What are the Western values? Are they compatible with Islam? Is Islam really a danger to Western values?
These questions came to my mind after stumbling upon this website, which is dedicated to highlighting the dangers of Islamic Finance. To be honest, I am not a big fan of financial system, both conventional & Islamic. But I find some people really exaggerate when they indirectly try to portray Islam as a danger to the modern world.
The same site pointed to another website which describes itself as "a new, growing coalition of human rights, women’s rights, religious rights and First Amendment advocacy groups. Its mission is to educate the public about how Shariah is creeping into American society and compromising constitutional freedoms."
Is Islam or Shariah the evil of modern times that needs to be eliminated? I think non-muslims or muslims living in the West who have experienced Western values are better qualified to answer this question. If you are one, raise your hand & do share your thoughts :-)
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36 comments:
As-salaamu'alaykum wa Rahmatu Llahi wa Barakatuhu Dubai Guy,
Ha! The website is a joke!
In my humble opinion, shariah is what the West NEEDS!.. and the East :D because really, how many places ACTUALLY follow it!.. and this is one of the reasons why you see so many problems all over the globe.
Interesting post, would love to see what others have to say.
Wa'alaykum as-salaam
Farhana
I got my hand waving frantically up in the air:)
I think this does go back to their view of 'radical' islam, and then grouping everything islamic under that banner.
Alot of people fear that which they do not understand. So awareness of the true islam, not warped up versions like the site you linked, need to happen. The easiest way in my opinion is to have muslims integrate with them in their society. You'll hear alot of people read things like this and then respond, 'but i have a muslim colleague at work and she/he doesnt seem so evil' and alot of times they even go the next step and ask that colleague for clarification.
Also everyone is also talking about the freedom to express themselves and living according to their own lifestyles, whether its body piercings or even eating only organic foods...as long as it isnt imposed on others, there should be no problem with banks catering to muslims...as long as they keep it an option
DG, this is a bit off-topic, but I wanted to ask. I remember when you had previously changed your template, you still had your links/widgets/blogroll, how'd you manage to do that? thanks!
http://business.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/islamic-finance-rides-the-storm-20081010-4yft.html?page=fullpage
this is a simplified read of how the west can benefit from islamic finances. and its even published in a non muslim newspaper
Farhana: Wa alaykom Assalam wa Rahmatu Llahi wa Barakatuhu dear Canadian Farhana :-)
Shariah is what the west needs? But do you think that we can convince the West to implement Sharia when even in most muslim countries, the concept of sharia is reduced to just crime punishments (cut the hand of thief or cut the throat of a murderer, etc).
Emma: Sorry Emma for not noticing your waving hand earlier :-)
You have raised very good points & I fully agree with you. The problem is us, the muslim individuals. Most of us portray a negative picture of Islam, knowingly or unknowingly, through our actions. Let me give you a small example, in business I feel more comfortable dealing with a non muslim than a muslim. And I am sure I am not the only one who shares this feeling towards other muslim traders. Isn't it ironic?
Thanks for sharing that link, that was very informative article :-)
Veiled Muslimah: Sorry for the late reply. Well, I don't have a magic solution. Earlier, I used to insert my links as a html widget, but after changing my template, this time all I did was to put the addresses in "Blogs I follow" which are then automatically loaded into the blogroll at the touch of a few clicks. It took me a couple of hours but I think in future I don't have to back up the links whenever I want to change my template. I really like this new feature of blogger.
Hope that info was helpful, but if you still need help, let me know :-)
What a joke --- they cant be serious, I was raised in the west and my dad is always saying the west is the danger to Islam and I defiently agree with Farhana shes totally right that the west need the Shariah though I don't think they would see it that way, coz in some countries there are weak links and it doesnt look good to the Non - Muslims...either way its their lose...In my opinion they are the big losers in all of this with their immoral values and techniques.
As-salaamu'alaykum wa Rahmatu Llahi wa Barakatuhu Dubai Guy,
Unfortunately, I don't think we can convince them to implement in.. and it may not be because of the Muslim countries, as much as it is because of the actual Muslims. You know a few years ago, Canada was talking about allowing Shariah Law in court (for Muslims) - subhan'Allah, I've never seen so many MUSLIMS against it! - it could bring tears to your eyes. They were the ones protesting against it, and as far as I know, - we don't have it. A lot of what people (ie: the Muslims) said was that the law doesn't view men and women as equal. Clearly the problem here is the people, not the law. So as much as the West and East need it, it's of no use if we can't implement it correctly in EVERY aspect of our life.
How are we going to answer to Allah?!
As-salaamu'alaykum
Farhana
i believe as many have mentioned it that it is the ppl not the religion that amke such statements and view about us to the world ... to understand islam and all it is about u have to seperate it from the ppl
With so many things going out of control. The only way you can get the west to accept anything is to give it some freaky name, add a few freaky rituals, and some seriously weird rules.
A watered down version of the Shariah perhaps to start with, a different name, and they will come flocking.
The best thing when anyone wants to start something is to do it in moderation and build it up along the way.
Just a thought.....
If all countries followed Shariah law, we'd be living in a perfect world...
We do need to integrate & lead by example. A non-Muslim friend came to me the other day and said 'Bibi, whenever I speak to you or see you, I think how wrong I am to stereotype Muslims' She was having a problem with her egyptian neighbour who lies alot. But she thought 'Muslim!' And then realised her mistake when she thought of me.
At work, I'm constantly asked questions and Alhamdulilah, have changed people's perceptions. One guy said he used to believe that Muslim women in hijab are oppressed, but after meeting me he knows it isn't true.
Others will respect us if we follow the true tenets of Islam.
As for western values-what values?! They've been completely eroded morally.
Thanks DG for the help. :) Anyway, I thought I found the right template, but I realised I didn't. Besides I'm not getting time to do the shift and Im having a hard time finding the right template although there are so many options out there. I don't want to loose my header, but I cant find a decent three columned temp with a header. :S I guess Ill just stick to this one for now.
Salamz,
This really made me laugh. "Is Islam or Shariah the evil of modern times that needs to be eliminated?".. I think it depends on the person's beliefs. Having been raised in the USA AND being a Muslim AND Arab (3 in one ;) you'd think that ANY Muslim would say "OF COURSE NOT", but... unfortunately, when Muslims or Arabs move to other countries, they seem to have some weird weird symptoms that include ditching traditions, customs, beliefs back home, next thing you know.. some cool dude coming home with all his "bling bling" and asking his daddy for grills for his teeth next Eid. Unless the parents raise their children correctly, they'd be one of the people who'd answer yes to the above question.
If you've read about the greatness of days during the late Caliphs times, you'd be ASTONISHED to know that Caliphs couldn't find poor people to give Zakat to. If Islamic laws were correctly followed, we wouldn't be living in such a messed up world we're living in today.
There's a whole lot of other things I'd like to say, but I might as well be quiet, I've already written a page LOL.
BTW, I've commented on old posts too, so brace yourself :p.
~God Bless~
Peace,
Hala.
As Salaamu Alaikum:
I think that Western values are compatible with Islam. I live in the USA and there are many values here that stem from Christianity and when practiced properly are not that different from Islam, i.e., right of neighbors, family, charity, religious freedom, etc.
We have so-called "Islamic" and "Shariah-compliant" financial products here that are really a joke. For example, the "Shariah-compliant" mortgages. They are basically no different than fixed mortgages offered by traditional US banks. In fact, the "Islamic" mortgages are MORE expensive and they do involve riba - they just call the costs "fees".
Didn't change the template, but tweaked it a bit. :) Let me know what you think.
Mina, Sketched Soul, Jawahir, Kaya, BB Aisha, Halawa & Sister Saffiyah: Thank you to all of you friends for sharing your thoughts here. You have not left much room for me to add anything. What I have understood from your comments is that perhaps it is us muslims who need to implement shariah in our lives first. I think Sister Saffiyah effectively summarized the whole situation when she said, "I think that Western values are compatible with Islam. I live in the USA and there are many values here that stem from Christianity and when practiced properly are not that different from Islam, i.e., right of neighbors, family, charity, religious freedom, etc."
Thank you again :-)
Can I comment on this or is it mainly for " non-muslims or muslims living in the West "?
:)
A Global Citizen: Did I put a condition that ONLY people living in the West can comment? Do share your thoughts :-)
Hmm I’m not a Muslim living in a western world. However, I’ve been reading a lot about this topic and discussing it in university since I’m majoring in accounting. So here’s what I know, with all the crap western broadcast and publish they are the ones using the Islamic financial system coz when they tried it, it turned out to be better for their government and they’re citizens. I’m not saying here that ALL westerns are following the Islamic financial system in banking but some of them started to and it turned out to be a success one of the countries I’m implying is France and I bet that if Obama won the election he’s going to use some of Islamic ways to help US recover from their financial crisis.
“Is Islam really a danger to Western values?” it may be a danger in a western prospective kind of way because the more westerns dig into Islam the more they find out it’s THE Religion, not Christian, not Jewish, etc.. The only sad thing is that westerns are using Quran And prophet sayings to change their lives and to make it better, we use their polices from financial system to lifestyle to god knows what else.
I personally believe that our personal views and beliefs should never be generalized nor standardized. The two websites you have provided in your post, DG, are only attempts to reject a foreign interference, a dangerous outsider. We, Muslims, tend to rebel in a similar way against the western values and ideologies. The only difference is that we think that their means is offensive and unjustifiable, while ours is a God-given right.
I do understand that we, Muslims, view Shariah as the most effective, most suitable system in the history of mankind.(& I do believe in that). However, and looking at it from the other perspective, I think it is a little unfair to call for ( or even encourage) a direct implication of Islamic values and concepts on countries that are massively inhabited by non-Muslims.
DG, I stumbled upon this and thought of your post.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/24/business/shariah.php
Salam all,
Well i have to say that i stumbled upon ur blog by accident and i did find some pretty interesting topics, ur approach reminds me of jack cafferty from cnn, btw thats a compliment coz i do enjoy his blogs, in case u dont like the guy hehe.. on a more serious note, western values wud never b compatible to our values as (1) muslims (2) arabs (3) khaleejis although u cud say our core values here in dubai are starting to fade into the crowds of mixed cultures. it is sad really, that the essence of our values is somehow lost.. then again we want globalization.. so we cant have it both ways.
As for islamic affect on world finance.. personally, simply put.. whoever is muslim knows wat "riba" is, and if the whole world did implement the financial fundamentals of shariaáh then we wudnt b facing this financial crisis in the first place :)
well thats just my opinion.. peace be upon u all
sam7ooni 6awalt 3alaikum xx
Interesting topic, but let me ask, is Islamic Finance a real thing, or just buzz word used here for marketing?
Have a look at the banks and financial institutes here, they always claim that they are complying with the Islamic rules, hence they are Islamic banks, but how do these guys deal with the outside wold?
The point is, don't you think they are just using the word "Islamic", as a part of their marketing strategy in order to attract Muslim customers!
Very interesting post..
I will look further into your blog! I am very usy right now, sorry.
-The Muslim Kid-
DG, did you disappear on us? :P
Notorious: I am not sure if the current Islamic financial system is perfect but I do agree with you that unfortunately today most of the characteristics which used to describe muslims earlier are no longer associated with muslims.
A Global Citizen: "I think it is a little unfair to call for ( or even encourage) a direct implication of Islamic values and concepts on countries that are massively inhabited by non-Muslims"
I did not post about this topic because I want them to implement Shari'a in their countries. Rather, I highlighted their fear that slowly Shari'a is creeping into their lives. If it gave the impression that I am generalizing, well be assured that it was unintentional :-)
Veiled Muslimah: Well, you know I am a lazy blogger, don't have any other excuse :D
By the way, thanks for sharing that article.
Nisa: I loved your term "magical" money. It indeed is magical, even the bankers didn't knew about it until one fine morning the whole system started showing signs of crack :-D
Jamila: First of all, welcome to my blog. I think you have very well described why West has become allergic to everything labelled with religion. Thanks for sharing your thoughts here. By the way, what attracted you towards Islam? Was it pre or post 9/11?
justAgurl: Welcome to my blog. I never heard about jack cafferty,perhaps I should google him now :-)
As for the financial crisis, I don't think islamic financial institutions in their current form would also have led to the same crisis. I think the "shari'a" boards of so called Islamic banks need to do some serious brain-storming :-)
Tarek: Welcome to my blog. Well I am not a big fan of the so called islamic banks. I had written a post few months ago, perhaps you should check it out :-)
Are Islamic banks Really Islamic?
The Muslim Kid: Welcome to my blog, waiting for your feedback my friend :-)
Of course Islam is a danger to the West. How can Islam accept a high-rolling pimp running around in the Islamic land and collecting the nights returns from his prostitutes? How can Islam accept semi-clad curvaceous hollywood actresses with artificially enlarged bosoms running around with the only purpose to find a hot stud and to look "hawt?" Its all conflict. Black and white. The ultimate war in which one has to win by eliminating the other. Islam cannot accept the Western culture and their sense of freedom and the West cannot accept Islam's dictatorial role in the society. One has to win. Islam cannot be reformed, scum-bags like Tarek Fateh, Irshad Manji and Wafa Sultan can go and commit suicide but they dare reform my religion for me!
Salaams:
@ Fragile Emptiness:
It is naive to think that pimps, prostitutes, etc., do not exist in Islamic lands, Allah forgive us.
Artifically enlarged bosoms in the West ... well, what about skin whitening and hymen repair surgery? So common in some "Islamic" lands?
And the Muslims sisters who report being constantly harassed and stalked by Muslim men with their Bluetooth phones?!
We should not point fingers at other cultures. The halal and haram exist side everywhere!
meant to say "side by side"
S.E. Jidhad Levine: I never accepted that a Islamic country exists today! The fact that those pimps etc exist in so called "Islamic Lands" just shows that they are NOT Islamic lands. The fact that some "brothers" have the opportunity to harass "sisters" via BT enabled phones just goes on to show that there is no Islamic land. Haram cannot exist in an Islamic country. If it does, as is the situation now, then it is not an Islamic country. and there is no such thing as Islamic country. A caliph must rule over ALL the Muslims lands. there is no place for patriotism, nationalism and tribalism in Islam. Those are from the days of jahiliyyah.
to be more accurate, those sisters also leave their BT-enabled phones on with "seductive" names and are equal partners in this sin. You are playing like an apologetic feminist. Men are to be blamed all the time? Why dont such "sisters" just turn off their bluetooth in the public or at least have "normal" profile names instead of "seductive" ones? No one can clap with one hand.
The harassment of women in Egypt, majority of those women are wearing inappropriate dresses. Do they expect not to garner male attention by doing so? Dont they remember that if a bait to capture a fish with an attractive food is thrown in the water, the fish will indeed come to it, whats the fault of the fish in this case? Those brothers are just like that fish, they do have a fault cuz they are not a fish but I will give them levy because the bait was thrown by "sisters."
to fragile emptiness,
assalam 3alaikum wra7mat allah,
eid mbarak :)
I agree with you totally! I know your giving examples on a bigger scale but seriously on a personal note just yesterday i was having this conversation with my sister, coz we encountered this BT "phenomena" u c me and my sis wud never switch it on coz as u said if its on, ur conveying a msg to men and allowing them to harass u!but a woman was with us and apparently we found out that she does that to receive BT from different guys while she is with us!!! and we were naive enuf to allow it not knowing that this woman used us so many times to "bait" out guyz..this is one scenario that u have of how some ppl dont really care about ruining the reputation of their muslim sisters... so.... ur so rite .. a muslim community does not exist anymore.. and when u dont have a muslim community u definitely dont have a muslim country... how sad!
p.s.
u forgot to mention magdi allam in ur list of reformer devils! :)
and btw the oh so public pope baptizing magdi allam propaganda airing on every media channel under the sun.. shows and reaffirms that Islam is indeed.. a THREAT to western values..
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