More research

I came across this fascinating article in doing some research for my documentary (thank you, Tracy Hall).

The title is "When Islam Breaks Down" and it's a pretty critical view of Islam, but it's also very thought-provoking.

I don't plan on even getting close to questioning Islam's legitimacy/value in my work this summer--that's not my place--but it is very interesting to read about. It will provide me with some interesting questions to ask.

The author questions whether Islam is capable of adjusting to a modern world. He decides that it is, in fact, inherently incompatible with our western cultures.

Excerpt from the text:


Anyone who lives in a city like mine and interests himself in the fate of the world cannot help wondering whether, deeper than this immediate cultural desperation, there is anything intrinsic to Islam—beyond the devout Muslim’s instinctive understanding that secularization, once it starts, is like an unstoppable chain reaction—that renders it unable to adapt itself comfortably to the modern world. Is there an essential element that condemns the Dar al-Islam [literally "House of Islam," refers to those countries where Muslims can practice their religion freely, aka Islamic countries] to permanent backwardness with regard to the Dar al-Harb ["House of War" countries where the Muslim law is not in force, aka the western world], a backwardness that is felt as a deep humiliation, and is exemplified, though not proved, by the fact that the whole of the Arab world, minus its oil, matters less to the rest of the world economically than the Nokia telephone company of Finland?


What do you think about all this? 


And now, as much as I would rather continue researching for my documentary... I really need to go write a paper. Ciao!