Somalilandsun – In this age we live in a world of clashing ideologies and ideas, the clash of social values and scientific theories, the clash of civilizations and religions, a world in which traditions collide with evolution.
It is a world of absolute freedom that mankind has not gain from it, but the birth of numerous currents more than the number of stars in the sky, each intellectual current calls to the way that it’s finders see its the best way to evaluate the human life, and to organize the society according to that trend.
As an islamic community, isolated society which was and still controlled by the provisions of its traditions and religion which are gleaned from our ancestors, as a society opened their eyes now on the majestic development of the world, and the technological renaissance, especially in the field of communications, which made the world a small village, that society may be shocked by what it sees, hears and realizes, through the various means of communication, and would be terrified by the image of the daily life of open_minded Western society.
What is the solution? Or what can we do at least to minimize the impact of this shock?
In my modest opinion, the solution is that we balance between those traditions that we were rise on it, Which our society got use to it since the ancient times as a part of our Islamic African and Somali identity, and the speed in which the world is evolving and the progress that the humanity is witnessing these days.
Tradition is defined in dictionaries as “the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way”, the scientific evolution doesn’t always encounter with these customs or beliefs, It may affect the physical aspect of human beings, but it’s not surely exposed to the culture or faith, but perhaps it could alter and correct – through common sense – some of the ratification which are originated from ignorance.
I would be lying if I say I know the solution and I carry a magic wand, I admit it needs a large process including an immense logical absorption, and I know well that it is not easy to accept the new for private, socially and religiously conservative communities.
Not easy, yup, but it is inevitable that we must take a step forward, it is one of the universe’s laws that; circumstances change with the change of times, but it is important to understand that when we say this, we do not mean to accept imported traditions or to attract new ethic values from other civilizations, this is not evolution, in the other hand it’s called a civilization defeat of a certain society, but we mean to keep up with the world and walk with it side by side in the scientific and technological progress, also learning to live – not integrate – with other communities.
We can conclude the content of this article in saying:-
“Uphold the traditions, customs and moral values of our society, without forgetting that it is worthwhile to respect the yearning of the human soul to the new, and the evolution which is simultaneous with time”.
Mustafa Osman Adam
Department of Geology
Faculty of Pure and Applied Science
International University of Africa
Khartoum, Sudan
