Arab Society Religion-6

Religion as ideology for change

Max Weber didn’t like Marx’s economic fatalism and documented how Protestantism, a very worldly, practical , individualistic religion actually gave rise to the economic system of capitalism, thus proving that religion ‘can’ be more than a passive reflection of social/physical conditions (Durkheim) or legitimising ideological prop of the social order (Marx).

Gamal A-Din Al-Asadabadi (he was actually Iranian!)

Early Islamic reformers noted the anticlerical character of Protestantism and tried to replicate its ‘reformation’ of religion to give rise to capitalism and industrialism in Islam. (It’s didn’t quite work out but it’s a whole lot better than what we’ve got now!)

Just keep this in mind for the future, another kind of ignorance alongside second-order illiteracy that is as old as the human intellectual – pseudo-intellectuality. Not just being a fake or pretend intellectual but fake thinking in general. Eric Fromm used this phrase, but so does Umberto Echo (author of The Name of the Rose). To follow Sheikh Shaarawi, an illiterate person is not a threat because he knows that he knows nothing. The jahil, ignorant, is the dangerous one because he thinks he knows everything when in reality he hardly knows anything!

Also, ancient religions – even the manmade variety – aren’t as fatalistic as we think. They caution against human arrogance but do tell to try as hard as you can to make things better in this world, and if you fail, don’t...

... worry, because then you’ll be compensated in the next!

Again, Erich Fromm: “Human existence begins when the lack of fixation of action by instincts exceeds a certain point; when the adaptation to nature loses its coercive character; when the way to act is no longer fixed by hereditarily given mechanisms. In other words, human existence and freedom are from the beginning inseparable. Freedom is here used not in its positive sense of ‘freedom to’ but in its negative sense of ‘freedom from,’ namely freedom from instinctual determination of his actions.”

The parameters of what’s possible and impossible and feasible and practical to a considerable extent are socially determined, even when it comes to religious thought. We may not be able to ‘imagine’ that something is possible and think that were are perfectly logical about this, when in reality we’re over-relying on our limited experiences, which are always more comforting and certain to us. Fatalism, thus, can be counter-religious, while ‘secular’ ideologues of individualism can reform religious belief towards the essence of Godly faiths!

I can’t impress on you the need to re-evaluate what we think we know about the jahiliya period and with that the rise and success of early Islam, and so the pitfall Muslims have fallen into ever since. For instance, the issue of gender and women’s rights. We all know about the verse in the Quran talking about the need for two female witnesses. Less well known is that this is a condition concerning witnessing the signing of contracts. Remember that the Arabs before Islam didn’t sign contracts or keep any paper records of financial transactions, such as loans, which is a big problem to this day in the Muslim world! Women were even more neglectful of this so when it came to women witnessing a contract – the verse in the Quran its best to have two witness. It’s not a general condition! It seems the Hadith ...

... concerning women and ruler-ship, the current interpretation of which is used against female judges, is about economic transactions also. Later generations used it as an excuse against women being ministers!

Same thing happened during the Mamluk era. No wonder Egyptians have no work ethic!

Arabs have a goldfish’s memory-span, thanks to their ego, like women actually!

Actually, Iranian women have always been tough and productive. They have to save up money for their marriages so have to work from when they’re young. Also, the nomadic peoples in Iran, and even Afghanistan (not the Pashtun), allow women to hunt, travel by themselves and be armed. They have to since the men are away most of the time and the wilderness is dangerous for (unarmed) women!

My Afghani Canadian friend again filled me in on this!

There were Arab women knights, but a long time ago!

Muhajab fashion show, and with traditional ethnic dress too!

Our professor back in England gave us the classic example of how there nothing secular in the world, anything not religious (to some extent, in principle), and that was abortion. Either you believe in a soul in the body which needs to be protected, or that it’s a lump of flesh!. The important thing is to be objective, either way!

“You can not divorce religious belief and public service. I've never detected any conflict between God's will and my political duty. If you violate one, you violate the other.”

--- Jimmy Carter

Baby with logos, new picThe fly

Secularism totalitarianism!

Disguised sectarianism and exploitation of religion. Told you secularism was another word for pre-Christian. In other words, pagan!!

Hopefully this will get the Arabs a more religious future!