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0 pointsmicrotonal15y ago0 comments

Our culture is built on blending other cultures together and changing from generation to generation.

The situation is not remotely comparable. Most immigrants to the US were mostly from a Christian (or Jewish/Christian of you prefer) tradition. Only 0.6% of the US population is Muslim (0.3% in 1990). For comparison, The Netherlands has a 6% Muslim population (an much higher is some large cities).

I do not want to make a value-judgement of the Islam, but point out that some strains of Islam are highly incompatible with Dutch culture. For instance, more than half of our population is atheist or agnost, gay marriage existed for ten years, abortion and euthanasia are legal, possession/use of soft-drugs is legal, etc. Blending such different cultures is a very slow and hard process.

Note: I do not have anything against any religion (including Islam), as long as it does not attempt to revert secularization.

Edit: correct misuse of the word 'secularization'.

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3 comments · 1 top-level

emil0r15y ago· 2 in thread

I think you can put Islam firmly in the state+religion basket. Shar'ia is the Qu'ran, the Hadiths and the Siras all neatly wrapped up for all muslims to live after. Lots of politics in there, very little actual religion.

I do not believe you can ever have a clear and clean cut seperation though, unless you're willing to entertain the idea to withhold any goverment positions from worshippers.

microtonalOP15y ago

On your first point, that can be said of many religions. But many (most?) people realize that the holy books have been written in different times, and adopt the parts that can be integrated with modern life.

You can never be completely reassured there is no ulterior motive, whether that motive stems from religion, corporations, or something else. But I do think (and see that in national politics) that many religious people are able to separate what they think is morally good from what society thinks what is morally good. Just witnessing other cultures for some time will give rise to the realization that your truth is just one truth.

I am confident that cultures will eventually blend. It's just harder when the are further apart.

emil0r15y ago

The Qu'ran is a bit different. It's one book, written by one man, in his lifetime, holds mostly direct commands and is written in stone since it's a direct copy of the Qu'ran in heaven that's written by Allah himself. It's meant to be taken literally and you do not change or interpret it. To do so is blasphemy.

What most people in the west haven't realised is that it's Osama bin Ladin that has the theological backing, not the muslims that just wants to go on with their lives.

As for your last comment I hope it's the case, but if it happens it will be despite Islam. A muslim is for example forbidden in the Qu'ran to take any friends among Jews or Christians. Unless it is a feigned friendship for benefit, in which case the Qu'ran condones it.

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