Why Islam Works Across Cultures

Islam has spread in all continents and many, many cultures. By some accounts, it is the fastest growing religion in the world and particularly in the USA. It is doing especially well in Texas! Think about that for a minute. An area known for its religious conservatism in a country that was struck by 9/11 is adopting Islam notably! I've even read some title about a family that was a victim of 9/11 that has become muslim! 

The same can't be said about many dogmas or systems which continue to face resistance and declining numbers of people adopting them.

I believe this is because we, as humans, pursue in the same thing regardless of our cultures or values. We are all in pursuit of happiness. 

Many earthly systems or doctrines miss this point; for example, some emphasize individual unrestrained pleasure as in the case of capitalism. They equate pleasure with happiness and come to the conclusion that peoples or cultures that don't have the amenities that they do are unhappy. Islam focuses on that common beacon that draws us all, the pursuit of happiness while not neglecting our needs as humans. It promotes balance with very strong emphasis on the soul.

In my earlier post (the one just before this), I mentioned that many cultures suffer pain as a result of adopting systems, traditions, and values that don't fit into there cultural DNA. This was provoked by a documentary I saw some time back about a this westerner (maybe a scientist or businessman) who was visiting this Mongolian tribe in the central plains of Asia. They seemed very happy to me; they were poor, but they were very close to each other and just seemed happy living the way they did. Then this westerner said, "These people don't know what they are missing. They could be making millions by investing more time in these crafts and marketing them better..", or something along those lines. 

In effect, he was asking them to substitute the happiness that their current culture provided with the pleasure that the western culture offered. I personally found the assumption that he based this comment on to be morally very very wrong. Proof? Just look at the cultures that adopted the western system and lifestyle. Are they happy?

Islam doesn't accept traditions or practices that go against Allah's rulings, but, overwhelmingly, it lets people live, love, and learn, while encouraging them to worship their Creator and leaves the rest alone. That is is the meaning of happiness that people should adopt.

Posted via email from Khalid's Stream

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