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Things will change very very slowly

Reader comment on item: Tantawi – The New Mubarak?

Submitted by Prashant (United States), Jun 10, 2011 at 01:42

Dear Dr Pipes:

You predicted that things would not change even after Mubarak's departure. That was an easy prediction :-). There is a very simple reason why things will change very slowly (if at all) in Islamic countries. A hard fact of life is that human societies work best only when each individual thinks for himself and takes independent decisions. This is good for an individual's well being because it allows them to think that they are in control and not anyone else's slave. This is also good for the society because while any individual can act incoherently in isolation, the sum total of hundreds of thousand's of independent decisions is likely to be correct.

Most societies impose some conditions on how an individual should think and act. These conditions are imposed by families, peer and religious groups, and, to some extent, even by democratic governments. However, in Islamic societies the ability of an individual to think for himself is severely diminished. Muslims are required to support other muslims not only within a village, city, or country but across the planet (that is why it is very difficult to find a supporter of Israel in the entire country of Pakistan). Many times in these societies the issues are not decided by thought and by general guidance provided by ethics and religion. Instead, the issues are decided by strict adherence to a code written 14 centuries ago. And since no code can be complete, the burden to interpret and impose the code falls in the hands of whoever can muster most power based on sword or religion.

This simple pattern has repeated in tens of Islamic countries through hundreds of years including the present time. Unless people learn to think for themselves, respect individual freedom (even in the matters of religion)and stop literal interpretation of religious text, change will come very very slowly in Egypt or any other Islamic country.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (17) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
'McClatchy Newspapers' Arab pro-Islamism outrageous "writers" [106 words]LisaMay 2, 2012 19:55195396
What has Changed in Egypt [127 words]p. schwartzJul 17, 2011 16:54187517
1Tarek Heggy and how can the Muslim brotherhood be defeated in the upcoming elections [107 words]dhimmi no moreJul 4, 2011 10:12187003
Are the MB or Shafik causing the Egyptian revolution to fail? [384 words]MohsenMay 26, 2012 10:35187003
4Another bizarre salafi fatwa [184 words]dhimmi no moreJun 29, 2011 08:38186891
15The million beards movement and the Muslim brotherhood in Egypt [391 words]dhimmi no moreJun 17, 2011 06:33186403
Things will change very very slowly [319 words]PrashantJun 10, 2011 01:42186131
Plus ca change: torture and "virginity tests" in the new Egypt [201 words]dhimmi no moreMay 31, 2011 12:43185740
5The spy that is not really a spy but may be he is a spy: Iran and the new Egypt [251 words]dhimmi no moreMay 30, 2011 16:29185725
Consider Timur Kuran's Analysis of the Influence of Sharia Law [332 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
SigmundMay 30, 2011 11:24185716
1Hisba and Morris Sadek [146 words]dhimmi no moreMay 26, 2011 06:48185595
Now let Mr. Obama suggest the same to his beloved country Pakistan [22 words]Ravi Ranjan Singh Bharat PanthiMay 25, 2011 13:04185571
Oy Vey [20 words]Barry BlackMay 25, 2011 07:34185554
4Egypt post 1/25/2011 islamic shrai3a, freedom of speach and the case of Morris Sadek [639 words]dhimmi no moreMay 25, 2011 07:01185553
Egypts new direction? [104 words]Larry BMay 28, 2011 20:44185553
5What is next for Egypt [110 words]dhimmi no moreMay 24, 2011 16:51185536
1If Muslims remain true to form [32 words]Seamus Dafydd Dives MacNemiMay 27, 2011 23:12185536

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