The challenge of globalization to Islamic culture

Abstract

In this paper, I examined the impact of globalization on Muslim culture and identity. It is obvious that globalization has both positive and negative impact on Muslim value system. I came to the conclusion that globalization has had a positive impact on gender equality. During the last decades, women in Muslim countries have started to enjoy more freedoms and opportunities. Though still, the majority of Muslim politicians and scholars find it incompatible with Islamic teachings, I argue that it is the patriarchal interpretation of Islam. The non-patriarchal interpretation, which includes Islamic feminists and some other scholars, has shown that Islam regards both men and women as equal members of the society, though it ascribes different roles to different sexes. The issue of LGBT community is the most sensitive for Muslims. They find it as a sharp contradiction to Islamic laws. Like supporters of gender equality, there are also some scholars and researchers who try to show that Islam does not contradict to LGBT rights. But their argumentations are weak as they are based overwhelmingly on one particular case. I conclude that LGBT rights are incompatible with Islam and the recognition of their rights challenges Islamic values. But arguing that LGBT rights are in contradiction with Islam does not still imply that the harsh anti-gay policies are in line with Islam. There is a greatly contentious issue regarding the punishment of homosexuals. I showed that there is a sharp contradiction between the Quran and the Hadith over punishment. The Quran does not prescribe any concrete punishment; it is evident that capital punishment does not drive from the Quran. On the contrary, the Quran advocates forgiving the sinner if he has repented. The Hadith, by contrast, prescribes the death penalty for homosexuality. The reliability of the Hadith has been questioned by many Muslim scholars, who advocate accepting the Quran as the only source of the Islamic law. Taking into account the unresolved contradiction between the two sources of Islamic law I argue that death penalty can itself be considered a fundamental violation of the Islamic rule. Hence, I argue that death penalty should be abolished, at least temporarily, unless the adherents of both approaches come to a single decision over the issue.