If your living in the west and dont adopt the ways of the west …well a lot of people would say you are not progressive enough or call a lot of Islamic values such fahash(basically indecency) not practical .and then give examples of “progressive nations”
okay fine there are some things the west does well…but how can you argue that fahash,indecency things such as clubbing, drinking,mixing with the opposite gender for no reason (work,school is fine) how can you argue that not doing these things in this day and time is not practical ? and how do these things help anyone progress?
the question is ,why is religion considered “backward” and something not practical to follow and why is it wrong say if you chose to wear a hijab in a society where women dont …how does wearing is show you area not progressive or not drinking and clubbing mean you are not progressive ?
i mean if the argument was that women have to work its not practical for them to stay home yeah then maybe that would make sense. but why do you have to give up your values and completely follow another culture to be considered "progressive " …speak their language , live like their do, they like beaches then i like beaches, they wear red i ll wear red…really? is that progress?
Nothing wrong in following religion but not cool using terms like fahish for people who don’t subscribe to your way of life. Many people wear hijab for religious purpose and many to gain attention and judge others. People who impact society in a positive way are considered progressive not a piece of fabric and its absence thereof.
Life01, people say a lot of things. Their idea of what a progressive life may be is based on their own perception and narrative. Your perception of it may be different and that’s okay.
i posted this because an argument i have encountered mostly is this that its easy to be religios living in a functional system build by non muslims who drink etc(basically the very values you detest) and if such values ruin societies then why is the west progressing ?.why dont you go back to your village and do Allah Allah there …basically your living here and criticising the place?
now whats a reply to that?
Asking you to go back to your village is rude. That said, you ought to realize that you can’t draw from your religion when talking to someone who doesn’t believe in it. Let’s take drinking alcohol as an example. Alcohol isn’t all good, it impairs judgement which can be disastrous if the person drinking doesn’t do it responsibly. Prohibition you say. We tried that already and failed miserably. There are drugs that are prohibited now but are highly popular. Alcohol\drugs are like greasy food, you know they’re bad for you but you indulge nevertheless because they make you feel good. Now some people are responsible with their food indulgence while others end up obese or diabetic or both and more.
The point I am trying to make is that it’s okay for you to not drink because your religion instructs you not to. However, the problem arises when you try to enforce your religious views on other folk, regardless of whether you are part of the majority or a minority group. You can still criticize alcohol as long as you keep the conversation secular. And don’t discuss how many lashes a person should get for alcohol or zina. That’s a major no no.
I don’t think anyone should negatively criticize the west in any way. There’s good and there’s bad and because we live, work and raise our families in the west this place is our home and community. But with every community you’ll have people from different backgrounds. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) lived amongst people from different faith backgrounds too. The point is that living in a secular country doesn’t mean you cannot or should not live by your own values and beliefs. The west is progressing but so are many third world countries. And like Eastern countries the west has problems of their own.
It definitely is not easy to live religiously in the west. If it was, people wouldn’t have their hijabs being ripped off by randoms in the street. Children wouldn’t be bullied in school for being Muslim. Racial profiling is real and it happens everywhere including the West. So we aren’t living a perfect life. But, Alhamdulilah for what it is.
And progression is a term that is subjective. What is progressive to you? Fancy cars, lots of money, new technology and big houses? Sometimes progression can be how humans have evolved to be better people. Progression in humanity is important too. Progression in developing a sense of community, sense of oneness and the ability to help each other not just by donating money but physically, emotionally and psychologically helping others as well as creating a sense of belonging is something I believe some eastern countries have progressed further in than some western countries.
My version of what progressive is may be different from someone else’s because I believe in balancing my faith and my worldly affairs whereas for someone else it may be different. That’s why it’s important to know and believe in your values and respect others for theirs even if at the end of the day you both may not agree.
**Let us not forget what happened to the Jewish people when they came to the Western Societies, lived here for centuries and were as progressive as the Westerners! for some reason they became/or were perceived by some as a threat to the same progressive highly technocratic societies! and the Mob mentality took over! and it did not take long for the most advanced progressive society of Europe to turn into Barbaric Animals…Right?
Unfortunately many people think the secret to the progress and prosperity of the West is their dance clubs and their banking system. No, they are not. Instead the secret to their progress and prosperity is their libraries and laboratories. Those are the places where wonders of nature are studied and discovered that translates into effective treatments of diseases, finding sustainable sources of energy, improving communication technologies, etc.
The people who are doing all this grunt work are from Eastern countries and the ones who are local are no party animals either and live very simple lives.
There is lot of published research on how Scientific discovery is the backbone of GDP growth. Islam encourages education but we don’t follow its teachings so the solution is more Islam into our lives, not less.
The problem is when each side openly critisizes the other. Like I eat zabiha meat but I don’t tell others not to do so. If I am out with such people, I order my food and they order what they want. The problem occurs when people tell me why I don’t eat non zabiha meat while living in the West etc etc.
Same thing with the hijab. I don’t wear it but some women will think that I am the devil incarnate because of that and say oh, " you actually have Islamic knowledge. We wouldn’t have imagined as you don’t wear the hijab".
If you benefit and enrich the society you live in you are progressive I came across this young Sikh couple last night they were parked in my camping stall and didn’t leave when this beautiful park officer asked them. The picked up wood from forest to burn and I told them that is not allowed the fatty got angry so no drinking does not make you progressive but being a good member of society does