Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research

Islam Beautifies Culture

Cultural knowledge brings a lot of benefit to the global Muslim community. There is no inherent “Muslim culture”. This infographic introduces the beauty of Islam enriched by culture and what it can offer to the global Muslim community.

The infographic below introduces the beauty of Islam enriched by culture and what it can offer to the global Muslim community.

Read the full publication to learn more.

Muslims make up a global community of beautiful cultures. Sometimes, however, our spaces are dominated by those who unintentionally offer their own interpretation of Islam as the only right way. It creates a notion that a normative “Muslim culture” exists, and that becoming Muslim requires you to fit a certain mold or become a completely different person.

Filtering cultural knowledge through set Islamic guidelines derived from the Qur’an and Hadith will help us recognize that there is no single cultural way of practicing that is more Islamic — there are just various expressions of Islam. Cultural knowledge brings a lot of benefit to the global Muslim community. But often, some groups that dominate Muslim spaces unintentionally impose their own interpretations of Islam as the only true way, excluding indigenous and minority communities, and ultimately driving out those who don’t feel like they belong. The key is to recognize that all cultural knowledge is important, and that we need to value such knowledge from under-represented communities. This will not only allow us to learn from each other’s unique experiences to tackle problems — it will also enrich our global community and foster greater harmony.