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Today we live in a society where multiple crime killings and war is going on because of cultural and religious misunderstandings and conflicts and yet we claim to be united.
And slowly we are losing our cultural heritage beauty and attributes to misunderstanding and conflicts. Amid this, killings and brutalities keep on happening and yet the high-profile people we have are not doing anything instead, they are even supporting and funding what is happening. Here, we are going to know what misunderstanding is. Continue Reading.........
Misunderstanding can be defined as a situation whereby someone misquotes or lacks understanding of something which leads to quarrels, fights, or conflicts. And because of this, some places in the world are said to be at war and brutal killings have been committed because of this same issue.
And cultural and religious misunderstanding can say to be a misquoting or disagreement of a particular rule belief or custom guiding our culture and religion. And because of this, there have been a lot of conflicts going on all in the name of cultural differences and yet people die daily as a result of this. And this has become a threat to the peace uniting the whole world together as one.
CAUSES OF CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS MISS-UNDERSTANDING
The causes of cultural and religious misunderstanding have to do with a lot of factors listed below.
Culture: culture can be said to be one of the main factors of cultural and religious misunderstanding Because there are a lot of norms and customs that are made to guide every society. When for example you get to a new environment different from the one you are used to, there might be things you will do that in your own culture it’s not a taboo but in theirs, it is a taboo and results in the innocent shed of blood or war because they will see as an abomination being committed by you. Let’s take for example the mode of greeting. A white man can simply stand up and say “hi dad hi mum” or shake hands, hug or even kiss depending on who the person is to him or her. But here in Africa, Nigeria precisely, to even kiss someone who is not your wife here is an abominable act and can make you look wayward and disrespectful while in some religions you might even be thrown out of where ever you are and be told to go and learn manners. Some cultures forbid being with a woman that you are not married to while some see it as a welcome development that will lead to something serious in the future.
Politics: in a situation whereby, you have a particular zone in a given area participating always in government, federal, state level or even in the places of worship while there are other zones, it will give rise to misunderstanding and can equally stare up war and destruction of life and properties as a result of this. Also, if political appointments and allocations in a given society or country are being shared within one particular set of people, this will not just cause misunderstanding among other tribes that are left out, it will also lead to secession i: e a particular people or tribe wanting to leave to create another and rule themselves.
Illiteracy: illiteracy and lack of knowledge and understanding are major tools of religious and cultural misunderstanding and conflict. This is because when we have a given society whereby out of 100% 95 are illiterates and five are not. Then out of that five, 3 are corrupt and dirty-minded and 2 are clean truthful, and straightforward people. The dirty-minded knowing the truth about a particular issue or let’s take for example someone who is going into government appointment will not want to let the people know about the truth because of their selfish benefits, will use any type of device to lure the illiterates either by making huge promises or always feeding them with what they feel is ok for them just to make sure they get their attention because of their selfish interest. Now after convincing them and making promises you can’t fulfill, and in the end, you don’t fulfill your end of the bargain, they will not just turn against the corrupt people that have made promises to them, they will also turn against innocent people. And once greed steps in, it’s hard for them to listen except if there is an application of force or fear on them. Also if we have the so called men of God who are supposed to stand by the truth and educate and lead the poor masses to the right path, are busy looking for favors from these evil men, these also causes havoc, confusion and misunderstanding.
Doctrine: the type of indoctrination and beliefs we get is a major cause of cultural and religious misunderstanding. In a situation whereby we have a particular belief or doctrine that accepts the shedding of the blood of any kind, it will bring misunderstanding between the neighboring towns if they don’t believe in that. And from misunderstanding, can lead to war between the fractions involved. And also, if for example, Muslim purchases a house and turned it Into a mosque in a given city or neighborhood, knowing that by every 3:00 am they will wake up and pray, the people will get mad at them saying they are constituting a nuisance and therefore it will lead to misunderstanding and also conflicts.
having looked at the causes of cultural and religious misunderstanding, let’s take a look at its consequences.
War and loss of life: because misunderstanding has set in, it will bring about war and chaos and there will be loss of life. and during the process, nobody is spared and innocent blood is being shed.
Insecurity: cultural and religious misunderstandings can bring about insecurity because when war sets in, everybody will be on the run and even the security personnel will no longer be functioning anymore cause the first way to start a war in a given society or country is to attack and raise down the security system of a given society. From there the shedding of blood and insecurity in the affected area will be heightened.
The collapse of the economic activities: is one major consequence of cultural and religious misunderstanding. because chaos has set in, nobody will be there to monitor the economic activities of the people involved. And because of this, there will be a shut down of the economic activities and the little profit they made will be invested in equipment used in protecting themselves. or the other party will attack and destroy the major source of income of the opposing and it will also demoralize and weaken them sending them to hunger and starvation which is a major tool to win a war.
Displacement of people: when this understanding sets in, people will be forced to migrate and move to any place to settle and by so doing, families will no longer be together because everyone is fighting for his or her dear life. And by so doing they become refugees in other countries and when this happens, they no longer have the right to security and other fundamental human rights because they are not yet a citizen.
Human trafficking and slavery: this happens immediately after misunderstanding sets in because on the verge of looking for security, people might fall into the hands of the people who will promise them security, food, and shelter in a bid to do whatever they are being asked of from them. In the process, they can be used as sex slaves, used to traffic drugs, and by so doing they risk these people’s lives and the person affected automatically has no hope and aspiration for a good life and is waiting for when death will come. Death becomes their only hope for peace.
Destruction of cultural artifacts: when cultural and religious misunderstanding sets in, the parties involved stand a chance of losing their cultural values and heritages including their precious artifacts stands a risk being destroyed. For communities who leave on the profits made from their cultural artifacts, they will be their source of revenue and income and it will also force them into migration and exile.
Conclusion
In conclusion, cultural and religious misunderstanding is not something we should advocate for. We all should learn to advocate for peace and unity and before we make a decision and conclude on a given situation or problem, let’s try and have a thorough understanding before concluding. We should also try and have a better understanding and respect other people’s values and religion and try as much as possible to adjust to the way of life of any society we find ourselves in.
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