Culturally Religious?

In my last article I touched on having felt culturally religious. I want to go into more detail on what that means, and why I chose it as a label for myself. Growing up in a family where most of the members were only culturally Jewish, I was very familiar with the concept of identifying not with the religion, but with the culture.

Most culturally religious Jews know little of the history or laws of Judaism. They may have gone to a weekend or after-school Hebrew school as kids, or maybe a Jewish summer camp, but they might not have even that much background on Judaism. They are more likely to be what in Christianity is described as "Christmas Day and Easter" believers; that is, they make an effort to celebrate the Jewish holidays somewhat (although usually not following all the strict rules of the various holidays), and even though they are usually atheists or agnostic, they prefer to tell people that they are Jewish.

The reasons for describing yourself as culturally religious are varied, but usually center around feeling a camaraderie with those who have suffered in the past and wanting to perpetuate the culture of a people who the person feels are or have been unfairly marginalized or oppressed. Many of the Jewish holidays commemorate the Jewish people being subjugated or oppressed (and the subsequent slaughter of whoever was oppressing them--e.g. Purim, Passover, and Hanukkah).

The reason I chose to identify myself as a cultural Muslim had to do with a deep respect for the Golden Age of Islam and sympathy for the plight of innocent Muslims being slaughtered around the world. While I do not support terrorism, I do understand that there are complex socio-econonomic and political factors influencing it beyond simply "They hate our freedom." I also understand that terrorism is not isolated to one culture or religion. Many of the perceived acts of terrorism around the world are reactionary, and are in response to real or perceived injustice. Indiscriminate slaughter--such as the bombing of civilian homes, schools, and hospitals--will lead to more terrorism, not less. (This report discusses many of the nuances involved in the specific case of Gaza regarding the Israeli claim that such civilian installations house Hamas weapons.)

One particular issue that I was often questioned about was how I could support Islamic governments, when they are so violent and repressive. My answer to this was that there are no true Islamic governments in the modern world. An Islamic government is a caliphate, and operates under a specific set of laws. Even the new Islamic State (formerly ISIS) is not a true caliphate, because the self-proclaimed caliph was not selected in any of the ways that are historically valid, and he does not possess the qualities of a true caliph.

During the caliphate of Umar, there were a great number of reforms made that laid out the qualities of a leader. For a very, very long series of lectures (over 200 lectures, 30-60 minutes each) that explain in great detail what was expected of a Caliph, and what the moral views of the early caliphs were, from an Islamic perspective, listen to the lectures here. The lectures are primarily in English, with some Urdu and Arabic, and have been partially transcribed, with an appendix of the Arabic (Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman).

During Christian Europe's Dark Ages, the Muslim world was flourishing, and was the center of what would later become the Enlightenment. The arts, science, history, and math all reached great heights. Muslim countries were incredibly socially progressive. Women could own wealth and property, were respected for their knowledge, were guaranteed equal pay for equal work, were entitled to child support and primary custody, and much more. People of every religion, including those who were termed "doubters" (what are now usually called atheists or agnostics), were welcome and accepted as members of society. Homosexuals were also welcome, and were celebrated in art and literature; in fact, homosexuality was decriminalized by the Ottoman Empire.

So what happened? In a word, Colonialism. Two particularly poignant examples are the Saud family, who the British made the kings of Arabia when they left, and the Taliban, created by the American government to fight the U.S.S.R. The Saud family were actually not rulers pre-British colonialism; they were a mafia. They are now spreading a particularly damaging form of fundamentalist Islam, Wahhabi Islam, throughout the world, setting up many schools, mosques, publication companies, and more to spread their message. And their students, and students of their students, have become leaders of most of the worst examples of fundamentalist Islam (like Osama bin Laden or al Baghdadi).

The Taliban was funded, trained, and nurtured by the Americans during the Cold War. Afghanistan was one of the many third-world countries that became proxy fighters recruited into the silent war between the world's two super-powers, like Cuba and Vietnam. The Americans and the Soviets did not want to risk a direct confrontation, so they both armed and trained people in other nations to fight guerrilla warfare for their cause. Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan are just two of the countries where Western colonialists set up puppet governments that eventually bit the hands that put them in power. The Western governments deposed the more progressive Muslim governments, and put in power right-wing extremists. They shot the mongoose, and wonder where the cobras came from.

So what I meant to do, in presenting to the world as a cultural Muslim, was to pay homage to the Muslims of old, who shared values and causes that I could identify with. The culture that I wished to be a part of was that of a more historical, progressive version of Islam. I wanted to express my support for things like publicly-funded hospitals, schools and universities, orphanages, multi-cultural trade, studies of sciences and mathematics. I wanted to be a voice for equal rights for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or skin color. Those are the values I wanted to express; and I can express them equally well with or without religion. I do not need a religion to be moral.