Islam & Western Political Thought

It is often asserted that a major distinction between Islamic values, culturally as well as religiously speaking, and those indigenous to most Western (i.e., Christian or non-Islamic) societies, is that the former places more emphasis on duty and the later on freedom. From the perspective of this writer, this is a valid distinction evident not only in the teachings found in the Qur'an, but also in the collectivist nature of most traditional Islamic societies. Islam, with its five pillars -- belief and witness, prayer, zakat or spiritual tithing or almsgiving, fasting, and the haj or pilgrimage to Mecca required of all Muslims able to make this journey -- is fundamentally centered on a series of duties that man woes not only to Allah, but also to his fellows (Fisher, 1999). Christianity, with its fare greater emphasis in individualism and free will, is less oriented toward duty despite the fact that it also values prayer, charitable works, belief or faith, and witnessing the faith (Fisher, 1999).

The purpose of any great world religion as described by Armstrong (2000), is to provide a set of teachings which make it possible for an individual to develop and maintain a meaningful relationship with God and to follow a set of dictums that are handed down by God for the purpose of ordering society. In Islamic countries, the Qur'an and the sharia law that has emerged from the examination of the teachings of Allah are the pr

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of duties (one to God and one to man) can be identified. Irving (1985), in his translation of the Qur'an, commented that a substantial number of the hadiths focus on issues related to obligation, duty and responsibility. In fact, the details of the hadiths and their subsequent interpretation by imans in the sharia courts affirm the importance of meeting one's myriad obligations under Islam. Dowries owned to a wife by a husband, for example, are examined in depth in the Qur'an; also emphasize din this particular "Book" is the need for all true Muslims to participate fully in the life of the community, giving to those less fortunate and structuring their lives and activities to include mandatory prayer five times daily. Taken as a whole, therefore, Islam as a religion focuses less on the freedom and rights of the individual to autonomy than on the duties owed to others and God. Fisher (1999) noted, in contrast, that the establishment of Christianity as the pre-eminent religion of the Western world did establish similar values and ethical constructs as those identified above. At the same time, developments in the Western world, including the emergence of the philosophy of the Enlightenment and the Protestant Reformation with
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Differing Values, Islamic Western, Uncertainty Avoidance, Albert Hourani, Solomon Higgins, Conversely Western, Islam Dowries, Separation Church, Geert Hofstede, Allah Arab, hofstede 1991, fisher 1999, higgins 1996, solomon higgins 1996, western society, solomon higgins, hofstede's 1991, islamic cultures, islamic societies, armstrong 2000, islamic countries, hofstede's 1991 typology, traditional islamic societies,
Approximate Word count = 1611
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)