Islamic values and Western 'culture'

Peace everyone and a happy Friday to you (as I hear a local muzhadeen fiddling with his microphone, preparing for the fajr adhan....)

candid_new wrote: Jamal Morelli wrote: Salaam Here is my two dirhams on the subj: Western values to me worth exporting: Green politics, better universities, focus on literacy, freedom to criticize one's own leaders, some shot at health care for the elderly, the orphans, the homeless; i.e, here in Morocco - if you ain't got the dosh or the connections, you are pretty much screwed, short of individual contributions (zakat) - compare that to the beauty of the NHS! Developing countries cannot afford Green technology because it is currently too expensive. And it's pointless to have 'better' universities when the overwhelming majority of children don't even have access to primary education. Only the elites can access higher education, who, anyway, fly off to entertain foreign hosts instead of serving their country. Therefore, poorer countries should focus on primary education instead of higher education. Besides, I am surprised you didn't include democracy in the list.

Green politics and green technology aren't the same thing.
"Supporters of Green politics, called Greens, share many ideas with the ecology, conservation, environmental, feminist, and peace movements. In addition to democracy and ecological issues, green politics is concerned with civil liberties, social justice and nonviolence...Green politics also encourages political action on the individual level, such as ethical consumerism..." Boycotting the slow rise of the Marjane (our Wal-Marts) in support of our ancient markets would be a decent example of green politics here.

Your addition of the importance of primary schooling is a critical one. But the comments about the "pointless" addition of universities don't apply to this Muslim country, at least; since Morocco has an available, satisfactory primary education system in place.   A major problem (being violently protested in Rabat as we speak) is the brain drain leading to educated people to escape to the west for their university education.

Regarding primary schooling: Keeping them in school is the biggest problem; dropouts at ten and eleven. And so, a needed culture of literacy like the UK and the US enjoy.

Including democracy...? real democracy? that would be redundant for me to have included, since Green politics is informed by participatory democracy; "emphasizing local, grassroots-level political activity and decision-making."

Regarding the kind of democracy that America enjoys today, I wouldn't offer it to a dog. It seems to consist of voting in to power leaders whose well-being and economic health will depend on coddling undemocratic and oppressive fascist regimes throughout the world as well as relying heavily on destroying democracies in the countries it's survival depends on.

Jamal Morelli wrote: Salaam Here is my two dirhams on the subj: Western values to me worth exporting: Green politics, better universities, focus on literacy, freedom to criticize one's own leaders, some shot at health care for the elderly, the orphans, the homeless; i.e, here in Morocco - if you ain't got the dosh or the connections, you are pretty much screwed, short of individual contributions (zakat) - compare that to the beauty of the NHS!

Developing countries cannot afford Green technology because it is currently too expensive. And it's pointless to have 'better' universities when the overwhelming majority of children don't even have access to primary education. Only the elites can access higher education, who, anyway, fly off to entertain foreign hosts instead of serving their country. Therefore, poorer countries should focus on primary education instead of higher education. Besides, I am surprised you didn't include democracy in the list.

Edited by candid_new - 12 March 2009 at 9:31pm

Salaam

Here is my two dirhams on the subj:

Western values to me worth exporting:
Green politics, better universities, focus on literacy, freedom to criticize one's own leaders, some shot at health care for the elderly, the orphans, the homeless;
i.e, here in Morocco - if you ain't got the dosh or the connections, you are pretty much screwed, short of individual contributions (zakat) - compare that to the beauty of the NHS!
(Come to think of it, the American right wing would ironically love this system; poor and helpless fend for themselves, little to no help from the government.)

Western habits difficult to escape it's presence:
The promotion of alcohol and drug abuse as sexy through it's celebrities, the non-stop marketing of sex to sell products, the widening of the generation gap, the weakening of the family, toxic food intake...

I  agree Chrysalis.