Muslim social theory - is there an adequate understanding of Muslim social change?

Over the last few years a great deal may be deemed to have changed in the Iraq. Too much has been dropped on Iraq by the West - democracy may make sense to us but it is not necessarily a system that should be implemented there and parachuting the system in may not make the least sense within the nation. Journalists may have been critical of the methods used, for example, the BBC are pro self-forming democracies but they should generally question the need even to keep Iraq as one nation when the UK may in some ways be three nations struggling to stay together.

While there has been a democratic government installed into the Iraqi infrastructure almost entirely ensuring that there was a break with existing convention to a point which led a great many to become insurgents, there does need to be a question asked over the suitability of the British and American approach in influencing the changes that have been made.

There has been a great emphasis on managing change in the UK’s business fraternity over the last few decades. Although there could be questions asked about the transferability of the methods used in this type of process, or for instance the settings approach to health promotion developed by Prof. Leo Baric, the backlash against the ‘liberating’ forces has been so strong that there may not be another conflict like this again. There may be imperatives to carry out duties of military operations which are aimed at facilitating autonomy of government in that nation to consider all action of the forces and how that will fit into a plan of managing change within that nation. Should every possible element of a nation’s culture be considered in the change process undertaken?

There could be a great many contributions from a host of academic perspectives which could contribute to the ‘closure’ of the warring currently taking place within Iraq, although again that may be too westernised a concept to employ. Surely the terms used for the closure of the period should be driven by Iraqi culture and reflect durable peace. I assumed at earlier points that there could have been contributions made from Muslim sociologists as a strong field of Jewish sociology which may be a necessary level of discourse to engage in for any culture that wishes for cultural equality. Social change within Iraq and managing the process effectively are likely to be key terms for the military to consider – especially if the exit strategy is to be peaceful. It may be ironic to state but some forms of Islamic government may have utilised more of the essence of democracy than are demonstrated in the democracies of the west.

It is almost a stable enough comment to become an adage, stated by Mike McKay (Phil Collins lookalike and political philosopher) that politicians are popular at home or abroad but rarely both, especially not at the same time. Are we going to see a politician with a cross-cultural appeal beginning to make their marks in the west in the near future? At present Mr George W Bush does not seem to fit the bill.

Redefining 'political correctness': should the British use a less politicised term of ‘common humility’?

There is more than a slight backlash against the movement of political correctness within the UK media as a whole and this is one area where the media seem in tune with the British public at large – what tends to be accepted in the UK is that there is no apparent alternative to the movement that ‘political correctness’ has become, when it may just be the beginning of a revitalised approach to human relations and how they are termed in everyday language use.

There may not be a single source, of course, of political correctness as a movement, though as the history of the situation gets formed, it may be possible to assume that there was a need for a perhaps international common framework to discuss and describe number of forms of disadvantage that resulted in lower social and economic status for an individual. This may as a result be an example of the process of globalisation of culture which marks the interchange between Britain and the US socially and economically. This may of course not be the case, there doesn’t seem to be an exponent from the US who would argue that the same terminology should be adopted in the UK or elsewhere in Europe that may have been seen to be suitable in the USA.

The backlash against global processes may reflect a resistance to the processes of globalisation as a whole, which may not be visible but is taking place in a great many forms through the discussion groups which were used to select appropriate terms to use within an organisation to avoid discriminatory action. Arguably, those who have disliked the new terminology of political correctness have not been connected to the processes of selecting the most appropriate language for an organisational context. There may be solid grounds to reject the use of terms of courtesy based upon language which does not connect with the social history of the users of the terminology. The process of managing this form of social change and ensuring that there were positive impacts all round are considerable. All of this creates a position where there may be a need to reject elements of the globalisation of culture and seek a national, regional or more local solution that are part of a more prominent movement which helps get those who feel resentment to the ‘politically correct’ on board.

Deconstructions of political correctness may include a more complex picture of competing interests that incorporate what I am stating. Would they indicate that it were a movement that it provides a means of avoiding discriminatory language which can not only restrict the development of the person that it is being used to describe but also to ensure that any one who is working with them may not be accused of discriminating against them? This also could be in the interests of an employer who may not wish to be involved in either providing substandard working conditions where harassment may take place but also may avoid the risk of prosecution through negligence over not addressing this type of matter. In whose interests does political correctness take place as a process may also be worth asking as there may be some benefits for the vulnerable groups who are not discriminated against, although perhaps there is a greater benefit for those who get to grips with how the terminology can be used so they can progress in their careers.

There may be good reason to question the beneficiaries of political correctness – as a movement political correctness may not have addressed any unequal power relations but only offered window dressing to those who were looking to absolve themselves from engaging in any meaningful form of social change. This type of change in language use is little more than a lubricant to capitalism and maintains distinct power relations rather than challenges them in any way. It would be interesting to examine who the major beneficiaries of political correctness have been so far. It does assist in some ways with the sense of a meritocracy and sense of social and economic freedoms.

The meritocratic nature of Blair’s Britain may be subject to further analysis at an appropriate point. We may then find that there are ‘relationally challenged’ individuals that are those who do not have a great opportunity through extended family or others who are ‘aesthetically challenged’ when looks are fully recognised as being a particularly significant issue in the preferences of employers. Maybe one day….

If social and economic power relations are not being challenged and there is an aversion to the US approach of political correctness which may be due to financial and public image reasons being central to undertaking the process of cultural change then there may be scope to undertake a more British approach. Finance and public image may not be matters necessarily central to British culture and there could be reason, despite common ground with the US, to separate and form a more British movement. This has been undertaken by the left wing councils of the 1980'S and not respected for what it was - maybe it is time to review this.