I am a cultural imperialist. Yes, I am. No, I won't get tangled in webs of deconstructionist doubt. Change needs to happen, but how? Such things as fearing women's voices, disregarding women's desires and so on are all deeply ingrained in the culture. So is a seeming disregard for cause and effect: refuse to work against extremism = being blamed for standing by. Yet how can we convince others to change?
We agree that such cultural attitudes are disfunctional at best and morally wrong and sinful at worst. But, lately I've been approaching the problem as one of cultural engineering and social change: what strategies and tactics can we devise and perform to effect cultural change? Female led prayer is one such tactic, but what is the overall strategy and what other tools do we have at our disposal? This web site and others which write sanely about our insanities is a good start, but writing and speaking (categories of communiticaing) only go so far. The Prophet preached but he also performed. Last week I learned about a concept in anthropology called performativity, which means that Muslim identity is what we do and what we agree to say it is. It took a while to wrap my head around that one because it sounds far too much like the Quranic quoting of how God creates, "Be! and it Is" (kun fa-yakun). But, apparently this is how human minds construct culture.
Thus, my question is what else can we perform? How long will it take until a critical mass of performers is reached that then makes cultural change a de facto movement towards what we think is best? Who or what are the best vectors to relay those changes? Is it merely a question of superior marketing: getting hip young people to speak the message which makes the majority of people who are followers just go along? ISNA seems to have done this with Ingrid Mattson: perform it and most everyone goes along. I mean, really, after researching it, there seems to have been very little public outcry at her election. No protests, no media campaigns and no fatwas, all of which did occur in repsonse to Amina Wadud's leading prayer in 2005. So, is this to say that we will only succeed once ISNA, ICNA and CAIR have signed on? Should we make capturing those organizations a political priority explicitly or jsut rest on the assumption that grass roots cultural change will filter upwards (eventually, once the old immigrants have died off)?
CAIR - 1, FREE SPEECH - 0
Islamonazi CAIR Intimidates Yet Another American Business In Dhimmitude
http://www.terrorfreeoil.org/videos/MS092506.php - MSNBC video
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Hey dude, I'm a former active duty Marine and even I'm telling you to get lost, fucktard.
- A Salafi in worship, a Sufi in society, a Secularist in government.
Don't lose focus from the fact that this post was inspirational and well worded. You raise great questions and issues.
How to effect real, lasting change? This is where I am most interested in expending my energies right now. I think you are understandably bringing up two basic issues:
1. Making change inside the Muslim community on progressive issues.
2. Making those issues more visible so that people can see another choice and the tactics more purposeful with the intent of gaining a bigger place at the table.
One quote stuck in my head about the difference in successful artists versus unsuccessful is really just audacity.
As a social worker and graphic designer,I am better at thinking about #2 above. So I will ask some more questions: What would increase our visibility? What organizational structure would further your aims? Who do you need to bring to the table in the progressive muslim movement to gain more momentum?
I will suggest the first things that come to mind for me, I think this is great to explore in detail! Let's just get people started on a list of ideas.
A. Outcome Based Planning- I was trained at my job in social work in outcome based planning which can be very helpful.(We had to show actual improvements/change and document it for grant money) It helps you organize your methods from the beginning so that you direct your energy effectively.
B. I would like to study other effective grassroots organizations and make a list of the best practices methods. Someone with more organizing experience might have great suggestions here.
C. Respond to progressive issues within the community, maybe creating "watch lists" on gender issues, takfiring, or whatever comes out as a priority from the outcome planning, which we could organize campaigns around. Znet has watch areas.
D. Make the movement structure as inclusive as possible while allowing active people to move forward without eternal debate.
Lastly, a big thank you to anyone currently active, thinking, and working for progressive issues. I think you are already generating lots of momentum and inspiring more people to join you.
So what has and hasn't worked so far for everyone else?
The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world.
Lao Tzu
OmarG,
it seems that you equate normative change to cultural change.
true?
Anything that has to do with people involves culture in one way or another. Therefore, any change inevitably, to me, is at some level cultural change. Care to provide any examples to clarify what you mean?
- A Salafi in worship, a Sufi in society, a Secularist in government.
in the quest for change, do you see a difference between cultural change and social change? this is the question, not whether any change, to you, is a cultural change.
put differently, is isalm what the 'books' have and ask to be done or is it what safiyya in Indonesia does, maryam in Teharan does, what mohammad does in Sana and what ayman does in Niger etc?
To be more specific, is islam the 'ought to be' that culture is or is it 'what is' or what social is?
Salam, Xaya your comments give me hope! ...and much to consider. Center,
>>put differently, is isalm what the 'books' have and ask to be done or is it what safiyya in Indonesia does, maryam in Teharan does, what mohammad does in Sana and what ayman does in Niger etc?
It must be both, but this is an offhand statement and not one backed up by alot of thought on my part. There is normative Islam found primarily in the undisputable (for me anyway) Quran and the less solid Hadith literature (for me anyway). Then there is interpretive Islam. Given that 'urf (custom) and maslaha (community interests) are considered valid in some schools of law, then yes, Islam is also what the people were already doing. It must be both and not "either or" I think.
- A Salafi in worship, a Sufi in society, a Secularist in government.
So, OmarG,
when you say , 'I am a cultural imperialist.' are you wanting to change 'what is' to fit' what 'ought to be' in case of Safiyya or are you interested in changing both Safiyya's 'what is' and 'what ought to be' to a system you find to fit your 'ought to be' as well as your 'is'.
I find the word 'imperialism'obscene, don't you?
Well, if its obscene, they most of Muslim history is obscene as well according to that. If a people beleive they have a god way of life and export it, either because other people willingly buy our cultural goods or because we replace unsavory governments. Apparently, the Sahaba beleived they had it right and replaced other people's governments, bad or good and imposed thier culture on the mawali. Muslim empires (actually, *all* empires) have always conquered other peoples and practiced political and cultural imperialism. Are you or any other Muslims prepared to condemn our total history?? Doing such implies one does not beleive that the Muslims had anything good to offer, either by others desiring it or by Muslims imposing it.Likewise, opposing Westernization means beleiving that Western culture has nothing good to offer Muslims or other peoples. Clearly, both are partisan viewpoints; I happen to think that Western culture has a lot offer, just like Muslim civilization back then was a step up from what people had before. Its purely subjective on my part, however, but grounded in my travels and understanding of history.
- A Salafi in worship, a Sufi in society, a Secularist in government.
Also, what Saffia does in herown country: it doesn't make me loose any sleep. If shedoes things in my country that makes me as a Muslim look bad then its my problem, too. And, if her husband beats her or treats her bad in whatever country and blames it on Islam, then it becomes my problem, too. When dumbasses anywhere in the world jeopardize us as Muslims by making us look like violent stoneage morons, then its all of ours problem and can't be ignored, because the people we live amongst are not ignoring it.
- A Salafi in worship, a Sufi in society, a Secularist in government.
'Also, what Saffia does in herown country: it doesn't make me loose any sleep.' OmarG
Even if (whatever her name) practices infanticide? would not this case be a good justification for cultural imperialism? early muslims faced such situations; it was a case of morality and ethics gone a mock...they did not tolerate. (some muslim extended power was for power sake).
i hope we do not lose sight of the topic: cultural change.
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