Ethic relativism leaves every culture to it’s own devices when deciding what is the proper code of conduct. Ethics dictates to us what is right and wrong, fueling our decision making processes. Ethic relativism means that no one culture’s ethics are superior to another’s, and forbids people from passing judgment on a culture’s ethics which are dissimilar from their own.
Ethic relativism could be a great asset to intercultural communication. If the simple concept of empathizing with other peoples ethics was widely practiced, global miscommunications could be avoided. This concept teaches us that we can agree to disagree and still coexist. I agree with ethic relativism to an extent, however living in a culturally diverse nation, I can also see the need for some ethic universalism.
This first example that came to my mind was the controversial Prop 8 decision in California banning same-sex marriage. There has been a tremendous backlash from the Gay community onto the Mormon Church because of their advertisements denouncing Gay marriage. In this case, ethic relativism was not practiced because the government handed over the power to the citizens of California to decide over one groups rights. Should the citizens be faulted because they voted according to their own ethics? Ethics is the system we all use to make decisions, so why would this instance be an exception? Many religious people believe gay marriage is sac-religious. The Qur’an teaches Muslims that we cannot force others to come to Islam, and also that we must obey the laws of our land, as long as they do not go against the laws God has written for us in the Holy Qur’an. I think many religious people believe there is a thin line between respecting other people’s lifestyles and condoning those lifestyles. This is why I believe the Gay community’s backlash in this instance was misdirected.
Anyone who advertised either for or against Prop 8 were simply enacting their American right to openly express their point of view. I think the Gay community’s outrage would have been better directed at the government who allowed the decision to be openly voted on, therefore allowing peoples cultures and ethics dictate marital rites for homosexuals. As American citizens, we all agree to live somewhat in a universal ethic system which is laid out by our constitution. Perhaps that is where Prop 8 should have remained- in the judicial system to be decided upon based on our constitution.
-Judge Not!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
A Family That Prays Together . . . Stays Together
This old Christian saying is all too applicable to the Muslim Ummah. After all, we are a family, and in a family there exists a variety of dynamic personalities. In America, Muslims are literally from opposite ends of the earth, sometimes making it awkward or even controversial to come together.
Ash hadu an la ilaha illalah wa ash hadu ana Muhammadur rasulullah.
There is no G_d but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.
This statement is our commonplace; it is our best trait; it is what we live by. We must ask Allah to strengthen and optimize our relationships with our Muslim brothers and sisters. I could say this a million times until I’m blue in the face, but it won’t help if I do not take the first step towards changing my ways. It is all too easy at times to choose one’s culture over one’s religion because a large part of who we are stems from our lineage and the environment in which we were raised. But when we are deep in our graves, we will not be asked from what country we hail, but we will be asked who is our G_d and what is our religion. Having pleasure in enjoying one’s culture and people is great and will probably make you a more confident individual. As Muslims we have to know the difference between being comfortable in our own skin and secluding ourselves to the point where we have become prejudice and close minded to other Muslims- our brothers and sisters.
Everyone knows the famous hadith, “Seek knowledge, even if you have to go to China.” Well, I’ve got great news: there is volumes of knowledge right beneath your noses: in the wisdom and good tidings of your fellow Muslims. It is amazing the knowledge we can absorb by listening to a sister that has traveled the world; or a brother who converted to Islam in prison and has a special love for the deen because it literally saved his life; or the Muslim that grew up being “culturally Muslim” overseas but didn’t really start practicing until arriving on American soil. We have so much to offer each other.
The first thing we can do is ask Allah to forgive us for our prejudices and our pride. The second thing we can do is step our game up a notch. By that I mean if you always make salat at the same masjid, go to jummah or a class at another masjid. If you always have the same people over for dinner and talk about the same things, have someone different over. If you feel as though you are not ready to dive in head first into the Muslim melting pot, read biographies/autobiographies about Muslims from different walks of life. I guarantee it will broaden your horizons! We may not agree on which moon sighting to follow to end our fast, or how covered is covered enough for Muslimahs, but we all agree on one thing: Ash hadu an la illaha illalah wa ash hadu anna Muhammadur rasulullah. So we need to remember everything else is water under the bridge. -
Allah knows best!
Judge Not!
Ash hadu an la ilaha illalah wa ash hadu ana Muhammadur rasulullah.
There is no G_d but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.
This statement is our commonplace; it is our best trait; it is what we live by. We must ask Allah to strengthen and optimize our relationships with our Muslim brothers and sisters. I could say this a million times until I’m blue in the face, but it won’t help if I do not take the first step towards changing my ways. It is all too easy at times to choose one’s culture over one’s religion because a large part of who we are stems from our lineage and the environment in which we were raised. But when we are deep in our graves, we will not be asked from what country we hail, but we will be asked who is our G_d and what is our religion. Having pleasure in enjoying one’s culture and people is great and will probably make you a more confident individual. As Muslims we have to know the difference between being comfortable in our own skin and secluding ourselves to the point where we have become prejudice and close minded to other Muslims- our brothers and sisters.
Everyone knows the famous hadith, “Seek knowledge, even if you have to go to China.” Well, I’ve got great news: there is volumes of knowledge right beneath your noses: in the wisdom and good tidings of your fellow Muslims. It is amazing the knowledge we can absorb by listening to a sister that has traveled the world; or a brother who converted to Islam in prison and has a special love for the deen because it literally saved his life; or the Muslim that grew up being “culturally Muslim” overseas but didn’t really start practicing until arriving on American soil. We have so much to offer each other.
The first thing we can do is ask Allah to forgive us for our prejudices and our pride. The second thing we can do is step our game up a notch. By that I mean if you always make salat at the same masjid, go to jummah or a class at another masjid. If you always have the same people over for dinner and talk about the same things, have someone different over. If you feel as though you are not ready to dive in head first into the Muslim melting pot, read biographies/autobiographies about Muslims from different walks of life. I guarantee it will broaden your horizons! We may not agree on which moon sighting to follow to end our fast, or how covered is covered enough for Muslimahs, but we all agree on one thing: Ash hadu an la illaha illalah wa ash hadu anna Muhammadur rasulullah. So we need to remember everything else is water under the bridge. -
Allah knows best!
Judge Not!
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