I've known a few Muslims and they were all pretty laid-back about their religion. I know you've heard they pray five times a day but my Muslim acquaintances do not.
One of my friends fasts during the daytime during the month of Ramadan. That's really the only Muslim tradition I've seen him following. He wasn't devout by any means or even really a believer, and actually wasn't a big fan of his religion.
It's really analogous to Christians: you've got some fanatical crazies and you've got some more secular types who only take it so seriously. The recent attempted "Christmas bomber" was reported to the authorities by his own father, who unlike his rebellious son (most Islamic extremists are orphaned kids or rebelling against their parents), had greater allegiance to America than to the wacky "Shariah" being pushed by fundamentalists. The differences are fewer than you think. Their traditions are no more "primitive" than ours.
We also have Muslim scientists to thank for, well, science. Don't underestimate the sophistication of their culture. Most of our recent advancement as a civilization is owed to Islamic civillization. They preserved classical Greek philosophy and developed math and science throughout the European dark ages (which were not so dark in the near east) and helped us usher in the Enlightenment. Since then we have essentially swapped places in terms of cultural dominance, due to the industrial revolution and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I.
Muslims will probably work through their difficulties as a civilization and become more influential on the global stage again, and it's nothing to be feared. I'm actually looking forward to a peaceful middle east that I can comfortably visit, it has a very rich history. Islamic empires in the past have generally been very religiously tolerant (moreso than Europe) and intellectually advanced, with breathtaking architecture, art, literature, and science; once the extremists (of whom there are VERY few) are defeated, I believe Islamic civilization will flower again and have peaceful ties with Europe and America. We have far more in common than the chest-thumpers and TV pundits lead us to believe.
Islam right now is more primitive than it has ever been, and it has more to do with geopolitical realities than with Islam itself.
Edited by Anonymous (02/09/12 01:57 PM)
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