RE: Why do countries in the middle east allow religion to have such an influence?
April 9, 2018 at 12:06 pm
(April 9, 2018 at 2:10 am)Libertarian God Wrote: Yes, I understand this is the case here in the U.S. However, it is not extreme, we are at least a secular society. Now why is it those nations such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and many others allow Islam to have such a heavy influence and basically control their government and everyone that lives within it. Essentially, why is it hundreds of nations all over the world have become more secular, meanwhile the majority of the Middle East hangs on to Islam. Same with parts of Africa as well, however I am more interested in the middle east when it comes to this topic.
Instead of thinking of one point in history and one label, it would be wiser to look at global history and the influence in every religion it has had on local and regional politics.
It would be a myth to claim that only Islam has been brutal in human history. Most of the world in antiquity lived under local ruling families and their respective tribal states, and even in prior polytheism the warring rulers were often brutal in conquest.
I think the better question now is "Can Islam pull itself out of it's own dark ages?" When you see cracks like Malala's bravery, and now Atlass's story of Saudi Arabia abandoning it's own right wing to some degree. I think this is possible.
But lets also keep in mind that we, will not be around as individuals in another 100 or 500 years, and in the future it could be very possible for one part of the world to progress and another part of the world to regress and repeat. We do see a dangerous trend in the west of religious nationalism trying to assert itself.
The wife of one of my friends would call herself a liberal, but even she, when I mention that I don't believe in a God, has the same uncomfortable look I see from conservatives. She may "tolerate" me more, but that fear of being wrong is still in her face, and she is still using the same bible the right does.
Even between Buddhists and Muslims, Buddhists have in parts of Asia been very oppressive to Muslim.
Point is, while the west by comparison is considered more progressive, it would be a mistake to assume it will stay that way. Complacency in assuming is a mistake. The baton of human rights is a torch that must constantly be passed down through educating humans of not just the transgressions of others, but even those in our own geographies and histories.
But to answer your question the west has had a longer history of keeping religion on a leash. It won't be kept that way if we assume it will always be that way.
