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1 month agoI think there are cultural differences that we ought to tolerate and be mindful of our biases on (how you prepare food, the clothes you wear, difference in manners, accents, language, etc.) and there are things which are universal evils (murdering children for not marrying).
It is unfair to ascribe the latter to all people belonging to a particular culture (the “you people” comment), since “universal” evil goes both ways - all people should consider it evil, but it is not unique to a particular people. A strange duality. Reminds me of the dad who “accidentally” shot and killed his daughter in Texas after an argument about Trump and was never investigated.
I think the Sunni and the Shia might want to have a word with you with whether or not Islam can be interpreted in different ways.
That being said, when we see strict interpretations of religions, it’s usually in particular sects or denominations (unless it’s a very new religion, such as scientology - which is a cult and a religion, of sorts). The Amish and the Shakers might be examples of particularly strict sects within Christianity.
And in the case of the article, I think the situation is impacted strongly by governmental corruption and lawlessness. The way children are treated in Jordan and the way children are treated in Iraq are very different, even if they might both be majority-Islam countries.
By limiting ourselves in only thinking what cultures are “good” or “bad”, we will severely hamper our abilities to protect children and uphold justice. This is how we end up with people thinking banning niqabs or burkas in France will somehow prevent child marriage.