Culture is dominant over religion

Just before a time a neighbor entered into our home with his just newly
born baby........he was so happy and wanted to name his baby by my
grandmother. He was a Hindu but yet desired to have an Islamic name for
his baby.

The religion like Hinduism is too strict in his values but yet a Hindu selects
an Islamic name for his baby is a bit shocking....not only this but they
participate in all other Islamic events and occasions just like a Muslim e.g. in
Eids, arrange if tar party although don't keep fast, participate in funerals,
and believe in many values of Islam. Not only Hindus but also Muslims have
the powerful culture over their religion...marriage with quran, unequal
distribution in wealth in case of women...vulgar dresses worn by Muslim girls
in west and in few areas of Pakistan as well, although all these sort of values
are restricted in Islam. Eating meat of cow in Hinduism is prohibited but
some of the Hindus even eat it in Pakistan.

It seems religion to be dominant over any of its culture if we do not study

into the depth but religion is something dependent upon the culture. Culture
built our mind and it teaches us what is religion and its values. It is not like
that all the different cultures having the same religion will be having the
same values they are acting as a religion….for example marriage with quran in
Bolochistan (Pakistan) is acted as a religious values just to protect their
wealth while it is strictly no where in Islam and it is not acted in most of
Islamic cultures or areas. It is that area's culture who taught them that
marriage with quran is a religious and Islamic value because culture is always
powerful over its religion.

Culture is powerful over religion in its values but the basic values of a
religion are always remain constant in all the culture where it exists Such as
in Islam Allah is one, Muhammad (pbuh) is the last prophet of Allah, day of
judgment, Namaz (prayer), fast, Pilgrimage, Zakah (charity), kalima, atc but
some secondary values like rights of women, wine is prohibited, interest and
bribe are prohibited etc are not followed in all the cultures strictly because
these are dependent upon the culture if it is acceptable in the culture so
people adopt them even these are not allowed anymore in the Islam. But
described above basic values are followed everywhere in every culture so
people just can compromise over their secondary values of their religion but
again it really depend on the culture because keeping fast in the area of
NWFP id considered to be very strong religious aspect of Islam but it is not
followed very regularly in some Punjab areas and in the west by the Muslim
community, so this again follow the culture if culture support the religious
values so people adopt it otherwise people do neglect it. A very famous pop
singer of Pakistan Jawad Ahmed said recently in his interview that he never
kept fast from his childhood because his society and parent never prompt
him to act like this. Although this man is pure Muslim but he is being taught
like this by his culture.

A marketer should never take the religion as a single unit for all the cultures
where it exists for example Islam, Hinduism exists in many areas of the
world but in the area where a religion is in minority so it inspires from the
majority religion and the values of the minority religion mix with majority
culture. So a marketer should develop different marketing strategies for
different cultures even if these cultures have the same religion. A wine
business can be launched in Dubai and turkey but not in Pakistan....both areas
has the same religion but the values of the religion is practiced in different
ways in both areas due to the power of the culture because in Dubai that is
the global village, the Islamic values are impressed by the other culture
exist in Dubai.

A model in mini skirt can be shown in turkey but can't in Pakistan although
both are Islamic republic states....... describing all this .the purpose is that a
marketer should never prefer the religion over culture while he making any
strategy in any area of the world because people always strongly believe in
their cultural values as compare to their religious values....it doesn't mean to
neglect the religion but more focus should be given on culture rather than
religion.

By: Faizan Hayat

IM Studies
Peshawar, Pakistan