Muslims are the Memons of the world!
Muslims…
- Are misunderstood and the objects of widespread stereotyping. A bearded man is scrutinized at the airport on the bases of his appearance only. Same for a veiled woman.
- Do not marry their daughters to outsiders (people from other religions). Islam allows its men to marry women from the “ehl-e-kitaab” (people of the book, e.g. Christians, Jews etc). They also favor early marriages.
- Are prone to shows of financial affluence and pomp. Arab rulers and Sheikhs are notorious for their spending habits. Also,while they spend a lot, there are numerous social restrictions.
- Have a mindset about an “acceptable” profession and a not acceptable one. Generally Muslims will run businesses and have jobs in most industries but still view the media as a no go area. There are also different benchmarks of acceptability for men and women
- Have a generally patriarchal society.
- Are educationally less inclined. There are no major (top 100 listed in any field) universities in the Muslim world. Also, the procurement of education is generally limited to a degree to enable the holder to earn a living. Degrees in the arts or other “not earning” fields are rare for the breadwinners. Very little RnD in the Islamic world.
- Have stakes in major businesses all over the world.
- Will view “modern” to be the equivalent of evil. Sticklers for tradition. Muslims to this day carry forward the teachings of a Holy Book that is over 1400 years old (Mash Allah). The view also prevails that each coming generation is more prone to deviance than its predecessor. An elder’s view will have preference over a knowledgeable and capable youth.
- Arrogance. We are better because we are Muslim.
- Prefer to help out only Muslims, except when there is a vested interest. Arab countries rarely contribute to international crisis rehabilitation efforts when it involves non Muslims. The other countries aren’t as financially sound.
- Large families: Collectivism
Conclusion:
Muslims are the Memons of the world!
(N.B: Do not go on picking apart every minute detail here and miss the point of it completely. 🙂 )
