{"id":8722,"date":"2017-11-13T18:51:52","date_gmt":"2017-11-13T16:51:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openasia.org\/en\/?p=8722"},"modified":"2017-11-13T18:52:28","modified_gmt":"2017-11-13T16:52:28","slug":"the-erroneous-cultural-distinction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/openasia.org\/en\/2017\/11\/the-erroneous-cultural-distinction\/","title":{"rendered":"The erroneous ‘cultural distinction’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Qantara.de<\/a>\u00a0– Syrian writer Morris Ayek is critical of those who claim that when it comes to human rights, Islamic countries are “culturally distinct” from the rest of the world. In his opinion, this discourse directly contradicts the universality of Islamic values.<\/p>\n

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Regardless of the culture from which they emerge, universal values apply to all. For example, the concept of universal human rights is universally applicable, even though it has its roots in Western civilisation. Human rights are fundamental rights that apply to every human being \u2013 regardless of his or her individual capabilities, social status and ethnicity.<\/span><\/p>\n

In contrast, the applicability of values that have been shaped by a culture are rooted in the tradition in which they developed. Cultural idiosyncrasy knows no generally applicable values. In the cause of cultural distinctions, the notion of human rights is seen as an exclusive expression of Western culture that cannot, therefore, be considered universally applicable.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although the debate about the compatibility of universal human rights and specific cultural distinctions is fundamentally a European one, it is cropping up with increasing frequency in Islamic discourses.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those who reject the concept of democracy and the applicability of human rights for Islamic societies too, generally claim that democracy and human rights do not fit with Islamic values and traditions.<\/span><\/p>\n

What makes these arguments so peculiar is that although they claim to defend Islam and its values, they actually stand in contradiction to its key tenets. After all, Islam sees itself as a universal religion that has a message for all humans, regardless of their culture or nationality.<\/span><\/p>\n

Universal values in Islam<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Islam does not deny that people differ. Nevertheless, it postulates common, universally applicable values on the basis of which God judges humans. Without these universally applicable values, the divine message could not be universal.<\/span><\/p>\n