One of the mantras of the "diversity" movement in America and the West is that all cultures are equal. The basic idea is that each culture is an adaptation to a particular environment. Therefore no culture is inherently preferable to another. The political significance of this is that all cultures are equally deserving of respect. The goal of education becomes one of inculcating in young people a respect for all the cultures of the world. By learning that our own culture is not superior, we also become less racist and bigoted toward other cultures.
This doctrine of cultural equality--or more precisely cultural relativism--sounds good when we are considering the quaint folkways of other cultures.
Undergraduates at Yale write papers noting "Who is to say that the Western practice of inventing new technologies is superior to the kangaroo-tracking techniques of the Australian aborigines?" Meanwhile the best students at Stanford can be heard opining that "Shakespeare may have had a rich and supple vocabulary, but let's remember that Eskimos have twenty seven words for 'snow.'"
Then comes a report like the one in Canada about the Muslim father who killed his sixteen-year-old daughter because she didn't want to wear a headscarf. Now it should be noted that the Koran does not mandate that Muslims wear the veil or hijab. These head coverings, however, have come to symbolize modesty in the Islamic world. And Muslim immigrants often bring with them their cultural expectations when they come to America.
Apparently the daughter, Aqsa Parvez, could not convince her parents that her head should be uncovered. She would wear Muslim dress out of the house and then change when she was out of her parents' sight. Perhaps this deception was discovered. Apparently the father Muhammad Parvez was enraged. According to police, he beat the girl so badly that she succumbed to injuries and died. Now the father is charged with murder and the older brother is charged with obstructing police.
I'm waiting to hear from the liberal champions of diversity on this one. Will they say, "Sure, we may not approve of beating one's daughter to death over a headscarf but let's remember that in other cultures they see it very differently. Why should we impose our parochial Western morality on others?" In Canada there may be judges crazy enough to let the murderer walk free. In the United States, I suspect we won't hear too much of this. The reason is that the American brand of cultural relativism is basically a fraud. It's a device to undermine and attack Western institutions and practices. Yet cultural relativism is quietly abandoned when it produces results that liberals don't like.
Reader Comments ( Page 5 of 26)
61. YOU ARE THE BEST, DINESH!! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!! IT HURTS ME SO MUCH TO SEE THESE ATHEISTS ATTACKING YOU. YOU ARE A TRUE HERO!! A MAN'S MAN!! ONE OF THE ALL-TIME GREATS!!!
(see how easy it is to blog anything you want? dd, are you listening, fool?)
eye heart g-d at 12:39PM on Dec 12th 2007
62. emma, nowhere in the bible could andrea yates have gotten a message or voice from god to to what she did. god gave us his word, the bible, so as to prevent such behavior. the old testament is a history of the jews and God. the new testament is a revelation of jesus. andrea yates was not acting as a christian in what she did. anymore than hitler acted asn an admitted atheist in what he did. your just using actions of others to uphold your unbelief
brian at 12:32PM on Dec 12th 2007
63. Do any muslims here condemn this act?
Or was it the right thing to do?
Let us know.
CK at 12:39PM on Dec 12th 2007
64. It is really a shame that D'Souza takes a valid point, that all cultures are not equal, and then uses his observation to make an irrelevant (and wrong) critcism of "liberals." American culture respects all opinions but does not concede that all opinions are equal.
The example of the murder reveals a distinction between American culture and religious culture, not a distinction between "liberals" and conservatives." American culture values ideas, progress and freedom. Religious culture values old texts and demands absolute unthinking fealty. American democracy elects its leaders and through these leaders enacts laws. Religious culture appoints its leaders who interpret the old texts according to their whim and caprice.
wichgobe at 2:19PM on Dec 12th 2007
65. Speaking of cultures, just found this Steven Colbert interview with DD after his book came out claiming 9/11 was the liberal culture's fault. Good insight into DD's agenda, which hasn't changed much. Very little about Christianity, very much hating groups of people here in the U.S. (atheists, homosexuals, etc.)
http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/index.jhtml?ml_video=80900
brandon at 12:45PM on Dec 12th 2007
66. I worked for a while in Tunnel Hill, GA, and while I was there I frequently ran into members of a Christian sect (some would say cult). I believe they were an offshoot of the Church of God, but the locals referred to them as the "Pratts" because that was the patriarch's name. Similar to Fred Phelps of Kansas, the Pratts were largely a family (related) religious clan.
The women were required to all wear long dresses and head coverings. They were not permitted to
work outside the home. The women were known for making homemade peanut brittle and walking all over the area (they were not allowed to drive) to area home and businesses, selling the candy.
The locals told stories about the abuse many of the Pratt women had experienced, but to my knowledge none of them ever filed charges. Frankly the ones I met were so completely subdued I can't even imagine them stepping out of line. They rarely spoke above a whisper.
Yep, this is in the USA...there are areas where people still live like this.
Kodiak at 12:47PM on Dec 12th 2007
67. Emma,
I appreciate you taking the time to write a response, but your the logic in your argument does not hold.
"According to a United Nations report, at least 5,000 women worldwide each year are murdered under the pretext of “honor killings.” Feel free to research and read the report yourself, and if you wish to discuss it with me further, I will gladly post an email address you can reach me.
You have offered the example of Andrea Yates and one other woman as an example that Christianity endorses the murder and beating of one's children for not following church doctrine. Severe mental illness was involved in both cases. As there is no Christian movement that continues to endorse these actions since the Enlightenment (feel free to search for one yourself), and no Christian has murdered their child based on doctrine since that time, it is a fair conclusion that honor killings are not an issue in today's Christian world.
You say my mention of the Enlightenment is convenient; no, it is rational -- a present-day movement to abolish slavery in the US makes as much sense as a present-day movement to accuse Christianity of promoting the murder of their children for not following doctrine. The Enlightenment has already happened, the Gettysburg address has already happened. The two problems are now only historical.
An estimated minimum of 5,000 killings taking place per year on the basis of not following doctrine indicates that this is indeed a widespread problem in the Islamic world that cannot be attributed to to any other cause besides Islamic culture.
Best,
David
David at 12:48PM on Dec 12th 2007
68. This is a terrible story. This guy is a heartless bastard who did not obey God's law of love yourself, for his daugther is an extension of his existence, his life, him.
Pathetic that people think this is ok. Don't beat your children, don't consider violence an option (especially with a helpless children), stop being cows following death to the slaughterhouse.
Lets be more than nothing, for if we listen simply to our bodies and minds, we are only flesh and dust. With this understanding, know that one who doesn't consider their soul considers nothing of worth.
Our flesh is going to die, period. You rely on just your flesh and you're relying on death. Flesh's end purpose is to die.
Life's purpose is to live. Living beyond the death of your flesh is key to inspirational existence and societal progression into a healthy future without atrocity and hatred.
Let's live without focusing so much on the death.
Again, this guy is a piece of garbage and I hate what he did. His daugther will be well received for her innocence, as she deserves peace like any other innocent loved one.
mincpa at 12:48PM on Dec 12th 2007
69.
Well there you go Densih,
Proving the atheist point of how evil the religions are that humans create.
The Christian mother who drowned her children, the oppressed Christian boy who shot at a church, the Muslim father who killed his daughter and don't forget the Jews whom have oppressed the Palestinians! They do not value life. Perhaps if they were told to take man made religion so literal they wouldn't commit those atrocities!
Organized Religion is evil!
goddess1prevail at 12:54PM on Dec 12th 2007
70. I want to explain something I feel some people are misinformed about, but I feel I need to give a disclaimer first. Yes, I am a Christian, and as a Christian I am not going to try to convert or convince anyone on this blog that their belief is wrong. One of the glorious things about America is our ability to worship and believe in (or not worship and believe in) whatever God/religion we choose to. I respect anyone who chooses to be a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Athiest, whatever they are - as long as they have thought out and made the decision for themselves. They're fully entitled to their beliefs, whether I disagree with them or they disagree with me.
I see a lot of athiests on here talking about the atrocities of Old Testament punishments for breaking God's laws, and I feel I should offer clarification for this because it seems to be quite an issue.
Does the Bible say in Leviticus-Deuteronomy that the Jewish people should stone those who break God's laws? Yes it does. The punishments for breaking God's laws make the hairs on the back of your head stand up. And so I ask the question (as many other have), "How could a God of love dictate such things?"
Now granted, these are my personal beliefs but I will explain them as best I could. God had these standards because He is holy and just, and gave the Law (all the rules in the 1st five books of the Bible) so that men would know what was acceptable and not acceptable to Him.
I think a misconception today is that people think many Christians still "believe" in these punishments. What people miss about Christianity is the fact that Jesus changed the entire Law with it horrific punishments. Jesus said in Matt. 5:17, "I have not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it." What He meant by that was that He would take upon Himself the punishments for those who broke God's laws. He was also quick to caution the religious moralists to take the plank out of their own eyes before bothering with the speck in someone else's.
I am a Christian and have been for many years, and never once in my life have I believed that someone should be stoned (or in today's society, murdered or executed). I'm not the judge. There's too much wrong with my life to even begin to judge someone else's.
As a Christian, I of course believe that Jesus died and resurrected for my sins so I escape the punishment. That's my personal belief. I believe when I die I'll go to heaven. That's also my personal belief. Could I be wrong? Absolutely. There is no definitive answer anywhere whether or not life after death exists. The religious folks can't prove without a shadow of a doubt there is; the non-religious can't prove without a shadow of a doubt there isn't. I might get to the other side one day and discover it's all been for nothing. But as for right now, the belief in Jesus has greatly transformed my life. I'm happier and I have hope in hopeless-seeming situations. It's made me a better person, a better friend, a better steward of the environment. So even if it does turn out to be false one day, I can't say it hasn't been worth it.
I'm not exactly sure what arena Dinesh is working in. As a Christian, some of the things he says and does upsets me, and I wish he would draw a definite line on what he is championing: politics, Christianity, the right, etc. If his goal is to promote Christianity, I think there could be a better way to do it than what he does.
What happened with the Muslim family is a tragedy by any account. Unfortunately there are zealots and fundamentalists in every religion - not just Christianity and Islam. I'm not sure what Dinesh's point was, but I don't think the response has anything to do with non-Islamic people. This happened because of Muslim beliefs; it should be this man's fellow believers who should reach out to him and decide where to draw the line when it comes to faith. When Christians do not act according to our beliefs (i.e. Ted Haggard) we should hold them accountable. Hopefully the Muslim community will do the same for this man.
I hope you all have a wonderful day.
TG at 1:09PM on Dec 12th 2007
71. I see a lot of comments that say D'souza's opinions are unsatisfactory, but what's the logic behind those rebuttals? Sure, America shouldn't feel complacent and smug in its superiority, but the assertion that "all cultures are equal" is like the myth that "every person is equal". Would you say that Martin Luther King and Adolph Hitler are equal? Judging behavior to be "just as good as any other" simply because a lot of people do it is to say that good and evil, or at least "good and better" are determined by how many people subscribe to that belief.
I hear a lot of hate responses about that Canadian murder example, as if it was a fluke, or an exception to the rule. D'Souza wasn't saying that one murderer stains a whole culture. He was saying that the murder was a result of the culture. If you want more proof, compare Middle Eastern Muslim attitudes toward religious toleration. Did you know that it is a capital offense to be a Christian in Iran? For those of you who don't know (and to judge from the quality of some of these responses, there are probably quite a few) capital punishment means the death penalty. Believe it or not, not every culture has the same sensibilities about killing people that we do. Sexual freedom for women? Nope. Dead. Homosexuality? Dead! I don't advocate hating other cultures, or forcing our own culture on other people, but blindly accepting baseless notions of equality, simply because it sounds good is indicative of a sheep-like mindset. Look first, then judge.
Josh at 1:18PM on Dec 12th 2007
72. Bill, DD and others sometimes argue that religion gives us 'moral absolutes' and that secular morality is relative. He seems to be siding with relative morality here.
a born atheist at 1:19PM on Dec 12th 2007
73. TG... I agree with your post, especially that it is up to every individual to decide for themselves first to search for and then to find the truth.
But as for Muslim beliefs...is this killing condoned by the Koran teaching or is it a sect/cultural thing? ?? something like Catholic culture(pope,etc.) vs bible teaching? they are different.
As for DD, his purpose seems to be to stimulate debate, which is not such a bad thing.
swimming above the fray at 1:23PM on Dec 12th 2007
74. Swimming,
I can't honestly answer your question as to whether the Qur'an condones killing for not wearing a head scarf. The Qur'an doesn't mention a scarf by name, although it does speak of veiling oneself as an act of worship to Allah. The hadiths describe the actual ways to veil oneself. I do know that in strict Shari'a governed countries there are punishments for lack of veiling.
TG at 1:33PM on Dec 12th 2007
75. Sir Born....i didn't realize you were here....meg said bry was stumbling last nite...must have been an interesting conversation w/him...
time to make the 'nogodmas' cookies. Any requests?
swimming above the fray at 1:33PM on Dec 12th 2007