Chris Crawford
Nov 4 · 3 min read

“And what’s the difference, precisely, between culture and religion?”

And what’s the difference between culture and nationality? Between culture and language? Between culture and race? Between culture and class? You and I share the same nationality, race, language, and gender, yet there are significant differences in our cultural norms.

Culture affects and is affected by many factors. Your simplistic equation of Islam with extreme sexism simply doesn’t fit the facts. I have no doubt that there are Moslems whose attitude towards women is more ‘liberated’ than your own. These would likely be Moslems who have been raised in Western countries. Yes, believe it or not, there are actually native-born Americans who are Moslems!

“Are we to assume that there’s no such thing as Islamic culture”

You can and do assume anything you want, but if you are guided by facts, then you’ll recognize that culture is an extremely complex subject that is multi-dimensional. There’s Islamic culture, but there’s Persian culture, too, and urban culture (Tehran) and rural culture, and educated culture and uneducated culture. There is no single culture in Iran. Some countries, such as the USA have greater cultural heterogeneity than others, although the current political climate includes a backlash against that heterogeneity from the less-educated elements of the American public.

“that the horrific abuse of women in a great number of Islamic countries is attributable to some other factor than Islam?”

Again, this is a simple-minded characterization of a complex phenomenon. I have presented evidence that honor killings are rare in some Islamic countries. That clearly demonstrates that honor killings are NOT attributable to the Islamic religion.

“If so, what are those factors? Or could it be, on the other hand, that the differences among Islamic countries regarding the status of women are attributable to factors other than Islam?”

I have mentioned a number of these factors. If you truly wish to understand the matter, I suggest that you devote some time to studying anthropology.
“is it not plausible to assume that the default position of Islam is hostile in principle to the equality of women and that variations in the treatment of women in various Islamic countries are due to factors external to Islam?”
Again, you are thinking in simplistic terms. Islamic teaching includes a goodly mass of material about the fair treatment of women, their rights, and so forth. It reflects cultural norms in Arabia during the seventh century. Religions are inherently conservative. What would you say about a religion that forbids women to be priests? Or a country in which many wives still promise to “love, honor, and obey” their husbands? (Hint: look around you). Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

The subordinate position of women is a long-standing element of most cultures, and it’s not an accident; it reflects conditions under which men and woman have been living since at least the Agricultural Revolution, and probably much longer. Those conditions no longer exist, yet here we are sticking to cultural norms that no longer apply to women.

In any event, the traditions you abhor are not attributable to the Islamic religion. If you really must hate somebody, at least take the time to figure out exactly who it is you should hate, and exactly why.

“Inquiring minds want to know…”

What, the National Enquirer doesn’t provide the answers you seek? 😄

    Chris Crawford

    Written by

    Master of Science, Physics, 1975. Computer Game Designer. Interactive Storytelling. www.erasmatazz.com