Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Islam in the big picture

By Syd Hickman - posted Tuesday, 15 December 2015


The turmoil within most Islamic nations has the same basis. As with the Christian example the most extreme, brutal but clever people are fighting to maintain strict control of broad populations in the name of religion. The idea of self-sacrifice for a higher cause has the allure for some young people that it has always had.

The most important failure is in education. The Islamic Arab culture that once led the world has declined to abysmal levels. In the list of 500 top tertiary institutions in the world, prepared in China, none are in Arab nations. In science, the publication and translation of books, and in GDP per person, the Arab world has sunk to a similar state as Sub-Saharan Africa.

The exclusion of women has huge economic and social consequences making relative failure inevitable.

Advertisement

Only oil money has kept the entire culture going, but bringing with it the problems of national income based on one natural resource that provides very few jobs and no competitive drive, while pushing up the currency and making other industries uncompetitive.

The task of transition is made even harder for Islamic nations because they nearly all have unmanageable population problems after decades of very high growth, making the useful employment of their young men impossible. Palestinian birth rates have been among the highest is the world, along with Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia, in 2004, had half its population under 20 years of age.

Even worse, Islamic nations that look to sign on as a subset of the liberal/capitalist world are doing so just as that world is making its own huge and painful transitions.

Apologists for Islamist extremism claim the current economic and cultural failure is the fault of western colonialism. That is nonsense. The impact of internal demographic, cultural and economic factors is quite clear.

One core aim of the terrorists is to encourage persecution of Muslims so they feel forced to join the extremists. But the other choice is to abandon the religion altogether, or to treat it as a social club, in the manner of Christians, Jews and others.

The Islamic counter-reformation will have to be defeated in violent conflict, just as the Christian version was. It will not happen quickly. Correctly analysing the problem, rather than analysing the Koran, will make the process easier.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. Page 2
  4. All


Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

188 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Syd Hickman has worked as a school teacher, soldier, Commonwealth and State public servant, on the staff of a Premier, as chief of Staff to a Federal Minister and leader of the Opposition, and has survived for more than a decade in the small business world.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Syd Hickman

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Article Tools
Comment 188 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy