Factors Contributed to the Increasing Cultural Conservatism in the Essay

Factors Contributed to the Increasing Cultural Conservatism in the Islamic States during the Seventeenth Century - Essay Example The assimilation of some communities to the Islamic empires is the result of the modern Islamic communities which are more diverse and less conservative. This paper gives a critical analysis of the factors which contributed to the increased conservatism in the Islamic empire during the 17th century and its implication on the adoption of scientific and technological advances in the modern Islamic community. The conservativeness of the Muslim empires has been felt during its ascension into the modern day Islamic society. During the seventeenth century there was strong resistance against incorporation of non Islamic ideas into the society. But in the recent past, the Islamic states have become more accommodative to foreign ideas which have been included into the Islamic practices and ways of conducting business1. The earlier resistance of foreign ideas by the Islamic community was due to the need of the leaders to maintain a status quo within the states. There was need for growth and de velopment in the political, economic, social and technological dimension2. Therefore the modern Islamic society has incorporated western ideas, policies and practices so that it would be part of the modern globalization of the economy and the civilization of the world communities. However, it is important to note that the conservative nature of the 17th century within this community and the factors which led to it have implications on the technological and scientific growth within the Islamic states. During the 17th century, the Islamic states wanted to maintain their unique cultural identity. As a result they declined the pressure of the western countries of incorporating new practices within their political, economic and social systems. The leaders within Islamic states during this period refused to accept that they there were things which they would learn from the Europeans. This is because the Islamic states believed that they were a superior group with a rich culture and thus t hey were not obliged to incorporate western ideas into their systems of social life, governance and the economy. It is therefore evidence that the leaders of the Islamic states during the 17th century did not consider that different countries in the world had a strong influence on the growth of the states. The justification of the conservatism of the Islamic states can be attributed to the fact that globalization had not yet been experienced during thus period and thus the Islamic community believed that they were self reliant and they did not need to depend on the assistance of other3. The Islamic states in the 7th century were characterized with decline in the sectors of the economy in addition to reduced scientific innovativeness. What would have been expected of these states is collaboration with other states through alliances in their economic sectors. But this is what would be possible in the modern global and civilized economy. The 17th century perception among the Islamic st ates was that they would only recover from the economic decline which they were experiencing only if they alienated themselves from the western influence. The motivation of the conservatism of the Islamic state was the maintenance of their unique cultural values from foreign ideas which were believed to be the cause of the decline of the Islamic empire. A deeper evaluation of the Islamic conservatism during the 17th c