To Freelancer

Submitted by Daisy (United States), Sep 12, 2005 at 13:56

Freelancer, you are young and I can see that you are passionate about your religion. You're allowed both things freely. You also are misunderstanding the basic premise of Dr. Pipes article, and this needs correction. Stressing only one point: Your choice to drink or not drink is not at issue -- indeed, there are plenty of Americans from many different ethnic/religious backgrounds who would be happy to commend your decisions as wise. However, the choice to drink OR not remains just that .. a choice. I am not Belgian, but I can safely say that Belgian culture also does not prohibit -- or enforce the use of alcohol. It's a choice, Freelancer. That's why it's anti-cultural for any one group to insist that a norm of that particular culture (in this case drinking alcohol) be prohibited simply because any one group objects to it. Tolerance is what's needed when choice is a cultural value.

Choice is not a strong cultural or religious tool in Islam and therefore tolerance is not as necessary a value within Islamic culture. The challenge for Muslims living in cultures that value freedom of choice is to develop the practice of tolerance for others and not simply demand tolerance for themselves. Muslims will only manage to create and maintain underdog status by maintaining the status quo of tolerance on demand.

As far as women and burkahs ... you are a bit late with your protest .. we infidels have been told ad nauseam by Muslims that burkah-wear is not a religious mandate but a cultural one. Fine. In this culture, Freelancer, anything I'd have to say on the subject has already been brilliantly covered in the Emancipation Proclamation. Hopefully, you've been exposed to this document in school. If not, then read it now.

As far as little boys not wanting to swim with girls -- too bad, they have to do so regardless (and they ought to eat their vegetables too). The important problem comes in when the little boy's parents prohibit him from participating in culturally normal activities. Again, people in free societies have choice ... including the collective who gets to decide what they are willing to pay for in publicly funded education. One solution for Muslim parents who do not want their boys swimming with girls (or their girls swimming at all) would be to employ choice and either home-school or send one's child (at one's own expense) to a religious school. Religious schools have more leeway .. although, fair warning: slavery will not be allowed there either ... although separation of the sexes will be tolerated, which should nicely cover any hysteria surrounding "contamination by the feminine fears" that we see routinely incited within Islam. Another, and I think better choice, would be to not only allow their child to assimilate into the larger culture but encourage assimilation. The use of choice would be evidence of successful assimilation.

Your observation that the only thing binding American culture is the extremely narrow practice of eating hamburgers (and the only diversity would be to eat a fish-burger) mainly indicates a low level of sophistication and cultural deprivation on your part Freelancer. I can only hope that you agree that it's time for you to take advantage of greater resources than you've heretofore availed yourself.

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