Many people hold the opinion that modernization and Westernization have undermined traditional Arab values. While there may be some truth in this idea, it can only be applied to those countries which have undergone major social transformations and adopted Western lifestyles and ideas. In some Islamic countries, a beach resort with men and women in swimsuits is located next to a mosque. One can only imagine the scene of hearing the call to prayer and seeing Muslim men walking to the mosque while passing people playing volley ball in their swimsuits. Or when pop music is blasted out of music shops and continues during prayer times. Fortunately, this is not the case in the Kingdom. What Islam forbids is rightly and strictly forbidden in the Kingdom. No trading takes place during the five daily prayers; shops are closed at those times.
The association of Westernization with modernization is too close and can become confusing. If we consider modernity to be progress which does not conflict with the Shariah, then simple, modernity does not affect the traditional values of Arab or Islamic society. Westernization, on the other hand, is more complicated.
Mona, 21, tries to explain it: “Alhamdullilah I pray five times a day and I wear hijab. I try to practice Islamic teachings in my everyday life. I wear jeans under my abaya and ride in a Mercedes; these things come from the West but they have not changed me as an Arab and Muslim. I live in Riyadh and it reminds me of places I visited in America — wide roads, tall buildings and shops with brand names. These are just things and objects that don’t really change us as Saudi people.”
Mariam is a mother of three teenaged children, boys aged 16 and 18 and a girl of 14. She says, “I worry a lot about what they see on television — the Western films and the actresses that display themselves half-dressed. I cannot always be there to control what they watch. My children understand very well that we can learn from other cultures but they have to choose what is right for them. If their belief is strong their Islamic faith will never be affected.”
It is not harmful for our youth to wear jeans and eat burgers, as long as they adhere to Shariah dress codes and the burgers are halal. What is harmful are the beliefs, attitudes and ideas about relationships, marriage and religion that are held by some Westerners who wear denim and eat burgers. Disapproving of Western clothes and Western food should not be the issue; the issue is that some Western ideas conflict with our Islamic values and should have no part in our lives. Modernization is normally regarded as a positive term — modern architecture, science and technology, transport and trade in the Kingdom do not conflict with the Shariah and have been beneficial for our cultural and social development. Modernization, however, does not automatically equal Westernization. Things that are destructive of our social fabric, our religion and our culture are not, so far as we are concerned, either progressive or modern.