Did your environment influence you and your political views?

[شمله ور خراساني]

Everybody is a product of his or her environment. Some people become exactly what their environment is like. Others become the exact opposite of their environment.

I am interested to know if you think you would have had a totally different world view if you would have lived in another environment.

[شمله ور خراساني]

As a New Yorker I think my environment played a big role in shaping who I am. I have noticed when it comes to politics I lean towards secularism because I have seen the fruits of it. I have witnessed Jews protesting for a Mosque just yesterday.

Would you still be a secularist if you didn't live in New York where you saw Jews protesting?

And what does Jews protesting for the Islamic Centre has to do with Secularism?

Most of Muslim world was not secular for over one thousand years. Jews from across Europe escaped prosecution to live in Muslim lands where they enjoyed religious freedom.

I think its not more than fair that they would raise their voice now to defend the freedom of Muslims to have their Islamic centre.

[شمله ور خراساني]

I probably would not have been a secularist since I would have been brainwashed into thinking all Jews are our enemies. But what I witnessed yesterday in Manhattan was breathtaking.

"Islam is ours too! We are also Muslims this Mosque must be built"!!!!!

Did your environment influence your political views? I remember you telling us you were never that into Islam?

I think the separation of Church and State can lead us to success. Look at the USA It controls the globe.

Yes my environmetn influenced me. But I turned the exact opposite of my environemtn.

And if secularism is good, then why didn't the prophet muhammad saww introduce secularism to Madina?

[IamDZJ]

there is no other possibility or option.

[ayub]

no you are all wrong. Behaviour is influenced by genetics. Your political thoughts are an extension of your behaviorial traits. It's all in the genes.

If your political views are due to ur environment ..what happens when your environment changes..do your views alter too. ??!!?

[ayub]

aseer: nice guys come last.

[ayub]

sholombay: secularism will get rid of religious wars in ur opinion..but we will probably have another reason to fight..instead of religion it will be ethnic war. Humans have always fought and will continue to do so. It's in our nature. Humans are babaric selfish creatures.

[Admin Khan]

no you are all wrong. Behaviour is influenced by genetics. Your political thoughts are an extension of your behaviorial traits. It's all in the genes.

If your political views are due to ur environment ..what happens when your environment changes..do your views alter too. ??!!?

Respected Ayub,

Let me give you a scenario and I await for your response. Lets say a Pashtun has 2 sons, 1 is raised in California and the other is raised in Marjah. You are telling me both sons will end up with the same political views? What is the probability of both son's on a realistic note agreeing on certain sensitive political discussions? Let's make things even more spicier and add that one son claims to be an atheist. Are you telling me both sons will still agree just because dey dwara da yawa plaar awlada jhey oh genes hai yaw rakam jhey? Your environment plays a crucial role in shaping your behavior.

-Admin Khan

[شمله ور خراساني]

He was busy spreading the truth of Islam. When the entire world is Muslim we can implement strict Islamic law but right now 1/4th of the world is only Muslim.

Secularism would get rid of Religious wars. Take a look at Holland and compare it to any Muslim country. Ask Sangar why?

Thats a strong statement Shlombay.

Are you saying that converting the entire world to Islam is a pre-condition of implementing the Shariah? How did you come up with that?

Did you know that when the constitution of Madina was set, there are a large community of Jews, polytheists and people of other convictions in Madina? Why didn't the prophet Muhammad saww did not wait untill the entire city was Muslim?

Did you know that even after the conquest of Mekkah, there were still non-Muslims there? Did you also know that even when the prophet saww was alive and the leader of Muslim community, there was still polytheism, crime, adultery and other sorts of anti-Islamic activities going on.

So why do you want the entire world to convert to Islam before Shariah can be implemented? Have you invented this pre-condition all by yourself? Did you know that invented such condtions falls under "bid'ah" (innovation).

And As the prophet muhammad saww said: kulan bidatin dalala wa kulan dala fin naar! All innovations are misguidance. And all misguidance ends up in hell.

Holland is is peaceful thanks to the economic prosperity and strong government. If you take an across the globe look and a glimpse into the history, storng state and good economic conditions result to peace and stability. Even in parts of the world where many different religions co-existed, strong government and good economy was always a safeguard for stability.

[شمله ور خراساني]

Yes it has enormously. After acquiring my Bachelors degree I realized several important things extremism is going to bring us no where near progression. We should be nice, polite and try to maintain stability in a country through professional politics. Not by suicide bombers.

You acquired a bachelors degree to learn this?


Tell me, whats your bachelor degree and your newly acquired knowledge worth when a superpower bombs and destroys your country?

If it wasn't for the suicide bombers in Afghanistan, today America would have won the war. But partially thanks to those suicide bombers in Afghanistan NATO is changing its policy and some of them have even decided to leave Afghanistan.

[شمله ور خراساني]

sholombay: secularism will get rid of religious wars in ur opinion..but we will probably have another reason to fight..instead of religion it will be ethnic war. Humans have always fought and will continue to do so. It's in our nature. Humans are babaric selfish creatures.

You are right.

Religion or ethnicity is only a means to fool people. The evil powers who dominate the masses use any means possible to fool people into wars.

[Levanaye Zalmaye]

You are a product of your environment only to a given extent. There are various other factors that make you what you are. Of course there are still those who let the television do his thinking for them, they are obviously a result of their environment. Moreover, like Ayub said, your biology also plays a role in how you are.

We, for the most part, are rational individuals, however. We take the evidence from both sides, we analyze it and then we make up our minds.

Societies, communities and states are not coherent units where people always follow the given norms or go exactly against them. They are made up of unique individuals who vary from one another in religious and political views, different groups with their own interests and so on and so forth.

As for myself, I've come to hold substantially different views from what the norm here is. It can be, in a way, appropriate to say that my environment (the books I read) varied vastly from those that my equals read.... or didn't read at all. But at the end of the day, I made my own choices regardless of what anyone else thought, believed or promoted. It's impossible to be completely objective but I always try to isolate issues, views, individuals, philosophies, etc and see them for what they are rather than base my judgment on how their proponents behave, how they were applied, etc. It's called being rational. That's why I tend to edge towards the objectivity of science and reason above all else because of the rigorous scrutiny and experimentation involved in reaching a truth.

[شمله ور خراساني]

You are a product of your environment only to a given extent. There are various other factors that make you what you are. Of course there are still those who let the television do his thinking for them, they are obviously a result of their environment. Moreover, like Ayub said, your biology also plays a role in how you are.

We, for the most part, are rational individuals, however. We take the evidence from both sides, we analyze it and then we make up our minds.

Societies, communities and states are not coherent units where people always follow the given norms or go exactly against them. They are made up of unique individuals who vary from one another in religious and political views, different groups with their own interests and so on and so forth.

As for myself, I've come to hold substantially different views from what the norm here is. It can be, in a way, appropriate to say that my environment (the books I read) varied vastly from those that my equals read.... or didn't read at all. But at the end of the day, I made my own choices regardless of what anyone else thought, believed or promoted. It's impossible to be completely objective but I always try to isolate issues, views, individuals, philosophies, etc and see them for what they are rather than base my judgment on how their proponents behave, how they were applied, etc. It's called being rational. That's why I tend to edge towards the objectivity of science and reason above all else because of the rigorous scrutiny and experimentation involved in reaching a truth.

But you promote Liberalism and other European ideologies. And you have justified it in the based based on the material accomplishment of the societies where those views are widely accepted. So therefore, we could assume that materialism is what defines your world view.

You cannot claim to be rational. You would fit the description of a materialist.

[شمله ور خراساني]

sangar,
Let me try to explain what LZ meant. He wants a secularism model of a Govt in which we can adopt to certain successful American or European systems because obviously they have been successful. We have not been successful.

the reason why allah made mankind is not because he wanted us to emulate rich wealthy countries of disbelievers.

[شمله ور خراساني]

What about the Muslims in the west they arent suffering.

sangar we can create a hybrid system with elements of all forms of governments and economical systems. My environment and my economy professor at NYU agrees as well.

As I said before in different discussions, the Western modern and advanced societies have many things we can learn from. Their rule of law, governance, free market, education and the sciences are examples of things we can learn from them. And those are not necessarily contradictory to Islam.


I am all in favor of implementing all the positive aspects of Western societies that are not contradictory to Islam and are beneficial for our society.

We don't have to abandon our religion or act against the teachings of Islam to become developed and modern. We need education, skills and courage.