I think
that when Islam is exported from its
roots, to other countries in which the prevailing culture
is not Islamic,
some assimilation is typical, but not necessarily inevitable. To some
degree,
this is going to depend upon the nature of the "host" society, its
tolerance for other
religions, its political climate, the nature of the
prevailing religion or religions, and the
nature of the law of the country.
Another factor of great significance is the quality of
religious observance
of any given person of the Islamic faith. In any religion, there are
levels
of observance, with some people adhering strictly to a faith, while others are not
so
compliant with its rituals. I am able to comment upon all of this, as it
plays out in the United
States, the culture with which I am most
familiar.
The United States used to
consider itself a
melting pot, and people were strongly encouraged and usually internally
motivated to blend in as much and as quickly as they could. So, historically, I think
that those
of the Islamic faith, and there were not really all that many in
days past, far more Christian
Arabs than Muslim Arabs, probably did as other
immigrants did and maintained what customs they
could in the new world, but
gave up some customs in the rush to assimilate. Many of these
immigrants
were likely to be unaware of the First Amendment and came from countries in which
one
would never raise or question whether one had one's rights. For example,
in times past, I think
it is quite unlikely that new immigrants insisted in
the workplace upon being able to pray five
times daily on a prayer rug. There
was no way to maintain a halal diet, which involves a ritual
slaughtering of
meat and adherence to other rules. Halal butchers were likely to be few and
far
between. Alcohol, which is prohibited in the Islamic faith, was probably
the downfall of many
an Islamic teen in the new world, and likely some
adults, too. In my late teens and early
twenties, I knew many Muslim people
of my age who drank alcohol. So, many of the offspring of
earlier waves of
immigration are likely to be quite assimilated, with the practice of Islam
diluted. However, it is amongst that group that jihadists recruit, preying on the
notion that
assimilation and neglect of Islam is evil and must be corrected
by youth.
Prior to 9/11, but after the earliest waves of
immigration, the prevailingfor
immigrants in the United States began to be
more of a salad bowl than a melting pot. I think
really this began with the
civil rights movement, in which African-Americans embraced their
culture and
paved the way for other groups to do the same. Thus immigrants began to
celebrate
their customs and cultures, and this included their religions.
Where I live, there are three
Hindu temples, all of which were built during
this period, as well as at least three mosques.
Ethnic food places sprang up
all over the place, including many middle-Eastern restaurants. So
in this
era, with a greater concentration of Muslims, particularly in urban centers, it
was
easier to maintain religious practices, and there began to be a greater
awareness and more laws
that reinforced this. Employers are required to
accommodate the religious practices of
employees, as long as it does not
cause undue hardship on the business or on other employees. I
would say that
during this period, those who wished to be strict practitioners of Islam had
the
greatest opportunity do so.
Post 9/11, the picture
is very different and
has two opposing consequences. There are those of the
Islamic faith who are trying to
assimilate more once again, in order to keep
a low profile and avoid the incredible prejudice
that has been the result of
the attacks on the World Trade Center and the subsequent rise of
ISIS and
other fanatic Islamic groups. There is no use even trying to explain to some
Americans
that not every person of the Islamic faith is a terrorist. Some
people just cannot hear this.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are
people who become more determined to practice
their faith undiluted by the
prevailing culture. A common "enemy" can do this to a
culture, to be sure,
uniting those in it against those who wish to destroy it.
As far as cultural aspects such as music or art are concerned, there are strict
rules
on both in the Islamic faith. For instance, lyrics about the material
world are forbidden and
representations of people are forbidden, too. I
doubt any Muslim is ever going to be so
assimilated that one will be able to
find statues in a mosque. As far as singing is concerned,
I can imagine
western music and lyrics devoted to Allah, with all in a mosque singing in a
service, a way that western culture could creep into Islam, but I have yet to see any
evidence
that this is happening. My guess is that this would take generations
and generations to
occur.
Finally, throughout any era in
history in which one examines this
issue, it must be noted that there are
Islamic practices that are against the laws of the United
States and most
other countries. Polygamy is the most significant of these, permitted in
Islam
and even encouraged in some countries. It is my understanding that
this is done quietly amongst
some Muslims in the United States, but this is
hardly the norm here, and legal authorities can
and do intervene. So, there
are some aspects of Islamic law that must be forgone if one wants
to live in
the United States. For those Americans who are worried about Sharia law taking
over
American law, this is an absurdity. We are far more likely to destroy
Islamic culture and
religion with our ignorance and prejudice than Islamic
culture and religion are likely to
destroy our legal system.
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