Rites of Passage in Islam and Judaist Culture

A rite of passage is a social acknowledgment of a person’s movement from one status to another. The status movement is usually social, but can also be physical, and is usually followed by a celebration. The seven passages that will be discussed are pregnancy, birth, puberty, sex, marriage, parenthood, and death. Every culture has different means by which they celebrate these rights of passage. The traditional of rites of passage in Islam and Judaist cultures have both similarities and differences.  
Pregnancy
Islam’s and Judaists have very different views regarding abortion. The Islamic belief is that only God (Allah) has the right to determine if a baby will be born. Abortion is never permitted under any circumstance. Judaism does permit abortion. If the unborn child is risking the mother’s life, abortion becomes required of Jewish law. “The Talmud makes no bones about this: it says quite bluntly that if the fetus threatens the life of the mother, you cut it up within her body and remove it limb by limb if necessary, because its life is not as valuable as hers. But once the greater part of the body has emerged, you cannot take its life to save the mother's, because you cannot choose between one human life and another.” (Rich, n. d.) This statement shows how deep respect for humanity runs within the Jewish culture by declaring one life is not superior to another.
Birth
It is Islamic tradition that after the birth of a new baby the parents softly say a prayer to the baby and feed him/her a small bite of mashed dates. This ensures good fortune. The name
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is up to the parent’s discretion. Like Judaism, male babies are circumcised. However, this is not for any religious benefit, but increased cleanliness. Contrary to popular belief, female circumcision is not encouraged. “One week after an Islamic baby is born there is a ritual called the Welcoming Consecration, or Aqiqah, to celebrate the joy of a new baby. Aqiqah involves a feast for the family, and some...