Interesting Islam

 

Role of Culture and Personal Experiences

There’s a reason why Islam seems to be in the limelight of the media worldwide right now. And it probably will be for a while yet.

What are those reasons? Well, a person’s opinion is usually based on several factors. These could include: personal experiences, knowledge, media, education and understanding, geographical location and both family and cultural upbringing.

A lot of people have assumed things about Islam simply because of what they see with their own eyes. And why shouldn’t they? After all, it’s not their fault. It’s not even completely the media’s fault. It’s the fault of those who practice Islam wrongly and therefore taint the name of Islam. As the saying goes, ‘Actions speak louder than words’. And sadly, it’s true.

But then again, I’m not here to shift the blame on people. Every person has their own interpretation of what the Quran and The Prophet (s.a.w.) have said, and so they act accordingly. However, I will openly acknowledge the fact that many ‘Islamic’ Leaders are corrupt and have chosen to consciously twist the words of Allah to their own advantage.

As some of the reviewers of previous chapters posted on another site have said:

To all who might think that Islam is just about Al Queda, terrorism and woman bashing, they ought to remember that culture plays an important part in any society's interpretation of a text.” the coffee fiend

“…in most cases of women abuse in Muslim families, it is mostly due to the family's ethnic background and culture that their religion.” Lord of the Trees

“…the country is important. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and many groups of Islamic Extremists, follow a very extreme version of the Koran.
The Sharia law you follow and the ones they do is like comparing modern day Christians to the Spanish Inquisition. Huge difference.”
Daniel Clarke

Clarification: There is only one Shariah Law. This Law is universal for all Muslims, but due to culture and the factors mentioned above, people interpret the Law differently and therefore act differently.

My previous essays have talked about the rights of women in Islam, yet as many reviewers said, Islam is not being put into practice. There are divisions among Muslims themselves due to the different levels of influence, including culture and personal understanding.

Three Different Attitudes to the Status of Women in Islam:

For example, there are three different attitudes to the Status of Women in Islam, despite all the evidence pointing to the fact that women are spiritually equal to men. These attitudes are as follows:

Men and women are equal in religion and education but have different roles in life. Men support the family. Women bring up the children. This belief is based on the teachings of the Quran and Hadeeth and the biological differences of human beings.

Men and women have equal roles. This is based on the example of The Prophet (s.a.w.). He would mend his own clothes and he would help in the kitchen.

Women should be confined to their homes only. Men are a step above them. Women should look after the children and family. This is due to cultural and geographical influences and originated from Saudi Arabia, from a time when women were rich and had no reason to work since they could have everything they ever wanted.

The third attitude is considered as oppression of women by a lot of people but as mentioned earlier, this is actually based on cultural and geographical influences.

Importance of Context:

Women are not the only topic on which there is much debate. Many people read verses from the holy Quran and extract the parts that seem to support whatever their argument may be. However, it is extremely important to look at the context and at which time the extract was revealed. As many people know, the Quran was revealed bit by bit over a period of 23 years. Every revelation was sent for a specific time and therefore quoting parts of the Quran that seem to say things such as Muslims should kill non-believers, would be incorrect and a great error.

In actual fact, Muslims were ordered to use self-defence and not to slaughter the innocent. They were commanded at various incidents to only fight those who oppressed them. There are plenty of quotations from the Quran to support my argument, however, I will only quote one of them, as follows:

Permission (to fight) is given to those upon whom war is made because they are oppressed, and most surely Allah is well able to assist them;” (22:39)

Infidel’ by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

This section is in response to the review by La Virgen de la Tortilla, who said: “While I understand where you're coming from, I think you ought to take a look at Ayaan Hirsi Ali's memoir "Infidel".”

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a prime example as to how culture and personal experiences affect the viewpoint of a person on not only Islam, but other things as well. According to Boris Kachka who interviewed Ayaan Hirsi Ali, she “escaped from a forced marriage.” Lorraine Ali says that she “survived genital mutilation at the hands of her grandmother, a fractured skull from her Quran teacher and brutal beatings from her devout Muslim mother.” These incidents alone could influence a person’s method of thinking to a great degree.

At one point in her memoir ‘Infidel,’ Ayaan Hirsi Ali writes “True Islam leads to cruelty.” Whereas in her interview, she says, “It became important to say…I do not blame the death of my sister on Islam. I do not blame genital mutilation on Islam.” She also says, “My idea was, no, all humans are equal but not all cultures are equal.”

She may be correct or incorrect, that is not for us to judge. But it shows us that it is due to her own personal experiences that she comes to her own conclusions, one of which concerns 9/11: “It was not a lunatic fringe who felt this way about America and the West. I knew that a vast majority of Muslims would see the attacks as justified retaliation against the infidels of Islam.”

Conclusion:

People base their opinions on what they see and hear. And it is up to all Muslims to act according to the Quran and Sunnah and to understand that we live in a world that is made up of so many different religions and cultures. Therefore, co-operation and demonstrating that Islam is not a ‘terrorist’ religion is extremely important. How can Muslims blame others for dismissing Islam as violent, when Muslims themselves do not set a good example, and do not act in the way that The Prophet (s.a.w.) had acted?

It is up to you and to me, whether old or young, big or small, black or white, male or female to spread the message of true Islam and to set a good example. I also appeal to all non-Muslims to not dismiss Islam as a ‘terrorist’ religion and to find out for themselves what Islam is truly about.