Islamic Culture

At various stages of cultural development, religion has played a significant, if not major role in the formation of ethical codes and values that underlie various economic, political, and social institutions of many peoples and societies. The culture of the Arab countries has always differed significantly from the European and Western cultures in all aspects. Traditions that have long been formed are essential to the believing people. The relationship of faith with the traditional way of life has been characteristic of Islam at all times, but it is especially evident today when ideologists and politicians act under the slogan of Islam while trying to declare as many people as possible as Muslims because they adhere to many customs of their ancestors. Concerning Islamic culture, several things should be discussed, including the rights of women in Islam, the concept of some basic dogmas, the 6 pillars of faith, and the impact of globalization on Islam.

Western View of the Position of Muslim Women

According to modern Western experts, Muslim women are the most discriminated class in Arab society because of cultural and religious beliefs, which can often be reflected in the laws of the Arab world, affecting criminal justice, economics, education, and health care. For Muslim women, the main priority is considered to be house and children; a woman should be more loyal to family values than to the nation and even to herself. It is believed that women not only have no rights in Islam for such achievements of the democratic society as participation in politics, free choice of profession and possibility of free choice of pastime, but also basic guarantors of protection (Abu-Lughod 2013, pp. 27-53). In marriage, a wife has significantly fewer rights than her husband. For example, there is an opportunity to be divorced only by the phrase of her husband: “Go away, you are no longer my wife!” and after that the “ex” automatically loses all rights to her children (Abu-Lughod 2013, pp. 27-53). However, even if it does not come to this point, even the ordinary marriage life can be very “far from constant bliss, luxury, and love” for the “beautiful halves” of Muslim families. Besides, Islamic women are not guaranteed immunity at all. A vivid confirmation of this is a lot of special information on the subject of beating women by authorship of Islamic authors. It is probably best to start this list with the book “On the subordination of women in Islam” by Gassan Asha where the author clearly formulates cases in which a man should use physical force against his wife (Vintges 2017, pp. 95-128). Such a method of influencing a wife is acceptable, for instance, if she refuses to do makeup before meeting her husband, does not want to satisfy his sexual needs, neglects her religious duties, and leaves home without permission. The writer’s work has been noted by Western critics as one of the most absurd and unacceptable books in the modern society.

Many researchers also consider the obligation of Muslim women to wear long clothes and cover their hair as discriminatory. In addition, the laws of some Islamic countries such as polygamy among men and stoning women for “breaking the order” and betraying their husbands are considered to be completely unacceptable for any normal democratic society (Vintges 2017, pp. 95-128). Moreover, Islam forbids a woman to go on long trips alone without a “mahram” who is a spouse, father, brother, or relative (Abu-Lughod 2013, pp. 27-53). Indeed, this prescription looks like a restriction of a woman’s freedom of movement and violation of her rights for any European especially if he/she does not know how the Quran interprets this prohibition. Another aspect of the controversy is the fact that a woman in Islam inherits half of that inherited by a man (Abu-Lughod 2013, pp. 27-53). Islam clarifies this inequality in an accompanying way: a man is actually in charge of the full support of his family and only he carries out every single money-related commitment. Subsequently, the inherited share of a man is continually diminishing because of numerous obligations allotted to him. At the same time, a woman does not have any financial obligations and is not obliged to financially support herself because legally she receives material security from the man and in his absence she perform duties of maintenance imposed on the state. Of course, in Western countries where women are often the only breadwinner in the family, the Islamic order of inheritance looks like discrimination against women.

I cannot unequivocally say that the Western view on the position of women in Islam is unambiguously correct or incorrect. On the one hand, views of the West represent the state of affairs in an overly radical light and, moreover, given that they do not understand much in Islamic culture, they see the position of women as incredibly discriminatory. On the other hand, in Islamic culture rights of women are violated in certain contexts. For example, the impunity of beating women and depriving them of any protection in marriage is truly unacceptable for a normal society, as well as not allowing women to pursue certain positions and professions.

The Status of Women According to the Quran and Sunnah

According to Sharia, a woman is a living human being, having exactly the same soul as a man. Hence, in terms of her rights and duties she is completely equal to a man before Almighty Allah (Nicolaou 2016, pp. 193-264). Duties of women in Islam are no different from duties of men with respect to the performance of religious rituals like daily prayers, fasting, obligatory donations to the poor, and pilgrimages. On the contrary, women in Islam have a special status and some privileges like Islam facilitates their prescribed duties given psychological and physiological characteristics of the female body.

The role and position of women in Islam are great as the attitude towards women by men is strictly controlled by the Almighty Creator and the infringement of women’s rights is severely punished. However, for a woman in Islam punishment is provided if her behavior is wrong, she behaves like an insensible child, loses self-control, and does not follow the prohibitions of the Almighty (Nicolaou 2016, pp. 193-264). Nevertheless, in this case it is said only about a light, painless slap and only as a symbolic demonstration of the woman’s irregularity of behavior. In general, it is highly undesirable to bring the situation to such an extreme.

The authentic hadith (saying) states that true paradise is under the feet of mothers, i.e. the well-being of a Muslim man depends on the attitude towards a woman. Women have a great mission, which consists in being a righteous wife and mother, maintaining calmness, tranquility, and religiosity of the hearth, as well as being responsible for the upbringing and piety of the younger generation. Of course, the life of a woman in Islam is not limited to household chores. A Muslim woman with the consent of her husband or relative who is responsible before the Almighty for the safety of her morality and honor can do business, take part in the political life of the society or work for the good of the Muslim community (Chaudhry 2015, pp. 263-272). It is known that the spouse of the Prophet Mohammed, Khadija, coped well with trade affairs.

Islam also provides for the fact that a woman may demand a divorce if her husband does not fulfill his duties, for example, does not provide for her financially. In this case, all donated and acquired property remains with the woman so that she can provide for herself. A divorced woman in Islam has the right to remarry (Chaudhry 2015, pp. 263-272). Prophet Mohammed married Khadija who had two children from a previous marriage. However, the woman is obliged to endure Idda, which is the period of waiting after the termination of the marriage before remarriage, in order to make sure that she is not pregnant (Nicolaou 2016, pp. 193-264). In case of pregnancy, Idda ends with the birth of a child. The Term “Deen”

In order to answer the question of what “deen” is, it is necessary to understand what epistemic field surrounds this term. The question of ad-deen is always linked to the question of confidence in the future. Hence, it can be said that the epistemic field covers the totality of values derived from the root “kre” and corresponding words (Afsaruddin 2014, pp. 43-60). The term “deen” is related to the concepts of duty, self-sacrifice, future, return, and belief into something that is higher than the moment, in other words, into the transcendent, into God.

Thus, “deen” attracts Muslims with the idea of “gratitude” because it generates a sense of duty in them and this is manifested, on the one hand, in a number of responsibilities. On the other hand, it is manifested in deep emotional involvement, anticipation of a fruitful and gracious return in which they wholeheartedly believe and for which they try to interact with the nature and people sincerely and honestly. From the point of view of the Quran, the “deen” to which it calls all people is the foundation of the human being and is connected with the immutability of the divine creation in laws (Afsaruddin 2014, pp. 43-60). Embracing the idea of transcendence and vesting its intuitive foresight in a certain form, the concept of “deen” at the same time represents a kind of horizontal support, foundation of building relationships in the human society. Thus, “deen” is the point of intersection of transcendence and social strength, embodiment of their commonality. Furthermore, it has been and remains the issue that animates humaneness in a person, pushes him/her to overcome animal instincts in himself/herself.

However, “deen” can be challenged and/or falsified by the denial of transcendence and explanation of this strength in terms of the simplifying materialistic logic of the natural order of things. There are various interpretations, including “deen” of truth and reality (al-hakk), which means diversity, cooperation, and unity in diversity, or “deen” of simplification to the natural order, which is characterized by quantity, competition, the right to be strong, instability, and lack of quality, i.e. “deen” invented and/or falsified by denying God for the sake of human domination (Afsaruddin 2014, pp. 43-60). Thus, it is up to the individual to decide what to choose: transcendence or simplification.

The Six Pillars of Belief that Muslims Need to Accept

There are six pillars of belief in Islam and they form the basis of the outlook of every Muslim. If a person denies any of the pillars of faith, then he/she is not a Muslim because his/her ideas about the world are not true, while a Muslim is a person with a correct, true worldview (Afsaruddin 2014, pp. 43-60). If a Muslim does not recognize at least one of the six pillars, then his/her faith (Iman) is considered to be invalid.

The first one is faith in Allah who is the one and only God worthy of worship, the Creator of all things. This pillar of faith also includes a number of provisions, the most important of which is monotheism. Without faith in Allah, there can be no faith at all.

The second pillar implies faith in angels created by Allah. Angels are creatures that are created by Allah from the light and they serve Allah and faithfully fulfill His will (Afsaruddin 2014, pp. 43-60). Not believing in Angels means not believing in writing down person’s sins, as well as in many other things that angels do.

The third pillar is faith in the Scriptures, which were sent down by Allah through the prophets sent to them. In this respect, they concern revelations of God, which were sent to a person throughout the entire period of his/her existence, during the most diverse periods of the history (Afsaruddin 2014, pp. 43-60). Therefore, they are recognized by the Scriptures (i.e. sent down by God), but it is necessary to follow precisely the Quran since it clearly states that it is given to of the entire humanity.

The fourth pillar requires believing in prophets. The Quran along with the Sunnah requests to acknowledge each of the messengers of Allah as true (Afsaruddin 2014, pp. 43-60). Each messenger was sent down in due time to certain peoples and tribes and only Muhammad was sent to the entire humanity.

The fifth pillar implies faith in the Day of Judgment. Belief in the end of all that exists now and destruction of this, as well as in the beginning of the next present life includes faith in the end of the world, in the subsequent resurrection, as well as in the Last Judgment and the presence of Heaven and Hell that are the last refuges of human souls (Afsaruddin 2014, pp. 43-60). Not believing in this means considering this life as infinite and life after death as invalid.

The last pillar of faith is faith in predestination. Allah has foreordained the destiny of all things. All events take place directly according to the plan of the Creator. Predestination is understood as the knowledge of God of what will happen to the world now and in a minute, as well as in hundred years in every detail (Afsaruddin 2014, pp. 43-60). Sometimes, all these six pillars of faith are difficult to understand, but they carry a deep meaning.

Effect of Globalization on the Islamic Culture

Globalization has embraced various spheres of life, while economic and political consequences of globalization have nowadays become the subject of scientific research and public debate. The process of globalization has numerous effects on Islam, including its following and dogma (Lyon 2018, pp. 342-347). At the same time, the Islamic religion can also take advantage of positive aspects of globalization. First of all, in the context of globalization a positive effect can be spread in a number of countries of the Muslim world by democratic norms and principles, thereby opening opportunities that can have a beneficial impact on the state of human rights and affect various spheres of economic, political, and social reality (Lyon 2018, pp. 342-347). Moreover, in the process of globalization not only Muslim communities around the world could usefully revert to classical components of Islam. Due to the intensity of their connections at the global and regional level many other peoples, religions, and cultures also receive a unique opportunity to abandon negative stereotypes about Islam and Muslims created during previous historical eras.

When considering problems of globalization, the fact is that in the last quarter of the 20th century the role of religion in the social life of the peoples of the Muslim world greatly increased, large-scale socio-economic changes took place, which was directly reflected in the spiritual life of Eastern societies. Religions manifest themselves in complex interconnections due to the many-sidedness of the content and forms of sociopolitical movements depending on what problems are put and how they are addressed (Lyon 2018, pp. 342-347). At the beginning of the 21st century and the third millennium, the Muslim world has been in a period of fundamental changes caused by the influence of globalization processes. At its present stage, there is a significant expansion of the sphere of activity of international Islamic organizations, which has been made possible as a result of technological progress in the field of new means of communication (Lyon 2018, pp. 342-347). Many religious centers and movements that previously focused only on local communities have expanded their capabilities, going global.

In the context of globalization, in economically developed countries, often through theological substitution of religious values, as well as through Westernization and secularization in a number of economically weak Islamic countries attempts are being made to achieve a global consensus in the sphere of value orientations and spread of different norms and traditions in the Muslim world. Therefore, globalization can cause not only economic, but also political, social, cultural, religious, and other changes, as a result of which divisions within the society and between individual groups increase (Lyon 2018, pp. 342-347). Due to a number of changes caused by the globalization process, ethnic divisions may worsen, separatist movements may become more active, and social unity in traditional societies may be undermined. Practically, during the previous years the Muslim world has witnessed disputes between Islamists and atheists, between ruling regimes and their opponents, which have not stopped, whereby the intensity of the ideological confrontation between Islamic and Western civilizations changes from time to time (Lyon 2018, pp. 342-347). There are numerous dangers, including both internal and external ones. The political future of several dozen countries in which Muslims live is uncertain with more than a half of the population having an age of up to thirty years. It is up to younger generations of Muslims to face potential consequences of globalization.

Modern Muslim modernism has been trying to maintain and consolidate the position of Islam by formally abandoning obviously outdated provisions of religion and advancing instead a new idiomatic view entirely based on the Islamic potential. This is due to the specificity and nature of the translocality of religious ideas in the context of globalization. Their study will undoubtedly help to better and more deeply understand the most complicated social, political, ethnic, and religious problems of not only the Muslim world, but also the world community as a whole (Hefner 2018, pp. 1-34). Analysis of the nature of the spread of religions and religious ideas shows that localized identities of Muslims in the context of globalization are quite effectively recreated outside of their former territorial boundaries, denoting the phenomenon of the translocality of Islam. The main institutions that form the basis of the infrastructure of translocal Islam include the so-called “imported” imams constantly traveling between their homeland and the diaspora, as well as countless regional and trans-regional Muslim organizations (Hefner 2018, pp. 1-34). In addition, various communication means and information technologies, books on Islam in English, publications in international databases, interactive communication in cyberspace between Muslims from various religious and legal schools of Islam, as well as television programs and radio programs about events in many Muslim countries distributed in foreign diasporas play an active role in this.

In fact, Islam as a world religion can have a positive impact on the current globalization process, taking into account development of humanistic components of the Islamic religion. After all, the Islamic faith historically promotes developed concepts of peace, equality, and human rights, which in the framework of the globalization process can and should be considered given new economic and technological factors (Hefner 2018, pp. 1-34). If one relies on historical analogies, then it is necessary to say that Islam has played an extremely important role in the civilizational formation of Europe. In turn, Muslim minorities in the countries of the European continent must recognize that Europe is also a part of Islam and many European values do not contradict values of classical Islam. Moreover, it must be assumed that modern Europe could not exist without Muslim countries.

Integration of Muslims in Europe depends on the spread of a form of Islam that can absorb Western political values such as pluralism, tolerance, the principle of separation of church and state, civil society, and individual human rights. Bassam Tibi, a professor at the Faculty of International Relations at the University of Göttingen, who first introduced the term “Euro-Islam” into scientific use, argues that the choice for European Muslims is predetermined (Hefner 2018, pp. 1-34). In modern conditions, Muslims in the West most often want to get an answer to a question that was often posed to Islam during the 20th century: how to reconcile tradition and modernism since Islam like religion in any other society challenges the acceptability of modernism, turning to its fundamental roots.

Analyzing problems of globalization, it is necessary to indicate that it may well be one of the most serious challenges to the integrity of the human civilization in its entire history. However, globalization has certain positive elements for religion and culture as it gives religions a universal character (Hefner 2018, pp. 1-34). Undoubtedly, in the process of modern globalization, namely, in the formation of its humanitarian foundations the cultural heritage of all civilizational flows of the humanity must be used, which, of course, will enrich each people and the world community as a whole. Recently, however, there has been a tendency towards dominance of one of the currently existing world civilizations and, in particular, one superpower. The current stage of globalization is characterized with a desire for cultural and, especially, political domination of the West in the world, which is why it can be conditionally called Westernization. In other words, there is a kind of “Americanization” of globalization based on the financial and economic power of its transnational corporations (Lyon 2018, pp. 342-347). This trend causes a mixed reaction both in Muslim countries and in most European countries.

Conclusion

Overall, analyzing the position of women in Islam, revealing the concept of “deen”, describing the six pillars of faith, and analyzing globalization, one can understand how unique the Islamic culture is and that it differs from any other culture. Certainly, traditionally the dominant role in the Islamic society is assigned to a man and it is supported in modern Muslim countries at the state level. However, at the same time, the Quran does not prohibit women to engage in most actions reserved for men (for example, to work or have certain rights during a divorce), which the government of a particular country might prohibit. It is because of some radical governments that the West has developed a stereotype about discrimination of women in Islam. As for the disclosure of dogmas and concepts in Islam, they are all mainly aimed at understanding the universe and people’s place in this world. Speaking about the impact of globalization on the Islamic world and culture, it can be said that the majority of Muslim countries are hostile to it since they perceives it as an attempt to be captured by the West. Globalization “in the European style” destroys the traditional way of life, undermines the foundations of faith, introduces norms and stamps in the society that are incompatible with Islamic ideas of piety, and negatively affects the younger generation, tearing it away from faith, moral, and cultural roots. At the same time, globalization has positively influenced the fields of science and introduced positive trends.