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Are Islamic countries paradoxically unconservative as well?

Yes, there is stringent Islamic law and societal customs based on religious beliefs but if we look at the popular culture there - seductive celebs take reign and predominate Arabic music and popular culture, even in Islamic societies. For instance - Arab's famous celebs: Dana http://www.oghnia.com/Pictures_viewer.php?image_id=21475.jpg&newArtistID=Dana Roubi http://melodyhits.tv/docs/artist_albums.asp?aid=889&type=video Haifa and Maria (just visit oghnia.com) http://www.oghnia.com/Pictures_viewer.php?image_id=9306.jpg&newArtistID=Maria This condemnation of Western culture and its lewdity, in comparison with good "Islamic" societies, isn't it based on self-righteous, hypocritically privileged and condemnatory grounds? There may some immorality within Western culture, but Islamic culture doesn't have a clean slate. In response to AngelsAndJinns, The question does not presuppose that Muslims are acting in a way which emulates Islamic beliefs (it may be or may not, however this is not part of the discussion). This question aims to probe the condemnation of Western societies, while holding a privileged, self-righteous view of their own Islamic societies. To be blunt: it's inferring to the hyprocrisy and arrogance within these "great" Islamic societies. Simply put it's about casting stones. Anthony Analog Arab is a broad covering for Arabic countries which have a tendency to be Muslim. Islamic societies involve Islamic theocracies (ie. Islamic republics, or where Islam has an covert or overt impact on legislation and government policy [in other words this includes countries which technically may not be a theocracy but where the separation of church and state is minimal). Yes, there may be some individuals within a religious group who defer from religious tenets. However, your response evades the predominance of the forementioned "unconservativism" within Islamic societies, and treats it as merely involving a few people who deviate, rather than this "uncoservatism" (a word I've constructed to describe this) flowing as a consortium of culture involving the Islamic societies. Calmness Before The Storm, I have associated with Muslim friends and dwelved with Islamic culture while doing work for a paper. Please no red herrings (as evidenced in some of the forementioned answers) nor make use of other fallacies. A simple answer which addresses and responds to the material within the question will be most appreciated. zoobrenok, Thanks for answering! I agree that it's not "black and white" and therefore I having avoided the use of false dichotomies while creating the question. Please don't say "it's relative; some coutnries are more conservative than others." Yes, that's acertain. However I have said this is something which predominates in Islamic Arab culture. I don't know much about non-Arabic countries, so I will concede and kick the Persian Iran out of the countries involved in this question. AngelsAndJinns, With lack of evidence, you cannot simply deduce the hitches comes solely from mirroring the West. Are Arabs incapable of coming up with these "immoralities" on their own? Yes, I have demarcated Islam as a belief system, possibly separate from the actions of Islamic societies. Whether Islamic dogma and beliefs are congruent with particular actions or decisions to enforce certain laws, to engage in particular wars and etc, is better left for separate discussion as it does not pertain to the issue at hand. Islamic culture is a culture, it is not limited to include only the actions and behaviours that are systematically guided with religious doctrine. If that were the case, we would have to investigate the forementioned issue we have chose to left out. Islamic culture involves the interpretation of Islamic doctrine, the actions of its members, whether they choose to propagate the spread of their religion to outsiders and by which means they decide to do so, how it *how Islam influences their lives and their actions, how the Islamic society runs, how the religious heads decide how religion ought to be followed and the decisions that they make - both good and bad, violent and non-violent. In a very brief summary, Islamic culture involves Islamic republics or Islamic societies, and their religious culture (whether it be 100 % congruent with the Quran or not), how religion is followed or carried out, and the impact of religion on society and how it impacts. Thanks for taking the time to respond back! Samuel Crow777 you made good mention of the conservatism within Islamic countries but haven't responded to the disparate enterprise of these countries. AngelsAndJinns, please see my preceding responses. You've side stepped part of the question and haven't recognized the hypostatization of concepts. However, thank you for sharing, providing some thought and editing your answer. zoobrenok, mikearion and Anthony Analog, please see my prior criticisms.

Public Comments

1. The Islamists are very conservative, which is a very bad trait in political and religious organizations. They will hold their conservation to the end.
2. Who says these habits and transitional cultures represent, or are even attributed to "good Islamic societies"? They are just trying to become like everyone else in the west, which, from a different point of view, may not be a good thing after all...as you can sometimes see for yourself... UPDATE: Thank you for the explanation. I agree with what you said. No doubt there are hypocrites in all societies. But I would disagree with your statement "Islamic culture doesn't have a clean slate". I would not use the world "Islamic" to define the cultures or even the traditions of the Arab world. Even though Islam was a strong driver in shaping these cultures, many cultures implement their own local interpretation of what is right and wrong, which may or may not be in concert with what Islam preaches, but could be thought of to be more inline with how modern or western world live and enjoy life.
3. it is complex. some countries are more conservative then others. some regions of the same country are more conservative then others. ------------ in iran there is a huge number of ethnic christians who do not follow islamic law. also, in iran there is a huge number of non-arabs (persians) who do not buy islam. as a result, persian / christian regions significantly differ from regions where islam rule is heavy. =========== bottom line - it is not "black or white" question.
4. yes. didn't Mohammad Atta and friends hit the strip clubs and bars before flying the planes into the towers?.that's real pious-get your last chance at immorality in-the heck with the 72 virgins!
5. Conservative simple means sticking to traditional beliefs or values. If your values are good then conservative is good if not a liberal change could do you some good. Do people in Islamic countries stick to traditional values of Islam? I imagine that would vary country to country.
6. you're basing your opinions of eastern (specifically "islamic") societies on the western typecast prevelant in our mass media. it's impossible for a country to be "islamic" as it is for the united states to be "christian"... anytime you create a top culture of hyper-conservativism, demonizing very basic human behaviors, the backlash will be an exaggerated preversion of those exact behaviors. if the tables were turned, and we lived in a world where law not only permitted, but mandated such perversions, you'd see a subculture (and the subculture of any society is it's true face) of conservativism. deep down, people don't want to be controlled, and will rebel in any way possible when the reigns are tightened so much. an where exactly is "Arab" at on the map anyways?
7. Apparently you havent lived in any of these Arabic countries. ^^ I have lived in one for over 20 years and Ive befriended many from the other ones. and to be frank, the Arabs do not condemn Western ways of living. The common Arab only looks at it with a lot of admiration and goes as far as immitating a lot of the things they see. Only a small percentage of these Arabs (either academicians or authors or religious leaders) oppose Western ways of life. But the average person on the street, my good man, couldnt give a rats tail about any of this ^^ On another note, Arabs in general are more (woman,money, fame) hungry than a lot of the other cultures in the Middle East. Turks come second ofcourse. But these are cultural things and these cultures are easy to degenerate unless they have solid principles they live by.