Patrick Elliott <kag### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> They stated that the reality was not what the 
> polls reflected. That the polls showed the "official" stance, the one 
> the members where worried someone might find out they disagreed with, 
> which someone more hardline might call them on, and they would get in 
> major trouble over, if they where found out, but that the reality was 
> that almost no one they knew actually thought that way in reality.

That, in itself, is a big problem with many muslim subcultures in the
west (ie. the peer pressure that doesn't seem to be as strong as ever.)

As politically incorrect as it is to say, the culture itself is to blame,
and muslims will not get over that problem until it's changed.

Of course the problem is only aggravated by the western mentality that
says to them: "Your culture and your religion are very valuable, you
should keep them, embrace them and treasure them. It's your cultural
heritage and it would be a great loss if it were to be muddied and mixed
with the western culture."

This sentiment is very naive because it only thinks about the positive
things of the exotic culture, completely ignoring the negative things,
pretending that those are not *really* part of the culture. However,
no matter how we try to pretend that it's not part of their culture,
the sad fact is that it is, and we are only encouraging them to keep
it that way and not making a change for the better.

(This is, by the way, the main reason why I oppose the burkha as a
matter of principle. The politically correct segment of our society
wants to think of it as "freedom to dress in whatever way you want."
However, that's not what the burkha represents at all in muslim cultures,
and what's worse, the PC segment knows this perfectly well, but still
deliberately ignores the fact. The burkha in most islamic cultures is
a sign of submission. To these cultures, only a woman dressed in a
burkha is chaste and virtuous, while a woman "exposing herself" is
a whore. Not in all islamic cultures, of course, but in many. The
burkha pretty much represents the exact *opposite* of "you are free
to dress in whatever you want." More blatantly, it's only imposed on
women; men are free to do whatever they want. And that is why I oppose
the custom as a matter of principle. It's sexist and in direct opposition
to the most basic concepts of freedom and equality.)

> That said, the other factor, specific to Western education, is culture 
> shock. The openness of the West runs very contrary to what most of these 
> people ever dealt with

Note that many, if not most, of those muslims had been born in the west
and lived and studied their whole lives here. It shouldn't be as much a
cultural shock to them.

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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