DARRELL:
Your point that the strong family and communal ties may have played a
significant role in Islam's resistance to western values that tend to
encourage individualism and freedom is correct. It isn't only Islam where
this applies. This same phenomena applies pretty much across the board in
other societies, i.e., Mexico. The question this brings to my mind is what
comes first, the chicken or the egg. Is this phenomena the cause or the
result of some other factor?
ROG:
Yes, I agree that it is the predominant cultural value pattern. I also agree
that there are reasonable explanations why this type of pattern would take
root -- those with clan allegiance could strong arm those that lacked it. If
everyone else had allegience to family and distrusted strangers, then I could
sure see the advantage of doing something similar with my own extended
family.
On the other hand, I would expect that deeply-ingrained cultural values would
indeed be tangled up in some kind of weird loop of causation.
Rog
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