Community Health Nursing Assessment

Community Health Assessment of 78382 Chamberlain College of Nursing NR-443 Fall Session, November 2012 Audrey L. Hendrix Community Health Assessment of 78382 Introduction In an effort to promote the health needs within a community, a successful community health nurse (CHN) must focus on the entire population. In order to accomplish this task, the CHN utilizes a scientific approach to determine the priority population focused health needs for the community.According to Nies & McEwen (2011), a population focus involving an assessment of the community is a primary tool utilized in order to develop planning, interventions, and evaluations for the community at large. The purpose of this paper is to determine a priority health problem of a specific community based on demographic data, epidemiological data, and a windshield survey of the community. Community Data Zip code 78382 is the official postal identification for the city of Rockport, Texas. Rockport is the county seat of Aransas Coun ty.Rockport is a Texas Gulf Coast community located on Live Oak Peninsula between Copano and Aransas Bay on State Highway 35. Named for the rock ledge that lies underneath the coastal shore, Rockport was founded after the Civil War as a cattle slaughtering, packing, and shipping port. This industry continued until the late 1800’s when boatbuilding and fishing began to develop into important industries. After the railroad came to Rockport, tourism and the resort business began to thrive (Shukalo, 2005). After the turn of the century, a major hurricane almost destroyed the entire community.Recovery from this devastating natural disaster was slow but by the late 1920’s the community once again began to thrive. At that time, shrimping became a major industry within the community. Throughout the next four decades, the community continued to grow with the main sources of commerce remaining in the areas of fishing, shrimping, and tourism. Today Rockport is a favorite vacation spot known as the Texas Riviera. Major sources of commercial life today in Rockport are the restaurant and motel industries (Shukalo, 2005). Demographic and Epidemiological DataThe estimated population of Rockport is 8,846 compared to 25,674,681 for the state of Texas. The age breakdown for the population is 5% under the age of 5, 17. 9% under the age of 18, 28. 3% over the age of 65 and 51. 7% female. The state of Texas is 7. 7% under the age of 5, 27. 3% under the age of 18, 10. 3% over the age of 65 and 50. 4% female (U. S. Census Bureau, 2012). Caucasian is the largest ethnic group in Rockport at 88. 7%, African-American at 1. 5%, American Indians at 0. 7%, Asian at 2. 4%, Native Hawaiian at 0. 1% and Hispanics at 20. 8%. The state of Texas lists Caucasians at 70. %, African-Americans at 11. 8%, American Indians at 0. 7%, Native Hawaiian at 0. 1% and Hispanics at 45. 3% (U. S. Census Bureau, 2012). Currently 14. 7% of the population over the age of five in Rockport does not spe ak English in the home setting, 87% of the population over the age of 25 is a high school graduate, and 32. 3% over the age of 25 has a bachelor’s degree. In comparison, the state of Texas lists 34. 2% over the age of five that do not speak English in the home, 80% over the age of 25 with a high school diploma, and 25. 8% over the age of 25 with a bachelor’s degree (U. S. Census Bureau, 2012).Per capita income in Rockport is $30,513 compared to $24,870 for the state of Texas. The median income per household is $44,487 and the state of Texas is $49,646. Individuals living below the poverty level in Rockport are 17. 6% of the population compared to 16. 89% for the state of Texas (U. S. Census Bureau, 2012). Current infant mortality in Rockport is 4. 2 per 1000 live births compared to six per 1000 live births for the state of Texas. Adult obesity is 26. 6% of the population in Rockport and 10. 7% of the population is diabetic. Childhood obesity is 23. 3% of the Rockport p opulation compared to 32. % in the state of Texas (Kaiser Health News, 2012). In 2002, Aransas County was listed as one of the top 10 dirtiest counties in Texas due to air pollution from a local chemical plant (Scorecard, 2012). Windshield Survey Within the community, a large amount of individuals are visible. Many are entering convenience stores and some are standing in the parking lot areas talking. A variety of ages is noted and the two major ethnic groups in the community, Caucasian and Hispanic, are the two that are the most visible. Many of the individual are overweight or obese. Some are well dressed while others are disheveled in appearance.Pregnant women are visible as well as women with small children. The general condition of the homes in Rockport is diverse. Many of the homes are multi-million dollar structures while others are dilapidated and in need of serious repair. People seen in the downtown area are walking but away from that area, most people are travelling in ca rs. Some people are travelling on bicycles or golf carts in designated areas. Three areas of public housing are noted but there are no visible signs of public transportation. Numerous campaign signs are visible throughout the entire community.One adult day care and two child day centers are noted during the survey. Two grade schools, one middle school, two private church schools, and one high school are seen during the survey. Many of the homes in the neighborhoods in the area are dirty and in need of repair. The yards are full of garbage and items such as old appliances, empty beer cans, and cars on blocks. Some of the roads are in need of repair and almost too narrow for two cars to traverse safely. Most of the business buildings have handicapped ramps leading up the sidewalks. Parking lots have handicapped parking and the doors have handicapped buttons.One large park is noted during the survey but the park was sparsely populated during the survey. Very few children are visible du ring the survey. Numerous full service restaurants as well as fast food facilities are seen throughout the community. Rockport has no hospital but there is one emergency care clinic. Two dialysis centers, one assisted living facility, and three long-term care centers are noted. Two physical therapy facilities are also seen during the survey as well as three dentist offices. While driving throughout the neighborhoods, very few children are seen outside playing.No neighborhood watch signs are visible in any of the neighborhoods. Numerous churches are seen throughout the entire community. No evidence of gang activity, drug abuse or alcohol abuse is visible during the survey. One herbal shop is located in the downtown area. Next door to the herbal store, there is an advertisement for massage therapy sessions. Signs advertising health clinics, lectures, or health fairs are not visible during the survey. Problem Assessment data clearly defines obesity as a focus health area. The combined percentage totals for the adults and children within the Rockport community that suffer from obesity is 49. %. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2012) obesity is one of the most common and most expensive health problems facing the United States. One of the objectives of Healthy People 2020 is to improve nutritional status and promote weight loss. When individual are overweight or obese, they are also at a high risk for numerous other medical complications such as hypertension, Type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia, osteoporosis, and many more diseases (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012). Historical SignificanceBefore the 1900’s being overweight was considered a hallmark symbol of wealth and health. The additional weight indicated that the individual had the financial resources to obtain a vast amount of food. Today, however, obesity is indicative of current and future medical problems. Prior to the many modern day c onveniences that most individuals use today, people toiled at intense labor to make a living. Meals were prepared from scratch and microwave meals were not available. In addition, food was expensive and difficult to acquire. Walking was common and until the late 1980’s obesity was not a problem in the United States (Wiley, 2012).Summary Obesity is a medical health problem that has becoming an increasing health care dilemma for minorities, low-income populations, and immigrants. These populations are vulnerable to these health care issues due to a variety of factors such as cultural diet choices, genetics, lack of funds to resource more nutritious foods and lifestyle choices. Throughout the United States, obesity and diabetes are reaching epidemic levels (Candib, 2007). Individuals today live a more sedentary lifestyle. They eat more fast foods, fried food and consume drinks high in sugar content.Children in the public school system consume meals high in carbohydrates and ofte n engage in little or no physical activity. Lack of income reduces consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables and parents often purchase cheaper luncheon meats such as hot dogs rather than the more expensive cuts of meat. When the fast food giants introduced the super sizing concept to the world, thus began the super sizing of the population. References Candib, L. (2007) Obesity and diabetes in vulnerable population: Reflections on proximal and distal causes. Retrieved online from: http://annfammed. org/content/5/6/547. ull Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012) Obesity. Retrieved online from: http://www. cdc. gov/obesity Kaiser Health News (2012) Texas. Retrieved online from: http://www. statehealthfacts. org Nies, M. A. , & McEwen, M. (2011) Community public health nursing: Promoting the health of populations (5th ed. ). St. Louis, MO: Saunders/Elsevier Onboard Informatics (2010) Aransas County, Texas (TX). Retrieved online from: http://www. city-data. com/county/Aransa s-County-Tx. html Scorecard (2012) Pollution report card. Retrieved online from: http://scorecard. goodguide. com Shukalo, A. 2005) Handbook of Texas online. Retrieved online from: http://tshaonline. org/handbook/online/articles/hgr05 U. S. Census Bureau (2012) QuickFacts. Retrieved online from: http://www. census. gov/ U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (2012) Healthy people 2020: Nutrition and weight status. Retrieved online from: http://www. healthypeople. gov/2020/topicobjectives2020/overview. aspx? topicid=29 Wiley, S. (2012) Obesity history in the America. Retrieved online from: http://www. livestrong. com/article/359624-obesity-in-america/ Community Health Assessment of Rockport, Texas Introduction

Summary and critique of Stanley Milgram

The experiment on â€Å"Behavioral Study of Obedience† was conducted by Stanley Milgram in July 1961. It was barely three months after Adolf Eichmann had been tried over the criminal activities committed during the Nazi war. The research was designed to address the questions about the peoples who were the masterminds of the infamous Nazi torturing ordeal that were responsible for the deaths of millions of the innocent people. It was intended to find out the people who would prefer to be submissive to the authority at the expense of human life. The experiment also sought to measure the willingness of individuals to obey an authority figure who instructs them to do certain things that are against their personal conscience. The question that the researchers were asking was, â€Å"Could it be that Eichmann and his million accomplices in the Holocaust were just following orders? Could we call them all accomplices?† The hypothesis was that there was likelihood that that during the Nazi war it might have been that Adolf Eichmann and his accomplices were just being submissive to the orders from higher authority (against their will) to murder the innocent people. The research question was very instrumental in helping to unveil how one can alter another person’s behavior, beliefs and mind-set. Before giving the results of the experiment the researcher predicted that only a negligible number of the participants would obey the orders and persist on to administer maximum shock. The range was 0 – 3%. That meant that out of 100 participants only 3 would administer the 450 volt shock. Method The people who participate in the experiment (subjects) were drawn from different social status background within New Haven area. They comprised people from a wide range occupation with characteristic characters include clerical officers, teachers, salespersons, engineers and drudges. The group was a representative of all educational levels; from elementary school to doctorate and other professional degrees and aged between 20 – 50 years in their right state of mind (Milgram, S., 1963). The dependable variable in this experiment was the maximum shock that the subject, S, was willing to administer to the victim L up to that point when he resist to follow the instructions given to him by the experimenter. The independent variables were the learner (an experimental confederate) and the experimenter’s orders. There were two participants in each case. They were; a naà ¯ve subject who played the role of a â€Å"teacher† and was provided with a 450 volt electric shock generator and the second one a confederate who played the role of a â€Å"learner.† The task of the â€Å"teacher† was to read to the â€Å"learner† a list of word pairs. The â€Å"learner† on the other hand was to respond correctly to these pairs of words by pressing the button as an indicator of his response. In case of a wrong answer the â€Å"teacher† was to administer an electric shock to the â€Å"learner†. For each subsequent wrong answer, the â€Å"teacher† would increase the voltage. Even though the subject believed that the learner was receiving the actual shock, the learner, being in a separate room, sets up a tape recorder which had been incorporated to the electric shock generator. This tape played sounds which had been pre-recorded to march each shock level. The presupposed victim (â€Å"learner†) would start to bang the wall separating him from the subject at given numbers of voltage increase. He would continue banging on the wall and complaining of heart condition until all the responses from him ceased. The data collected was based on how much electric shock the subjects were willing to inflict on the victim. This was to indicate their level of obedience and to see their willingness to obey the orders; if it they were doing it deliberately or did it against their will. Results Eventually it was discovered that out of the 40 participants 14 subjects showed explicit signs of nervous laughter and smiling which were inapt and weird. Three of the subjects developed irrepressible convulsions. According to the results obtained, it is evident that while responding to the demands prompted by the appraisals, 40 themes exceed the projected break-off point. None of them administered the electric shock below 300 volts, a point when the victim starts to kick the wall and provided no answers to the teacher’s questions. 5 of them stops at the 300 volt level; 4 of them proceeds to 315 volt level; 2 breaks of at 330 volt level; 3 others drop off at 345, 360 and 375 volts respectively. These 14 subjects were defiant to the experimenter’s instructions. They were recurrently in a frantic and enraged condition. However 26 of the 40 subjects were obedient enough to proceed on to punish the victim till they attain the shock of 450 volts. But they do this against their will. They could be observed to be in consternation once the experiment was brought to a halt. Discussion The results obtained imply that there are people who, despite receiving orders from authority, would choose to defy and stick to what they believe is morally acceptable. In this case the 14 subjects held this belief and would not inflict pain on another person against his/her will. It was however observed that some people would choose to act against their conscience and submit to authority even if what they are ordered to do is against moral principles. This what the 26 subjects did; despite expressing some signs of displeasure in shocking an innocent person, they still go on to obey the commands to the end. This implies that obedience to authority can cause harmless and non-hostile individuals to turn inhuman. The results seems to be in contrast to those predicted in the questionnaire where only 3 out of 100 respondents said they would proceed to administer electric shock to their victim up to the most maximum and risky shock of 450 volts. In this case however, the figure was surprisingly high; 26 out of 40. It had also been expected that a subjected would basically terminate or proceed as dictated by his conscience. However the subjects exhibited tension and emotional strain in their response to the commands. Critique The experiment was well conducted and its objective was attained. The volunteers were got through a New Have (Connecticut) daily newspaper advert and direct mail to some informing them take part in the study of reminiscence as well as the learning designate conducted in a laboratory at Yale University. The real purpose of the experiment was hidden from the subjects until the experiment was over; they knew that the experiment was a study of memory and learning yet it was about study of obedience to authority. Another thing was that the entire volunteers were to play the role of the teacher while that of the student was played by an experimental confederate. In addition, the generator that the teacher used was just but of 45 volts sample shock with the generator not wired to shock the learner. Lastly, the kicking of the wall by the learner, screams and his rejection to proceed and the commands/orders of the experimenter to the teacher were all skillfully fabricated. These indicate the researchers’ thoroughness in the design of the experiment to answer their specific research question. Most importantly, at the end of the experiment subjects underwent some procedures to assist them go back to normal well being. The researchers did not however deal with any feasible alternative explanation for their results. This might be attributes to the fact that they expected the subjects to show some level of obedience. Also, the subjects might have been expected to act accordingly and participate fully to make the research successfully bearing in mind that the real objective of the experiment was hidden from them. It should be stated here that there are some people who will not, at any cost, accept to administer any level of electric shock to another person. The research was also not well represented in terms of gender or the researchers did not specify the sex of the participants. This raises the question about the criteria that was used in selecting the subjects. But all in all the experiment was quite essential as it the positive and the negative nature of human beings. Reference: Milgram. S. (1969); Study on behavioral obedience, Journal of Abnormal and social psychology; 371-378. http://www.wadsworth.com/psychology_d/templates/student_resources/0155060678_rathus/ps/index.html

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 24

Management - Essay Example There are a lot more that the film explores about the nature of subjects in any organizational set up. Workers simply conduct their organizational roles, and without any specific hostility on their part, can turn out to be agents in a terrible destructive organizational process. Furthermore, even when the destructive impacts of their work become patently clear, and they are ordered to carry out actions incompatible with fundamental principles of morality, relatively few individuals have the resources needed to resist authority. It is worth noting that workers in an organization are likely to adhere to organizational orders given by the manager even to an extent of doing business activities that are contrary to the regulation and ethical conducts of the organization. (Koontz, Harold, and Heinz, 7)In any organizational set up workers tend to follow orders given by their managers if they acknowledge the authority as morally right and of the legal basis. 2. Power or authority is the potential ability to influence workers behavior in the organization, to alter the course of events, to overcome or minimize resistance and to get individuals to do things they would not otherwise have done. It is the ability and official capacity to exercise control and authority over a group, person or nation. Authority occurs in all levels of life from the firm to the government of a country (Koontz, Harold, and Heinz, 55). Coercive power is one type of power that is manifested in the experiment. This kind of power is conveyed through fear of being dismissed from one’s job, being demoted, getting a poor performance review, having massive projects taken away. This form of power is gotten through threatening others. For example in the film in most of the trials, a white-coated experimenter coerced two of the volunteers, of whom one was given the duty of teacher and the other learner. The learner was ordered to remember lists of word pairs, and if he was not able recall them, the leader

The Theme Of Happiness In The Movie Revolutionary Road Essay

The Theme Of Happiness In The Movie Revolutionary Road - Essay Example I feel the frustrations of not achieving their dreams could have polarized the relationship. Finding purpose and meaning in life has lasting impact one's well-being. Occasionally, this results from having fulfilled dreams. Living below your dreams can lead to mental distress and become unable to cope with life issues. The quick turn of events changes the platform to achieve the dreams for the two lovers. Frank gets promotion and April are pregnant again. The frustrations grew up to the point of break up. True to Friedan, a magazine analyst, words, women in The New Woman Heroine yearn for career growth, self-identity and if they did not make it, those dreams would still be burning inside them to a point that they would wish their daughters to live their dreams. Looking at April, I can understand why she had to do what she did. She did not have anything to hold on in life. Her career becoming close to impossible to achieve and unhappy marriage running in her hand every time she would think of it was enough to torture her to death. Everyone wants to achieve the life’s dream and if not have something that closely resembles such dreams. It gives purpose and meaning which I believe lacked for the couple. I feel like no one can understand our dreams better than we do and hence the need to follow our  heart.

The Population Variance and Standard Deviation Speech or Presentation

The Population Variance and Standard Deviation - Speech or Presentation Example The standard deviation of the sample was 4.1 million. Find the 95% confidence interval of the true mean. Â  12. It has been reported that 20.4% of incoming freshmen indicate that they will major in business or a related field. A random sample of 400 incoming college freshmen was asked their preference, and 95 replied they were considering business major. Estimate the true proportion of freshmen business majors with 98% confidence. Does your interval contain 20.4? Â  16. A recent study indicated that 29% of the 100 women over age 55 in the study were widows. How large a sample must you take to be 90% confident that the estimate is within 0.05 of the true proportion of women over age 55 who are widows? Â  8. Find the 90% confidence interval for the variance and standard deviation of seniors at Oak Park College if a sample of 24 students has a standard deviation of 2.4 years and the variable is normally distributed. What would be the 95% confidence interval? Â  12. The percentage rates of home ownership for 8 randomly selected states are listed below. Estimate the population variance and standard deviation for the percentage rate of home ownership.

Summative Coursework Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Summative Coursework Assignment - Essay Example Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) is dealing with various accounting principles and guidelines for undertaking the implementation of accounting practices. But on the other hand, financial accounting is also important for evaluating the profitability of the business entity. Accounting is a system used by the business entity to measure its financial performance. There are several branches of accounting are available, but among them both management and financial accounting is relevant. The main emphasis in management accounting is to establish the relationship between cause and effect of a particular activity. More over, it is multi disciplinary in nature, because it is a combination of several disciplines like financial accounting, cost accounting, statistics, etc. In this case, the net profit of the company is goes on increasing, but at the same time, the cash in hand is decreasing to certain extend. Cash is a critical asset, which plays an important role in business. Cash flow statement is a statement showing the change in cash position from one period to another. Because it is possible to identify the causes of changes in cash balance between the two balance sheet dates. While preparing cash flow statement mainly it is essential to consider both actual cash flows and notional cash flows. Cash Flow Statement For the year ended 2002 Particulars Amount (in m) Cash used in operation. Issue of shares. Cash generated Add: Opening cash balance Cash balance at the end (1) 6 5 4 9 Calculation of Cash from operation Particulars Amount (in m) Net profit Add: provision for taxation. Funds from operation. Add: decrease in debtors. Less: decrease in creditors. Cash used in operation. 4 6 10 8 18 (19) (1) Adjusted Profit and Loss Account Particulars Amount (in m) Particulars Amount (in m) Provision for taxation. Depreciation of FA (balancing figure) Closing balance 6 14 (6) Opening balance Funds from operation. 4 10 14 14 Workings:- Here, there is no disposal of assets takes place in the year 2001 and 2002, therefore the difference between the value of assets in both years are considered as the amount of depreciation, such as- [166_152] = 14m. Propose Dividend Account Particulars Amount (in m) Particulars Amount (in m) Cash (dividend paid) Closing balance 7 9 Opening balance. Balance transferred to Profit and loss account. 7 9 16 16 While preparing the cash flow statement of a business organization, it is possible to understand about the causes of changes in the cash flow position of a business unit. Through which, it is possible to identify that the reduction of cash balance inspite of increase in income or for increase of cash balance in spite of decrease in income. This statement consists of opening cash balance and all sources of cash and all applications of cash and ends with the closing balance of cash. More over, here the changes in current assets and current liabilities are adjusted in the amount of cash from operation. It is necessary for a firm to keep adequate amount of cash in hand for making immediate payments. The major responsibility of the financial manager is to plan cash and maintain adequate cash balance. A cash flow statement is considered as a summarized cash account. In addition to this,

Reagan's Economic Policies Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reagan's Economic Policies - Term Paper Example Besides, presidential policies are sometimes informed by the desire to discover new idea or to carry on the legacy of the American founders.1 Policies by respective presidential candidates greatly determine if they will win the elections or not; in other words, the electorates vote for a particular candidate based on the belief that his policies will propel America to greater heights of prosperity, as well as promoting national and international safety and security. Throughout the American history, the persons who have graced presidency have had various policies that have had positive and negative impacts to the country. It is well-known fact that these policies have been entrenched in the country’s history and defines each presidency that has existed. This paper will consider the President Ronald Reagan’s policies and actions concerning economic policies and his policies on the air traffic strike in particular. President Ronald Reagan was in office between 1981 and 198 9. He took office in 1981 in the wake of the worst recession since the Great Depression and he was determined to turn around America’s economic fortune. This desire was evident in his inaugural address where he articulated his intention to make the government work. In the address he said â€Å"In the days ahead, I will propose removing the roadblocks that have slowed our economy and reduced productivity.†2 His economic policies became so endeared within the broader America’s economic policies; these policies actually earned the tag of â€Å"Reaganomics.† These policies were aimed at attempting to change the United States economic policy’s course. The economic policies were contained under the Reagan’s Program for Economic Recovery of 1981 which had four main policy objectives: to reduce the government spending growth; to reduce regulation; to reduce inflation through the control of the growth of the money supply; and to reduce the marginal t ax rates on income from capital and labor. These policy objectives were expected to increase investment and saving, balance the budget, reduce interest rates and inflation, restore healthy financial markets, and increasing economic growth.3 It is imperative to understand the historical context that informed Reagan’s economic policy. This historical context not is critical in understanding what exactly was motivating President Reagan towards pushing for his economic policies. As it will be seen from the historical context, Reagan was consciously working within the Constitutional provisions and he was seeking to advance a particular great cause which was to rejuvenate America’s economy. Prior to the administration of President Reagan, the economy of the United States had experienced a decade of increasing inflation and unemployment which was popularly known as â€Å"stagflation.† His immediate predecessors had favoured stimulus that were resulting to money supply expansion. Reagan’s approach to stagflation that was facing the United States was to depart from his the approach used by his immediate predecessors.4 Reagan intended to reduce the growth of government. His policies was based on the supply side economics theory which states that tax cuts encourages expansion of the economy to eventually widen the tax base. To achieve this, he stated his intention of increasing defense spending while at the same time reducing taxes. He enacted lower rates of marginal tax in

Accounting and Finance will send you fquestions file Essay

Accounting and Finance will send you fquestions file - Essay Example Therefore, the IRR calculated through Trial & Error method is 29.165% approximately at which the present value of estimated cash flows is  £99,996 which is approximately equal to initial investment i.e.  £100,000 The customer should take the project because the payback period is two years and eight months, besides, the IRR calculated through Trial & Error method is 29.165% approximately at which the present value of estimated cash flows is  £99,996 that gives an approximately equal to initial investment i.e.  £100,000. The ending cash balance during month of August is  £37,240 while the expected cash balance during September is  £43,390. Similarly the expected cash balance during October and November are  £48,930 and  £55,150 respectively as shown in the table above. Organisations need budget to help in the evaluation of its performance. Without a financial planning that makes use of the budget, they would not be in a position to assess their progress and institute appropriate measures. Besides, they need budgeting for efficient coordination of the organisational activities. The budget acts like a blueprint that provides the roadmap and the expectation of the activities like sales, expenditures, and other costs. When organisations do not use budgets to address these issues, they are at risk of running down the organisation because of unplanned activities that are likely to exceed the expectations. Budgeting helps organisations to take control of their finances, hence keeping focused on the goals they laid down when beginning the financial year. A budget helps the organisation plan savings and makes decisions in advance when expecting or not expecting any costs related to the activity of the organisation hence controlling debts (Young, 2003). Budgeting process can be very challenging especially when there is poor communication between the team tasked with the making of decisions. Therefore, enhancing communication and reducing the number of people

Ethics and Values Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethics and Values - Case Study Example Confidentiality is an imperative standard in nursing ethics; however it might be overruled in certain situations. Generally, revelation of confidential information with the consent of the patient is not deemed to be a violation of confidentiality. However, the quandaries of safeguarding confidentially occur in those circumstances when the patient does not provide the approval to disclose. In such cases, the ethics of confidentiality clashes with a rationale of harm prevention (Badzek, Mitchell, Marra, & Bower, 1998). Case in Question: Application of Ethical Theories and Principles The case under discussion presents a quandary in terms of maintenance of confidentiality and prevention of harm to the patient. In such a situation, on one hand the physician owes the obligation of confidentiality and on the other he has to shelter the patient from harm. Since the patient belongs to a culture where the males make the decisions regarding health care, the physician should try to persuade the patient about the necessity of disclosure of her disease to her family. If in case, the patient does not agree for the disclosure, the physician would have no other option than to disclose the matter to the patient’s family. ... The ethical theories and decision-making models attempt to characterize the boundaries of morally satisfactory actions and clarify the guiding principles for making resolutions within those boundaries. The two most common approaches in the process of ethical decision making are the utilitarianism theory and the deontological theory. The utilitarianism theory also known as the ‘consequentialism’ was formulated by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. This theory characterizes the ethical goodness of acts by their outcomes (Jamieson, Smart, and Williams, 1973).  The utilitarianism theory differentiates between good and bad act on the basis of the contentment produced by the outcomes of the acts. According to this theory those acts are considered to be correct that generate maximum contentment for the utmost number of people. Thus, the utilitarianism theory prescribes that, once in a while, certain good be forgone for the overall good of larger number of people. The deonto logical theory is often referred to as the theory of duties and was formulated by Immanuel Kant. This theory differentiates between right and wrong by accentuating on the observance of duty as the chief indicator of moral rightness (Frankena, 1973).  The actions and behaviors are considered to be right or wrong on the basis of the intentions behind those actions and not by the end results. Thus, as opposed to exploring the outcomes of actions as in the case of utilitarianism theory, as per the deontological theory the selection of the act is examined. The belief of respect for another individual is intensely entrenched in the deontological theory, which results in the notion

Border and Coastal Security (Criminal Justice) Essay Example for Free

Border and Coastal Security (Criminal Justice) Essay `Hardened Border Paradox’ and `Open Border Paradox. The `Hardened Border Paradox’ refers to the situation when tougher border controls fail to achieve their objective – stop illegal migrants and smuggling. Instead, it is argued, these tougher controls create an atmosphere ripe for spread of criminal activity. Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, Senior Fellow in National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, in his written testimony before a hearing of the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate noted that â€Å"draconian measures to police the border invariably provide incentives for informal arrangements and criminal conspiracies to overcome cross-border barriers to commerce and labor movements†. There appears an industry for helping illegal migrants, whereas the cooperation of law enforcement bodies is reduced when one side unilaterally pursues strict policies. The border becomes more â€Å"chaotic†, and tough regulation â€Å"creates a demand for those who are in the business of arranging the illegal crossings† (Kirkpatrick, 2004). This paradox can be resolved by combating illegal groupings and promoting cooperation at the border between authorities on both sides. The ‘Open Border Paradox’ includes the need to combat the movement of terrorists and smugglers across open borders without damaging the free flow of goods and services that benefits the economies of both nations. This paradox exists, for example, on the US-Canadian border where the flow of goods and services is in dependence on anti-terrorist measures. To overcome this paradox, authorities from both sides can create special projects targeting terrorists without jeopardizing trade flows. Kirkpatrick in his testimony points out the example of a bi-national â€Å"Integrated Border Enforcement Team (IBET)† created on the US-Canadian border to overcome smuggling in 1996. Is it cost effective to spend millions and millions of dollars in an effort to stop a handfull of people` who are bound to terrorize the United States? Counteracting the bunch of people bound to terrorize the United States is worth millions of dollars and perhaps even more. This number is commensurate with the devastating impact September 11th and other events had on the development of the American economy and national security. Efforts to combat terrorism within the United States are also costly. The negative effect of terrorist activities on the economic activities of Americans can hardly be overrated. Terrorism poses a risk to the United States and all of its business. Foreign partners contemplating a deal with US companies will be more reluctant to do so if they perceive the state as being in continuous danger of an external attack. This means loss in indirect costs from dangers to the national security, with the effect similar to that political instability in developing nations has on their ability to attract and retain direct foreign investment. The costs of failing to keep the terrorists out are therefore serious issues that have to be addressed in order to prevent the possible danger to the economy. In this way, these efforts are similar to risk management in business. The risk averted may never materialize, and all the costs seem to have sunk in vain; however, if the risk did materialize, the impact on business would have been much greater. Speaking of the need to avert a terrorist attack through anti-terrorism campaigns, one need not forget that it is not only economic prosperity that is at stake. The negative impact on the quality of lives of Americans from September 11th attacks cannot be measured in dollars alone, for here one must factor in the pain, the grief, and the fear that affected even those who only saw the attacks on TV. The government has to deliver public goods to the people, and national security is one of them. Therefore, spending large sums on anti-terrorist measures is a sound idea as long as helps to prevent the terrorists effectively from getting into the country and perpetrating their crimes.

Islamic fundamentalism: Causes, History and Effects

Islamic fundamentalism: Causes, History and Effects BACKGROUND Filipino Christians tend to relate Islam primarily with the issue of polygamy and jihad. Their objections to polygamy and jihad are very striking because Islam is perceived to be equivalent to these two issues in the Philippines. It is viewed as a religion of violence and sexual promiscuity (a view reinforced in the post-9/11 portrayal of well-known Muslims as global terrorists in international media); and lately, has been associated with terrorism on a global scale. What accounts for the Filipinos understanding of Islam? Why do the images of Filipino Muslims or Moros[1] in particular and Islam in general seem to be reduced to its adherents presumed tendency for violence and vulnerability to women? Are these images the result of mass media reports or have Filipino Muslims historically contributed to such overall impressions? Are these images created by the historical conflict between Muslims and Christians in this country? It seems that all Muslims are treated as a homogeneous group in the eyes of Filipinos, but are there differences among the ethnic groups in terms of the Islamic schools of thought that they represent? How do they understand and interpret Islam? Answers to these questions could lead us to begin understanding the dynamics of Islam in the Philippines, which unavoidably cannot be separated from the struggle of Filipino Muslims or Moros. Religion is oftentimes used as a motivation for its followers to legitimize actions towards the realization of individual or collective interests. In the case of Filipino Muslims, it is reflected in the various Moro struggles or movements such as the emergence of MILF, MNLF, and most especially the Abu Sayyaf [2] The history of Muslims or Moros in the Philippines reveals how religion became a unifying ideology for self-determination against colonial rule and injustice. If Filipinos tell the story of their nation as a narrative of resistance, subjugation and oppression, and revolt and emancipation, Moros tell theirs as one of continuing resistance and struggle against both colonial rulers and the colonized Christian majority. In their eyes they have always been free and self-governing (David 2002:73). The dichotomy between Moros and Filipinos has shown not only the Moros restless and relentless resistance but has also signified that they did not participate in building the Filipino nation. As a consequence, they have found it even more difficult than members of other ethno-religious groups in the country to see themselves as part of this imagined community (See Anderson, 2003 orig., 1983 for an elaboration of the concept of imagined communities). It is unfortunate, according to Filipino sociologist Randolf David, that Filipino leaders took for granted the membership within the Filipino nation of the sovereign Muslim sultanates of Sulu and Maguindanao, trusting that the force of a common racial origin would be sufficient to establish a national bond. It is even more sad that Filipinos who took over from the colonizers continued to practice the rituals of power of the colonial masters, treating Muslims differently, aggravating social inequality and alienating them further from the Philippine government. David noted that every post-war administration has launched its own wars of pacification in Mindanao, just as the Americans did (UP Newsletter, Feb. 21, 2003). This situation has pushed Moros or Filipino Muslims to identify themselves as the victims of an unjust and unfair Philippine government. As a consequence, greater self-determination or freedom from the Philippine government has become the pivotal issue in their struggle. The sociopolitical background of Moros has inevitably influenced the construction of Islam as their religion. Although Filipino Muslims differ in their level of aspiration for an Islamic state, Islam in the Philippines has nevertheless been connected in the public mind to their political aspiration and struggle for self-determination. This is not without basis. Perceived as the solution to the problems of Filipino Muslims, some of their leaders have recently advocated the implementation of Islamic law either under the auspices of the Philippine government or independently of it. Charting alternative futures for Muslim Filipino masses, Islam has begun to constitute an alternative ideology. The kind of Islam that says religion is inseparable from politics or the public sphere is usually referred to as fundamentalism by the western world. Found in countries like Egypt, where it originated as a result of social injustice and lack of equal opportunity for Egyptians[3], Islamic fundamentalism has also gained adherents in the Philippines in the context of persistent socio-political and economic issues that have been the basis of the struggle of Filipino Muslims through time. In light of a changing socio-political environment aggravated by September 11, 2001 and the resulting War on Terrorism-that Muslims all over the world decry because it virtually equates Islam with terrorism, there is a need to find out whether the fundamentalist perspective of some leaders of Muslim movements like the MILF, MNLF, and Abu Sayyaf is shared by other Muslims. It is also important to explore how Filipino Muslims in the Philippines view the issue of establishing an Islamic state, as well as elements of Islamic law, the position of women, democracy and other related issues, in response to the stimulus of the global environment and social and political actions of a predominantly Christian government in the Philippines. It is the researchers desire to see the connection between the religious and political ideas of Filipino Muslims in situ and compare these in the future, to the ideas of Indonesian Muslims, that led to the interest of this student, an Indonesian Muslim, in finding tentative answers to the above questions. After all, there is no single person or institution in Islam has had the authority or the right to decide the one true interpretation of the holy Quran and Hadits as the source of Islamic teaching since the death of the prophet Mohammad (d. 632 A.D). This situation is quite similar to what post-structuralists call the death of the author. Islam is one religion but its interpretations are as varied as its adherents or those who read its texts. Such condition has produced different strains of Islam such as moderate Islam, revivalist Islam, fundamentalist Islam, etc. As for any other sociological phenomena, one would see that the perspectives of Muslims regarding Islam in general and I slamic fundamentalism in particular, would vary with the geographic and socio-economic realities they are facing. This thesis does not attempt to look at the views of Muslim Filipinos all over the nation because time and logistical constraints prevent a nation-wide study. It tries, instead to focus on those who have migrated to Metro Manila and who live in an Islamic enclave within the old central city. The economic problems in Mindanao have pushed Moros to migrate to Metro Manila for a better life. From a sociological viewpoint, the move away from the Muslim heartland in Mindanao is expected to result in the change of behavior among the rural migrants. Contact with strangers is seen as a potential source of cultural shock, as strange environments disturb homogeneous ideals. The migrants learn not only to tolerate the attitude and customs of other people, but also to accept insecurity and instability as a normal state of the world. These characteristics could potentially work together to increase the incidence of what Wirth (1938) called the pathological condition including personal disorganization, mental breakdown, suicide, delinquency, crime, corruption, and disorder. The same contact could also eventually result in secularization or liberalization, as contact with people from different religious persuasion demands greater religious tolerance. Another factor that could mediate the way Muslim Filipinos in Metro Manila would think and act vis-à  -vis Islam is the loosening of kinship ties. Communal solidarity is replaced by a more rational type of solidarity, the kind that Durkheim (1893/1964) called organic solidarity. The close-knit community in rural surroundings is changed in an urban setting, tending to individualize experiences. It is important to note, however, that these processes, which in theory could result in a state of anomie as institutions in places of origin tend to diminish in influence and new urbanized institutions are adopted, may be counteracted by processes that enhance primordial identities. The case of the Philippines and of urban Muslims in Quiapo is a good example of how tensions between individuation and secularization on the one hand, and solidarity around religion and increasing religious fundamentalisms, on the other, are played out. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY This study seeks to understand Islamic fundamentalism in its human and social context, and to explore the impact of modernization and urban life (social context) on fundamentalist thought and practice among urban Muslims in Quiapo by abstracting possible observatims from the views of selected key informants. In particular this study wants to explore and describe the forms of Islamic fundamentalism of selected key informants in the Quiapo area and the factors that have shaped them in the context of the historical and social evolution of the Muslim community of Quiapo. This research also wants to explore the effects of the different factors, including urbanization, that shape the forms of Islamic fundamentalism and the way the fundamentalists live and construct their worldview ideologically. Explore further their views on the formation of an Islamic state, secularization, the implementation of Islamic law, democracy, and the position of women, among others. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This study intends to contribute to the literature on Islam in the Philippines, complementing the studies on the window display enclave in Quiapo, Manila where Muslim migrants from Southern Philippines now live-a new habitat that differs significantly from the cultural and social environment of Muslim Mindanao. This study thus might not only enrich the sociology of religion in the country but also our initial understanding of urban-based Filipino Muslims, whose population is increasing significantly. More specifically, it will help us explore the modernizing effect of Metro Manila, if any, on the lifestyles, aspirations, and thoughts of selected Filipino migrant Muslims in the national capital region. Such an exploration would lay the groundwork for a systematic study of a more representative sample of urban-based Filipino Muslims in the future. Exploring the plight and worldview of Muslim urbanites, as gleaned from the experiences of the key informants, could also help enhance the capability of the government and Filipino Christians and those of other faiths to deal with the Muslim minorities in Metro Manila and in the larger Mindanao context in the spirit of greater pluralism. After all, pluralism is the aim of diversified societies in a rapidly globalizing world. Since the problems of Moros are essentially political, economic and social, trying to impose military solutions is doomed to fail anyway. No army, according to Randy David, can end this problem unless it is prepared to commit genocide (p.75). A sociological study therefore is a prerequisite to solving the Moro problems in Metro Manila particularly and in the country as a whole. This study also aims to find out whether the claim that there is no homogeneous ideology among Islamic adherents is valid. Like any other religion, Islam as practiced and professed is an interpreted faith. Similar to all other interpretations, is mediated by the socio-cultural context of the individuals who interpret it. Appreciation of the fact that there is no single Islam, hopefully, will foster multiple interpretations of Islam and bridge cultures to make for a pluralist and more tolerant society. SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY This study is exploratory and descriptive in nature. It aims to delineate how the Moro informants, with varying degrees of non-fundamentalist and fundamentalist Islamic views, as urban migrants constituting an ethnic minority in Quiapo, adapt and respond to the new social environment where they live. This study attempts to describe the impact of the modernizing process and complex urban life on the their religiosity (beliefs and practices vis-à  -vis Islamic fundamentalism) and aspirations. As such it hopes, as previously noted, to lay the groundwork for a more definitive and representative study of Islamic fundamentalism in the Quiapo area. Conducted in the Quiapo area among a purposively selected sample living in the barangays surrounding the Golden Mosque and Barangay 648/ Islamic Center, the study focuses on the everyday life of selected Muslims in a small geographic space. Failure to obtain permissions from the Muslim authorities to interview randomly selected respondents prevents the researcher from generalizing the findings. The conclusions in the study are therefore confined to the views of the key informants or the sample respondents and would not apply to Muslims in the Quiapo community, much less in Metro Manila. It is also difficult methodologically to capture the religious perspectives or worldviews of respondents because these have changed over time. Furthermore, for fundamentalisms that span both religious and political views, the contradictions between such views and between beliefs and practice do not make it easy to arrive at meaningful conclusions about them. The problem of attributing the observed beliefs and the perceived changes in religiosity to factors found in the urban environment is also worth noting. The study relies heavily on the reconstructions of the respondents of their biographies and the changes in their views from the vantage point of the present. Thus, the observed effects of adapting to life in Metro Manila on the respondents religious beliefs and practices as well as views on political and social issues may not correspond neatly to actual changes in these practices and views. At best the studys findings regarding Islamic religiosity and fundamentalism among selected Muslims in Quiapo and the possible effects of the urban environment on their manifestations explores and presents initial thoughts regarding possible sociological relationships that need further validation by future researchers. Finally, a major limitation of the study is the researcher`s lack of proficiency in the language of the Muslim community in Quiapo. His interpretations, therefore, are limited by the way he understood the answers to his questions or by the understanding of the translator. Moreover, as an outsider who does not speak the language in the site, he could have failed to fully capture the nuances of the spoken and body language of the respondents, and therefore, could not probe deeply into their worldview. Nevertheless, the proficiency of 80% of the respondents in some Arabic or English provided the researcher with direct access to their answers. Following the references cited in the literature review below, the characteristics of fundamentalism that were explored in this study are not be reduced to the violent dimension of Islamic fundamentalist religiosity which generally prevails in the mind of the Christian Filipino public. The study focuses on the views of Muslim respondents on five issues: 1) the tahkimiyah (sovereignty) or the secular state vs. Islamic state; 2) democracy and the implementation of syariah/ Islamic law; 3) literal interpretation of the Quran, 4) the rights of women, and 5) jihad. Focusing on these issues would allow the researcher to roughly construct preliminary segments of the worldview of selected Filipino Muslims in the Quiapo area and determine the level of influence of fundamentalist thought on them. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE The researcher draws from theories and ideas found in the literature in the Sociology of Religion in determining the data to be gathered and in analyzing his findings. This section brings together the literature on fundamentalism, city phenomenon and religiosity. Islamic Fundamentalism Historical and Doctrinal Survey One of the most controversial religious terms is fundamentalism. Within Christianity, Judaism, Islam and other faiths, the term is used to refer to the most conservative wing of a religion. Author Karen Armstrong (2000:12) in The Battle for God defines fundamentalism as embattled forms of spirituality, which have emerged as a response to a perceived crisis, namely the fear that modernity will erode or even eradicate their faith and morality. Bruce Lawrence in Defenders of God: The Fundamentalist Revolt Against the Modern Age (1989) views fundamentalism as the affirmation of religious authority as holistic and absolute, admitting neither criticism nor reduction; it is expressed through the collective demand that specific creedal and ethical principles derived from scripture be publicly recognized and legally enforced. Jeffrey K. Hadden and Anson Shupe (1989: 109-122), offered the following definition of fundamentalism: it is a proclamation of reclaimed authority over a sacred traditio n, which is to be instated as an antidote for a society that has strayed from its cultural moorings. They note that fundamentalists refute the split between the sacred and the secular that characterizes modernist thinking. It also involves a plan to bring religion back to center stage in public policy decisions. For Hadden and Shupe (1989:72) fundamentalism is an attempt to draw upon a religious tradition to cope with and reshape an already changing world. They both argue that around the world there is a common process of secularizing social change. This process contains the very seeds of a reaction that brings religion back into the heart of concerns about public policy. The secular is also the cause of resacralization(which) often takes fundamentalistic forms. From the definitions above, fundamentalism is seen as a radical reaction to the new social world (modernity) to the purity and originality of religious fundamentals and morality of a certain religion or faith. Modernity is viewed as a corrosive force making religious traditions less and less significant in individual and social affairs. The fundamentalists are anti-modern insofar as they are opposed to the perceived evils of modernity and their negative impact. To consider them anti-modern, however, is problematic due to the ways in which even self-styled fundamentalists are implicated in the culture of modernity. American fundamentalists, for example, come from a tradition of religious pluralism and the separation of church and state; the differentiating rationality of modern times is by no means alien to them. The attempt within different religions to go back to fundamentals and resist or turn back liberal or secular tendencies in theology, culture and society, regardless of historical religion-cultural origin was inspired either by a religious vision or sacred text. It is ironic that the globalization of modernity, with its power to change the world through technological developments and widespread communication in cyberspace, is associated with the rise of fundamentalist visions and texts. This phenomenon rejects the assumption of secularist thinkers that religion is a primitive superstition that will be outgrown by civilized, rational man. Some secularist thinkers (Marx, Freud, Nietzsche) confidently predicted its imminent demise. At best they said religion is a marginal and private activity, which could no longer influence world events. The world now realizes, however, that this is a false prophecy. It is true that modernity could undermine the essence of religiosity and to some extent strengthen its separation from social affairs. But modernity could have also created the fundamentalist attitude that reacts to modernity itself. The contradictory outcomes of modernity-the separation of the sacred from the secular on the one hand and their fus ion in fundamentalism, on the other hand, makes for the dialectics of social change, which hopefully will result in a better social order. The term fundamentalism has its origin in The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth, a series of pamphlets published between 1910 and 1915 [6] that served as a point of reference for groups of conservative American Protestants early in the twentieth century (Lecher, 1998:197, Rakhmat, 1998:260, An-Naim: Encarta Reference Library, 2003). By and large this was a response to the loss of religious influence and emerged in the context of the traditional revivalism experienced in America during the early twentieth century. This loss of influence, coupled with the liberalizing trends of German biblical criticism and the encroachment of Darwinist theories about the origin of the universe prompted a response by the conservative churchmen. At the time, the authenticity of the Bible, the origin of the universe, the birth of Jesus Christ, the crucifixion as the way of salvation and the second coming of the Christ were reinterpreted by liberal theologians in a new way to accommodate new scientif ic and technological discoveries. In 1920, a journalist and Baptist layman, Curtis Lee Laws, appropriated the term fundamentalist as a designation for those who were ready to do battle royal for fundamentals (www.religiousmovement.lib.virginia.edu/nmrs/fund.html). Originating historically within the Christian tradition, the term fundamentalism in Islam has been criticized and its use is regarded as misleading. John L Esposito (1996:43) of Georgetown University pointed out that the term fundamentalism is laden with Christian presuppositions and western stereotypes, and it implies a monolithic threat. More useful according to Esposito are the terms Islamic revivalism, Islamic activism, and political Islam, which are less value-laden and have roots within a tradition of political reform and social activism. Garaudy (1991:1) might sharpen the suggestion of Esposito by saying that the term fundamentalism is not merely limited to religion, but is also related to politics, society and culture. For him fundamentalism is the worldview erected on the basis of conviction (belief) whether it is religious, political or cultural, practiced and indoctrinated by the founder of that belief (1991:1). Akbar S. Ahmed further criticizes the appropriateness of usin g and applying the term fundamentalism to Islam. As we know it, in its original application, it means someone who believes in the fundamentals of religion, that is Bible and the scriptures. In that sense every Muslim is a fundamentalist believing in the Quran and the prophet. However the manner that it is used in the media to mean a fanatic or extremist, it does not illuminate either Muslim thought or Muslim society. In the Christian context it is a useful concept. In the Muslim context it simply confuses because by definition every Muslim believes in the fundamentals of Islam. But even Muslims differ in their ideas about how, and to what extent, to apply Islamic ideas to the modern world (Living Islam: 18-19). In light of the objections and considering the need to sharpen the meaning of fundamentalism as applied to Islam, observers use the term rigorism or in French integrisme to describe fundamentalism phenomenon. Referring originally to Catholic traditionalist group, integrism aims to integrate all aspects of life into religion and vise versa (Nasr, 1987:304; Watt, 1988:2; Gellner 1992: 2). Fundamentalism as integrism would then refer to reintegrating a social order under the canopy of one all-encompassing sacred tradition. Salvatore called those who looked at Islam as both a religion and a state, the equivalent of French integrists, the solutionists/ conflationist. For this group, Islam is the solution (Islam huwa al-Hall) for individual and social order (1998:84). The underlying idea for Islam as for any given faith is to be upheld firmly in its full and literal form or free of compromise, reinterpretation or diminution (Gellner 1992:2). The positive view of fundamentalism as a term used even within the Islamic tradition is expressed by Abdullahi Ahmed An-Naim (2003). The origin of the term according to Naim should not preclude its application to movements in the Islamic, Jewish, Hindu or another religious tradition if they share the same salient features and important traits. The defining characteristic of American Protestant fundamentalist movement for the author was firm, principled, and militant opposition to the inroads that modernism, liberalism, and higher Biblical criticism were making into the Protestant churches, and the supposedly Bible-based culture of the United State at large. Islamic fundamentalists according to Naim hold sufficiently similar beliefs in relation to Islam and the Quran. Moreover Islamic movements in North Africa and the Middle East use the corresponding Arabic term Ushuli/ Ushuliyya to describe themselves and their beliefs, and not simply as a matter of recent translation of the American term.[7] The call to affirm and implement the fundamentals of the faith, as distinguished from its incidentals, is an established and recurrent theme in Islamic theological and political discourse, as can be seen from the title of the book by al-Ashari (d. 935) al-Ibanah an Ushul al-Diniyyah (The Elucidation of the Fundamentals of the Religion). Other scholars who emphasize this theme in their work include al-Ghazali (d.1111), Ibn Taymiyyah (d.1328) and Ibn Abdul Wahhab (d. 1787). Adding legitimacy to the use of the term fundamentalism in Islam, Lawrence Davidson argued that there are two reasons for using it in analyzing Muslim movements: (1) The expression Islamic fundamentalism has come into wide usage in the West as well as in the Muslim world, where it is rendered in Arabic as al-Ushuliyyah al-Islamiyyah. Here the word ushuli can be translated as fundamentalist. In fact, it is so generally accepted that it is now the main descriptive expression recognized by all interested parties to describe the Islamic revivalist movements. (2) The term fundamentalism is sufficiently accurate to describe Muslims who see themselves as adhering to the ultimate fundamentals or foundations of their religion, and also to a literalist interpretation of the Muslim holy book, the Quran (Davidson, 1989: 16-17). Following the arguments for the use of fundamentalism to refer to Islamic revivalism, this thesis applies the term fundamentalist to Filipino Muslims who struggle for the unity of church and the public sphere including the state in the ideology of the independent Islamic state and society for Muslim Mindanao. Scholarly Analysis Lawrence (1989) views fundamentalism in the context of a struggle with modernism and modernity. To clarify the active defense of God from the inside, Lawrence examines how actors bring the resources of their tradition to bear on problems they encounter. Aspiring to bring the kingdom of God to the earth as a whole, the defenders of God have become important actors in this global scene. From Lawrences analysis we clearly see that fundamentalism is not a necessary consequence of something inherent in a religion. As a code of ethics and guide to the people on how to live in accordance with Gods will, religions hold is either undermined by a modernity that directs people to live according to human reason and freedom or enhanced by it. Fundamentalism represents modernitys giving rise to a deepening of religious faith. As modernity eroded the influence of the sacred, Lawrence argues that the Defenders of God actively called for a return to fundamentals. Jeff Hayness (1999) also asserts that religious fundamentalists, feeling that their way of life is under threat in the modern world, aims to reform society in accordance with religious tenets, to change laws, morality, social norms and sometimes the political configurations of their country. From another angle, Risebrodt (1993) noted that the increasing inability of traditional cultural milieus to reproduce themselves under modern (concretely: urban) conditions is the source for the birth of fundamentalism, a kind that he conceptualizes as a radically traditionalist movement. Risebrodt considers fundamentalism as the failure of traditionalists to adapt to modernizing projects. One can conclude from the literature that fundamentalism emerged as cultural and sociological reaction or an antithesis to social change from pre-modernwith traditionalist characteristicsto a modern era. When modernity erodes the traditional values, which are the characteristics of a pre-modern era, and traditionalists are unable to reproduce themselves under the modern era, fundamentalism is viewed as a viable and possibly the only alternative to choose. Other observers saw fundamentalism as one of the symptoms of or religio-political expressions in a post-modern era (Ahmed: 1992; Ahmed Donnan 1994). In 1988, Richard Falk (1988:379) observed that ours is a period of unexpected, varied, and multiple resurgence of religion of political force. He asserts that politicized religion (fundamentalism) is a form of post-modern protest against the mechanization, atomization, and alienation of the modern world. Religion, he argued, provides the materials with which to move beyond purely instrumental rationality and address core issues of the current human situation (Falk 1988: p.382). Tracing the rise of Islam revivalism and fundamentalism to modernity or post-modernity, the view of Islamic fundamentalism as a form of religio-political expression in the postmodern era can be seen as a-historical and a-sociological. In fact the Wahabiyyah movement led by Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab (1703-92) in the Arabian peninsula, which is so often been seen as prototype of Islamic fundamentalism, arose before the European penetration into that area. Moreover the raison dà ªtre of the Wahabiyyah movement is an internal purification-that is, the purification of Islamic practices at that time. The movement was thus born not as a reaction to western penetration, much less to modernization projects. It existed long before the modern and post-modern stages or at least in the early stages of modernity. To relate the birth of Islamic fundamentalism merely to Western influence is therefore a simplification of the complex religio-social realities of Islam. In fact, the ideological awareness of postmodernism as a rejection of modernism is found among only a few Muslims. The sociological situation of most contemporary Muslims worldwide, unlike their Western counterparts, puts them in pre-modern or modern periods rather than in a postmodern phase. Only Muslim intellectuals would comprehend the failure of modernitys projects and the return to religious fundamentalism as part of a postmodern outlook. And even if they do, the rejection of al-M aududi (1903-1979) or other Islamic fundamentalist movement and the modernization of Islam is only beginning, making a postmodern interpretation of fundamentalism an epistemological question rather than corresponding to a postmodernism stage of civilization. Fundamentalism in Islam is more appropriately seen as an extreme form of Islamic revivalism or Islamic awakening in Qutbs term. If the orientation of Islamic revival takes a form of religious intensification inwardly (inward oriented) at the individual level, the intensification in fundamentalism is aimed outwardly as well (outward oriented). Islamic revivalism or inward-intensification has involved the escalation of individual attachment to Islam while fundamentalism entails high commitment not only to transform individual life, but also communal and social life. Hence Islamic fundamentalism is often esoteric, emphasizing more on lawfulness or unlawfulness based on the Islamic law (halal-haram complex). In this regard, th