Blog #9

Although tribes have been an important concept to early Islamic and Arabic history, it had its down sides. It created separation physically and socially. Tribes started banding together and when Muhammad gained power, battles started. In early Islam, there were two civil wars, caused by rival tribes. The civilization was less unified since people basically lived in groups, not all together. This may have led to some of the assassinations of leaders and wars that occurred. It would have been smart for the political leaders of the time to try to find a way to replace the tribes and attempt to unify their empire.

Blog Entry #8

India's religious history greatly influenced their tradition of nonviolence. The creation of Buddhism was a major part of this. It was centered around peace and enlightenment. People worked hard to stay out of trouble and perform their duties so that in their next life they could move up to a higher caste. The stronger followers of Buddhism became monks and moved to monasteries where they spent their time meditating. Hinduism was partially the same way. Hinduists worked hard to fulfill their dharmas so they would move up a caste. Violence was not a part of the different castes much. These religions that were founded were all based on enlightenment, thus creating their influence on India's tradition of nonviolence.