Difference between revisions of "Essay:Negative aspects of Islamic culture"

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We in the Western world have, over the years, become increasingly aware of the baleful influence of Islamist extremists. Although this is not a new phenomena, and could be said to date back to the days of the Crusades, I wondered if there were any mitigating circumstances within Islamic culture that would make them more extremist, and more willing, say, to commit suicide for their beliefs, than inhabitants of the Western world.

This is by no means an attempt to paint all followers of Islam as bad, but merely an attempt to look at some aspects of their culture that that could exert a negative impact on their collective psyche.

No sense of cause and effect and thus responsibility

One of the most common words you'll hear in an Arabic discussion is "Inshallah," or "If Allah wills it." Although it does have a wider application in common speech (for example "Inshallah, bukhra" (Tomorrow, if Allah wills it) basically means it's never going to happen), it denotes a sense of fatalism that is carried into day-to-day life. All actions, and the results thereof, occur at Allah's will. Therefore, there is no need for the individual to take personal responsibility.

For example, if somebody decides to drive his car at 90 mph down a busy suburban street, then inshallah nobody gets hurt. Of course, if a child is knocked over, then it's inshallah too. The driver might be prosecuted for knocking over the child, but it's not because he's responsible, it's because it's inshallah - Allah's will that this happened.

By removing this sense of responsibility for one's actions, it makes it easier to convince potential suicide bombers that what they are doing is just. They will never think of it as "I'm going to push this button and then a lot of people around me are going to die or be injured, and - oh yes - I'm going to die too." Instead, the fact that the bomb does (or does not, if that is case) detonate, is inshallah and it is inshallah that the bomb happens to go off in a crowd of infidels, rather than while the bomber is driving to the site of the attack.

No calming influence of art

The Koran expressly forbids followers of the faith from creating images of people, animals and even places, fearing that these could be worshipped as idols. In many cases this goes as far as including the taking and display of photographs. An extreme example of this was the destruction by the Taliban of the centuries-old statues of the Buddha in Afghanistan.

This does not mean that there is no appreciation for art, it's just in a different form. Think of the Tah Mahal for example. It is a prime example of architectural beauty. Likewise there are many examples of Arabic calligraphy being incorporated into beautiful murals. But there is no appreciation of nature, just the repetition of verses of the Koran.

Architecture and writing are both man-made and make up the only segments of Islamic artistic culture. Yet since the very earliest times, mankind has been attempting to capture the beauty of nature, be it with charcoal and ochre on a cave wall, or oil on canvass. This created an awareness of the world around us, an appreciation of our place in the world, and also personal advancement as our skills at depicting the world improved. However, Islam felt none of the benefits of this. Indeed, it can be argued that artistically, there has been no advancement over several centuries - the artistic Arabic writing on walls is the same today as it was when the Tah Mahal was built.

Indeed, given this lack of artistic culture, or indeed an aversion to it, as any Western art would surely be seen as being the infidel's work and thus unclean and to be destroyed (again, the Afghan Buddhas serve as an example), one could argue that Islam does nothing to make its followers appreciative of the would surrounding them. A combination of the barren desert areas where the religion began, combined with inshallah - it's Allah's will that you are here until he decides otherwise - results in not so much a lack of respect of their surroundings, as a blasé ignorance of them.

What you do not appreciate, you do not understand; what you do not understand, you fear; and what you fear, you destroy. This is especially so, when instead of being able to appreciate a painting of, or even sitting outside and admiring, a country landscape, all you have are endlessly repeated verses of the book and god that already control every aspect of your life.

The warped concept of Paradise

Islam was a religion that spread through violence and it needed "hooks" to both lure prospective converts to the cause, and convince them to go forth and fight the next battle for the cause. What better way to convince people - especially those who are poorly educated and poor - than to offer them something beyond their wildest dreams - Paradise. However, this is no Heaven, where you are rewarded for following God's word and commandments; this is more akin to the Vikings' Valhalla - in more ways than one.

Paradise is seen as being offered to martyrs for the cause, those who die fighting for Allah. However, the Koran says "those who are slain in Allah's way are not dead, but alive." The definition that dying in a jihad (holy war) has only recently been attributed to "dying in Allah's way" more as an act of convenience than anything.

It's also interesting to not that entry into Paradise does not require one to have led a good life either. As the Sahih Bukhari says: "Allah's Apostle said, "Someone came to me from my Lord and gave me the news that if any of my followers dies worshipping none along with Allah, he will enter Paradise." I asked, "Even if he committed adultery and theft?" He replied, "Even if he committed adultery and theft." ^[1] (my emphasis). The practice of using Paradise as an attractive lure really came to the fore with the Hashshashin (from where the word "assassin" comes), who used to drug their members with hashish, and use the subsequent hallucinations as examples of the paradise they would enter, should they die a martyr for the cause.

The Islamic paradise is also unusual in that it allows many things forbidden to followers of Islam while they are alive. This alone can prove to be a powerful lure for those brainwashed into the belief - the lure of forbidden fruit. Foremost amongst these is the use of alcohol, which is absolutely forbidden to Earth-bound believers. However, not only can they drink alcohol, it will not make them drunk ("Wine . . . delicious to those who drink it . . . will neither dull their senses nor they will become drunk).

Another - and more controversial - aspect is the provision of 72 virgins for those men who reach Paradise. The Koran is strangely silent on awaits women, possibly 72 washing machines and ironing boards. However, even here, there is dissent on the number and indeed the nature of what is waiting for the men who reach Paradise. The word used to describe them is "Wakawaaaiba" - and it is the only instance of that word being used in the Koran. Translations have varied from "companions" to "full-breasted maidens." Also significant is the fact that nowhere in the Koran is the number of companions specified. The number comes from the hadith, collections of traditional sayings which may or may not have been said by Muhammad. Hadith number 2,562, in the collection known as the Sunan al-Tirmidhi says, "The least reward for the people of Heaven is 80,000 servants and 72 wives, over which stands a dome of pearls, aquamarine and ruby."

Now take what you know from above. Transplant that image into the mind of a poor boy in Afghanistan, or Palestine. Add the forbidden fruit of both alcohol and sex (bearing in mind the strict taboos regarding women in Islam and the fact that the most he's ever seen of a girl his age is her eyes, and yet he has hormones too) and you have created a perverted wonderland in his mind, which has to be better than his current circumstances. And all he has to do to get there, is wear this bomb-laden vest and push this button at the right time. Inshallah.

Another reason why one can see how the idea of Paradise has been corrupted is the fact that the leaders behind these attacks aren't themselves rushing off to reward themselves with in these wondrous, otherworldly carnal feasts.

Culture Shock

This is especially apparent in places such as the United Kingdom and to a lesser degree, Germany and Spain. In all these cases, incidents of terror in the countries have been generated by so-called "home grown" terrorists. In other words, to use the London bombings as an example - the attacks were not carried out by foreigners, but by people who had actually been born in the UK, to Muslim parents, such as in the areas of Bradford in Yorkshire.

The UK serves as a good example of a clash between very permissive and very religiously strict cultures. In places such as Iran, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, it is far easier to lead a life according to the tenets of Islam, although with the disadvantages mentioned above. However, in a society where alcohol is freely available and advertised, sexual "taboos" are non-existent outside the home, or even within it, should they watch TV.

It is this kind of "assault on the sensibilities" that can have generally one of two results - either they become secularised, and accept the culture surrounding them, and even assimilate into it, rejecting the teachings of Islam. On the other hand, they retreat even further into their religion, rejecting totally the culture of their host country and indeed reviling the country for not following the laws of Islam. This explains things such as the high number of so-called "honor killings" in the UK, especially in insular Muslim communities.

It this rejection of the culture surrounding them, and the perception of it as a corruptive force, that plays a potentially large role in turning youngsters into "home grown" terrorists.

References