Muslim Nations in the Post-Modern World

And surely, these concerns are not unfounded. Globalization ultimately means the spread of free-market capitalism to nations all over the world. The international market, dominated by American business and technology, bears a typically Western style, and globalization in these early years has been little more than Americanization on a global scale. For Muslim states, this means that Western ideas concerning democracy, human rights, women's rights, secularism, and technology may be expected to inundate local populations- a cultural colonization that is, in many cases, unwelcome.

Essentially, the new globalization signifies a clashing of ideologies; on the one hand, the free-market Western capitalist model utilizes economics as the governing principle which ultimately binds together all people. On the other hand, Muslim states c

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e that hinges upon cultural understanding and tolerance. Can Muslims adjust to the modern world without giving up the central aspects of their faith? Can the West acknowledge Muslim culture as one richer in philosophy and beauty than it is in fanaticism and hatred? Interestingly, these questions reveal connections between the West and Islam which challenge each side to make some adaptations. And similarities between the two ideologies are not so rare as might be expected. Ali A. Mazrui writes about the major challenges which face Muslim nations as they grapple to come to terms with the post-modernist, globalalizing world. In his piece, "Islam and Western Values," Mazrui highlights the similarities between Islam and the West, and hints that perhaps our joint quest for a modern world order may not need to be an adversarial one. On the contrary, Western and Islamic values may not be so incompatible after all. Islam, contends Mazrui, "is a civilizationaanimated by a common spirit more humane than most Westerners realize." Ultimately, Islamic societies may be only a few decades behind the more socially and technologically advanced Western ones. Muslim societies are often maligned for their mistreatment of women. Mazrui h
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Approximate Word count = 2272
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)