Jazzaks for your posts.

fisabilillah: may Allah bless you too.

A musing muslim: it’s a pseudo-pan-arabism, isn’t it? which version of arab styles are we speaking of? saudi? jordanian? palestinian? and, that is only referring to the hijabs, jilbabs, and thobes. what about the shoes? the shoes are pretty rather western.

talib: give me a longer write-up and i’ll post it on my personal blog, and eventually i’ll post a response, ia.

Omer M

and arriving at such an erroneous conclusion is only aided when “whatever does not go against the sunnah,” has the potential of being Islamic.

ABD knows what i’m talking about. probably.

it may not be *the* problem, but i do think it is a big problem. confusing cultural practices or anything (ideological positions, philosophical commitments, etc.) for Islam is tantamount to speaking for God i.e., a major crime.

also, i think *the* problem, as you state it, Mozzafar: “when the cultural practice overrides the religious ritual,” is directly correlated to confusing cultural practice with religious ritual. in fact, it may be the same thing. when you tell someone that they are placing too much emphasis in what *to you* is clearly a cultural practice, the response is usually not, “well, i care about my culture more than Islam.” the defense is usually, “this *is* Islam. this *is* an Islamic ritual, not a cultural one.” and arriving at such an erroneous conclusion is only aided when one defines as Islamic whatever “does not go against the sunnah,” as we often hear.

all that being said, i agree that muslims in the west need to create a culture, if we can call it that, that can meet their needs while still being authentic to deen.

in my experience I have found things a little on the flip side. I find that there is a move towards a more pan-Arab understanding and interpretation of Islam with a sort of demonising of other cultures.

For instance, (and this is touchy I know) people feel that there is only one way to wear the hijab, saris are not an Islamic dress. There is only one right way.

I find this problematic since for me the beauty of Islam is the vibrant diversity of people and cultures that embrace it.

A musing muslim