation of the country into rival factions, often based upon religion. Thus many Iraqis feel more allegiance to their religious group than they do to the country of Iraq. They feel Sunni, Shia or Kurd in a deeper way than they identify themselves as Iraqi. The Sunni were in the minority, but were privileged with this Hussein regime as he was a Sunni. The Sunni now find themselves virtually powerless (Algar, 2004). The Shia enjoy a majority position as far as numbers and have a number of charismatic religious leaders, but they are torn by internal strife. Thus many Iraqis essentially want a secular society based upon some version of Western democracy, while the more theocratic elements in all three of the major groups would like to see a theocracy built up. In many ways religion in Iraq is presently being used, both intentionally and unintentionally, as a catalyst for violence. Al Quaida deliberately uses its supposed fight for Muslim values against the West as a potent recruiting tool for new fighters. Both Sunni and Shia forces have killed one another in the name of defending their own particular brand of Islam. The Kurds seek independence at least partially based upon religious difference. To conclude, religion is an important aspect of life in both America and Iraq. But because the one is a stable, powerful country and the other one a region essentially on the brink of civil war, the comparison ends there. __________________________________________ Works Cited Algar, Hamid. Religion and Politics in Iraq: Shiite Clerics Between Quietism and Resiustance. Pustaka, New York: 2004. Corrigan, John. Hudson, Winthrop. Religion in America. Prentice-Hall, New

Self Analysis Leadership Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Self Analysis Leadership - Assignment Example Leadership has been also related to the ability of individuals to control the activities of employees (Rost, 1993, p.101); however, the above description of leadership is not successful since the control of activities of others is not necessarily part of the duties of a leader since it is a task that can be also delegated to an employee at lower levels of the organizational hierarchy. Through my discussions with friends and colleagues, I have come to the decision that leadership is a complex concept; this means that it is difficult to set the criteria that are of primary importance for evaluating the leadership skills of an individual. Under certain circumstances, an individual can be considered as an excellent leader even if he is not capable of communicating with others; for example, a leader that took the right decision in a critical case could be characterized as a good leader irrespective of his leadership skills in general. For me, effective leadership consists of two key eleme nts: the ability to handle crises and the ability to communicate. A Short Life History in Regard to Leadership I have been helping my father in our family business for many years. I had the chance to understand the challenges that a leader has to face. My father had to develop a wide range of tasks including the communication with customers and employees, the development of arrangement with suppliers and the suggestion of plans for securing the competitiveness of the business. In addition, there have been certain family values that have highly influenced my views on leadership: trust, support and cooperation. My father had helped me to understand that cooperation with others is quite important for achieving critical targets; reference is made not only to professional life but also to personal life in general. He had also explained me that cooperation and support should not be considered as weaknesses but rather as attitudes of a successful leader. My father used to say that a leader who has not managed to gain the trust of his followers should not be characterized as a successful leader. In my family, trust has been related not only to the truth but also to inspiration and support. My first experiences in leadership, as developed in the context of the family, have helped me to realize the characteristics of leadership and its power to influence the social and economic life worldwide. An Example of Leadership Attitudes In school I had the chance to experience leadership, even for a short period of time. In the third year of college, I was proposed the position of the leader for an important event – the college’s annual manifestations for the New Year. The duration of the manifestations were 3 days, from the 30th of December to the 1st of January and included a series of events such as a music event, an exhibition with the paintings of the college’s students and a speech of the college’s principal to the students and the staff. During these 3 days my leadership skills were highly tested – for about two months: since the beginning of November, I had to communicate on a continuous basis with students and staff so that the whole project is carefully planned. I had also to check the availability of resources required and ensuring that costs are kept as low as possible. At the same time, I had to cooperate with colleagues so that tasks are appropriately assigned and monitored. Controlling the