> I have been thinking about this question for a few weeks.
> To what extent is modern global Islamic culture based on
> Arab culture?
Dear Tim,
I think it is probably true that Islam has carried more of
the 'baggage' of the culture in which it was born than any of the
other World Religions. (I'm thinking mostly of Christianity and
Buddhism.) I think this is largely because of the importance placed on
following the example of the Prophet who was, after all, an Arab.
For example this busines of women dressing
> so they are covered from head to toe?
That was really Arab in origin. Veiling was the custom among elite
class women in both the Sassanian and Byzantine Empires. It goes back
at least as far as ancient Athens and perhaps ancient Mesopotamia.
Ironically, it was the egalitarian nature of Islam which caused the
practice to extend among nearly all the urban classes.
> Is the burkha common in, say, Pakistan or Indonesia?
Not that common. In Pakistan the usual Islamic dress for women is the
sevar va chamis, pants and a tunic along with some kind of head scarf.
Women in Indonesia only started wearing head scarfs in large numbers
in the last generation. It is important to keep in mind that some of
these women (with head scarves, not burkas) are adopting Islamic dress
*because* they are entering the work force for the first time. It
makes them feel much less vulnerable. And such clothes are certainly
more comfortable than high heels and a short skirt.
> So why do converts almost always take Arab names?
>
> Baha'is do something similar; I know lots of Anglo-American
> or African-American Baha'is named Nabil, or Karim, or Tahirih.
> Many years ago I even knew a Baha'i child named Shoghi!
>
> Do you think that converts to Islam take Arab names because
> Arab culture is perceived as somehow more authentically Muslim?
Do we take Arab names because we see it as more authentically Baha'i?
No, usually we take them because they represent some figure in our
history which we admire. But normally we give these names to children,
we don't change our own names when we convert. The idea of changing
your name upon conversion goes back to Christianity where they didn't
want baptized Christians to continue to bare names related to pagan
dieities.
warmest, Susan
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