Handley 1

Jessica Handley
Leaver
AP HuG-3rd period
1 April 2016
Unit 3: Cultural Patterns and Processes
Globalization can affect how a culture practices its beliefs in different parts of the
world. A religious group will maintain their cultural diversity if they congregate regularly
to practice their beliefs. In the United States, religious groups such as Muslims maintain
their religious diversity, but their practices vary by place and region. I had the opportunity
to visit the Islamic Association of Collin County in Plano, Texas, where around 3% of the
population identify as Muslim. While visiting this mosque, I learned that Westernization
will ultimately not overcome religious beliefs if the group maintains their cultural
diversity.
My first glance at the mosque was overcome by two protesters with extremely
rude posters standing on the street corner outside of the building. Families and children
walked by these protesters in a quiet procession, with no altercations as far as I saw.
Honestly, it was infuriating to see hundreds of people's religious days interrupted by these
people, but as I entered the mosque, the imam encouraged everyone there to not let
the posters get to them. It was very encouraging to see such a strong community
congregating together despite the pressures of a very Christian-based hometown. As a
Christian, I have never visited a mosque before, let alone be challenged by people of
opposing faiths, and this experience opened my eyes to the lack of respect given to
originally non-Western cultures.

Handley 2
Islam, as a universalizing religion, has been affected greatly by the globalization
of human values, but has continued to maintain its cultural identity as a religion. Upon
entering the mosque, I walked with the other women upstairs, as is the practice in Islamic
culture. All of the women wore beautiful fabrics and scarves that covered their hair, and
some women were adorned with dresses that invoked traditional modesty. One thing that
I noticed was that despite the technological innovations of the television in the upper
room so the women could see the imam, or the no cell phone signs that were placed on
the walls, the Islamic tradition remained prominent throughout the service. As I watched
the call to prayer, I could tell that each woman in that room was having a unique spiritual
experience, and this exemplifies the fact that they still valued their traditions of prayer
despite a slight Westernization of their culture.
This experience I had has revealed to me the idea that modernization of culture
will not completely change its values, but enhance them. In Texas, Islam is very different
than from the Middle East, but Muslims still practice the same belief system as in their
places of origin. Westernization will never be able to overcome the traditions of Islam.