Tuesday, July 24, 2007

During History, we were discussing Fundamentalism, and the topic of Islam/various other Middle-Eastern religions was inevitably brought up and discussed with much inadequacy/cultural ignorance. I have to apologise for issuing certain politically-incorrect remarks, though I'll have to admit that they were not made in complete innocence. It kind of makes you realise how painfully unaware we are about the cultural practices of others. So - what cultural sensitivity?! I mean so much for living in a multi-ethnic society, and not knowing that Muslims want to go to Paradise and that Christianity branched off from Judaism.

On an unrelated note:
The interclass debates. The moot point about "Cultural Imperialism"?!?!?!? 'Nuff said! Firstly, although feminism emerged from the West, it isn't a Western cultural concept! It's hardly a cultural one at all, more to do with politics and social welfare, and even then promoting feminism to genital-mutilating countries can hardly be considered an "erosion of their culture". Certain practices themselves are illegal in the countries where they are prevalent precisely because it's a severe misinterpretation of their own culture... And feminism would apply cross-culturally anyway because women exist in every culture. It has nothing to do with believing that Western culture is superior to non-feminist culture and the Western patriarchy trying to assert dominance. Hello, feminism received a lot of backlash when it first emerged too. Anna and the King, anyone?

And that VERY insensitive reference to Islam and its link to 911. There is a difference between moderately religious people and fundamentalists. There is a difference between fundamentalists and extremists.

I'm not bemoaning the state of our cultural ignorance, I'm only spurred on to learn more about songkoks and turbans! (Male headdress for Muslims and Sikhs-and-some-others respectively I think.)

- baggage
by @ 7:46 PM