Quote:
Originally posted by baltassoc
I said that Christianity, and in particular, the protestant work ethic, were responsbile for social conditions conducive to equal rights for women, and implied thereby that certain dogmatic turns in Islam had created a corresponding period of economic stagnation that has led to a generally worse position for women in Islamic countries (note this was not always the case - until the 13th or 14th century is was the Muslims who were clearly the innovators).
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I was with you (sort of) until you got to the part about dogmatic turns in Islam "creat[ing]" a period of economic stagnation. Until about 1880, Islam prospered in regions of the world where the natural resources were, um, overlooked. They did not have an industrial revolution as a result. By the time the value of the Arabic resource in particular was recognized, it was exploited (in the good, capitalist sense) by external powers in conjunction with local warlords a manner hearkening back to African "cooperation" with the slave trade.
The dogmatic turns taken by Islam were a response to, not the cause of, those economic stagnations. Islamic thought, at its best, despises corruption. Petro-politics, at its best, requires it.
