Imran
Thank you for your post, you represent Saudi version of Islam well. We said earlier that the particular religiosity seeks to contract the experience of Being muslim, that it seeks to straight jacket Islam and Muslim into what Saudi insist that it is:
So what if dancing has not been explicitly made haraam in the Quran? Is the way of salaat also mentioned in the Quran? How do you know your salaat is correct?
This is a position normally carted out when the Saudi Islam finds itself unable to muster Faith as the central meaning of Islam, which it obviously cannot, because it is focused on Behavior of a particular kind -- now if God is God, can there possibly be a "correct" way to offer Salat? Does God, if he is God, not hear the Christian, the buddhist, the Hindu or the Jew?? DO these offer Salat in the manner of the Muslim, does the Shiaah offer salat as the Sunni?? Does it matter??
The entire effort to "brand name" and to enculturate in a particular view is the anti-thesis of Islam - Islam is submisson to the Will of God, all who do so are Muslims, offering prayer in a particular manner has zero implication for the faithful, but has everything to do with those who seek to contract Islam, "only this way" is their Islam of outward appearance, the size of your beard, how high is your shalwar over your ankles, did you open your fast with a date, how many rakah, who saw you pray, where do pray, whom do you follow, etc. .
This is not our culture; this is the culture of the stupid mughals promulgated in the form of tawaif khanas which you can still see in Lahore's heera mandi; which ultimately led to their downfall. If you regard that as Pakistani culture; i feel sorry for our nation
Thank you for this, yet another example of applying a particular religious worldview to understand history, and may I add, a particularly shallow understandingof both religion and history. On one hand you suggest that it is a part of our cultural history and on the other you say it is not - you seem confused about this aspect.
La Iqra fi ad ad Deen:
Would Islam had survived on this notion?
True; there is not compulsion in religion; but had the Prophets not spread the word of Islam by stopping bad morality and spreading the word against it?
Would Islam have survived on this notion, you ask - that is all any real Muslim needs to know about the Saudi Islam - hypocracy is built into it -- so I guess, it's OK for propaganda, but not reality?
Not only would it survive, it has been surviving on this idea, that is why there is diversity and pluralism within Islam - this Saudi islam with it's phony "companions" BS, is just from the 1800s and while arbys buy into it, Muslims it is obvious view it with suspicion, as a kinds of Arby imperialim, imparting arby culture and not islam of meaning, of Faith in God.
Interesting, so, is there or is there not, compulsion in religion - this is not a "maybe" or depends answer, it is either "yes there is" or "no, there is not" - it is interesting that you assosicate bad morality with dancing but if one is to offer that the obscene number of child molestation by Mullahs and Maulvi suggest that Islam itself is bad morality, would you find merit in such a suggestion??????????
You come across as ernest but confused, no one is suggesting that bad morality should not be spoken up against, but it is interesting that the Saudi Islam's morality is itself suspect, for it does not speak up against child moslestation by Mullah, it does not speak up against extremists such as lal Masjid types, but instead denies Pakistani culture. Would it be fair to suggest that Saudi Islam, which you indeed do an excellent job of representating, takes more offence at any behaviour when it involves women and especially when women express or are seen to express a freedom from the Saudi social norms??
I hope you will regard our exchanges as means to examine some positions and not as personal. Religious world view is important and valid, but it is not the entirety of the ways in which we can understand our experience of Being.