Ernst provided a valid argument in this passage. He thoroughly describes how many Americans do not know truly how other cultures operate, and this can cause some stereotypical conflict with the Middle Eastern world. However, Christianity and Islamic religion both share similar characteristics.
3 pieces of evidence:
- “The Islamic tradition also claims to be based on the same two sources, the prophets of Israel and the philosophers of Greece. The Qur’an acknowledges a long line of prophets including Abraham, Moses and Jesus.”
- “The concept of Western Civilization may appear ludicrous. More seriously, one might say that the defining characteristics of Western Civilization are considered to derive from two sources: Israelite prophecy and revelation,”
- “It used to be that we spoke of three worlds: the First World, consisting of economically and technologically developed nations, primarily the United States, Europe, and Japan; the Second World, mainly the former Soviet Union and it’s Communist allies: and the Third World, and poor underdeveloped countries of Asia, and the Americas.”
What Ernst is saying here in the second bullet point is that the Islamic religion might sound funny or crazy to some people. On a serious note the defining characteristics of the Middle Eastern civilization is driven from the same factors as christianity. He sets this greatly with evidence supporting his claim. He gave a great analysis on how the Qur’an has the same prophets as the Bible.
