The opposite of West is East, not Islam

[ardianto]

I quote it from another thread.

Western culture has infiltrated almost every level of life in so many ways that that we wear it so comfortably and when we 'try' to wear the islamic one, it feels. . .(fill in your blanks).

[From thread : Space Exploration]

Frankly, I often wonder why there are people who compare "West" with "Islam"?. the term "Western and Eastern" is refer to two societies with different cultures, while term "Islam" is refer to a religion. Culture and religion are two different things.

[sister herb]

That´s true. And also here "in the West" is Muslims - more and more every year.

[greenhill]

@sister herb perhaps soon to influence them?

Bro @ardianto , you will notice that it wrote "Western culture".. and did not refer to any eastern one.. I think you will agree that if we referred to 'Eastern' culture, we would be confused as there are too many and so diverse.

I can understand what you are implying and unfortunately it is often generalised too much and said by people who don't really know what they are saying, ignorant perhaps but definitely misunderstand the real meaning for the words they chose.

The influence of Western culture on Islam is quite clear, no?

[Physicist]

...
The influence of Western culture on Islam is quite clear, no?

I would distinguish two tendencies:
1. Influence of western culture on muslim countries which displaces Islam.
2. Reasonable evolution of Islam in a changing world.

Western culture, being at the moment more advanced in technologies, appears more attractive and together with technologies brings in it's values, in example:

Hollywood movies, because of it's gorgeous visual effects technologies, is very attractive for audience, same time is a very effective propaganda tool. Attempts to censor it only increases interests in it. The best response would be to make same gorgeous Islamic movies.

The reluctant and fearful approach to scientific research and technologies in general puts muslim countries behind the west and later makes them dependent of, ie regarding nuclear power plants,
many countries now paying billions of dollars to US and Russia for building nuclear plants which remains under their control.
Both Chernobyl and Fukusima tragedies happen because of corruption, during expluatation in the first case (to please a friend of manager reactor was turned on without waiting two days to let jodine isotope decay) and during coordination of the project for the second case (group of engineers was refusing to sign the project and was fired instead of being listen), which would never happen if would be done in accordance to engineering ethics in Islam.

[sister herb]

In "the East" (as opposite of the Western culture) have also other than only Islamic countries. Are those then "the East" and can we compare them as the East to the West?

[ardianto]

There are good things that we can learn from Western people such as open mindedness, discipline, creativity, care of cleanliness, valuing the time, etc. But unfortunately, some Muslims take only the bad things from the West and reject the good things. In this matter we cannot blame the Western culture because actually we can choose which the things that we want to take, which the things that we want to reject.

Religion and culture are two different things which everyone can live under both. And as religion, Islam is not attached only to a specific culture because Islam is religion that suitable for people from any culture. We can be Muslim but also live in Malaysian culture, or Japanese culture, or British culture.

I myself live under Java culture which I follow Javanese unggah-ungguh as my guidance of manner and etiquette, I follow Javanese wisdoms. But I reject kejawen belief which indeed shirk, and reject customs that based on superstition. Different than religion, if we follow culture we don't have to follow all things in culture. It's mean, a German can be a Muslim who still live under German culture without drinking beer.

Positioning Islam as opposite of Western culture gives impression that Westerner cannot become Muslim.