Introduction
Culture is one of the main factors that differentiate human beings from other animals and it is a culture that informs the beliefs and behavior of individual members of society. Culture can be described as a complete of human behavioral patterns that are learned with time through the process of enculturation. New members of the society are encultured differently depending on the beliefs and practices of a particular society. Culture is one of the most powerful human tools used for survival; however, it is a flimsy phenomenon [1].
The importance and obstacles related to culture
Culture varies across many groups of individuals and it is what differentiates one part of the society from the other. Due to this difference, culture has sometimes become an obstacle when it comes to cross-cultural interactions. A cultural practice by a section of members of the society may seem to be criminal or intolerable to other sections of the society with different cultures and may be used as a defense against external aggressions like in the case of terrorists and suicide bombers. From a sociological point of view, the perception of other cultures as bad or intolerable is ethnocentric. Sociology appreciates the cultural differences even though some are harmful to other members of the society; this is exemplified by terrorism.
It is important to note that cultural beliefs inform an individual’s actions and behavior and also that there exist varied cultures in the whole society. Due to this fact, terrorism is also a set of activities that are rooted in cultural beliefs and practices and are passed on to succeeding generations. The implication of this is that terrorism is purely cultural and the individuals who practice it have been born and brought up in a certain cultural atmosphere which allows for enculturation of individuals based on a stereotyped comprehension of religion and societal expectations. Terrorism is a form of culture that is used mostly by Islamic radicals to achieve their end. The fact is that those engaged in terrorism activities do not view such activities as criminal, but as a cultural duty that every member of that society must be made to internalize. Terrorism becomes an obstacle because it is a practice against other societies perceived as enemies of the terrorist groups.
Terrorists and suicide bombers cannot be crazy as most members of society have come to believe. The fact is that, according to the Islamic religion, the act of suicide bombing is an act of martyrdom and anybody who wants to be a martyr cannot refuse to become one of the suicide bombers. The fact that other society members consider suicide bombers as criminals and insane, is directly due to ethnocentrism and lack of proper understanding of the cultural motivation behind suicide bombing. If another group of individuals in the society hate suicide bombing and those who practice terrorism, then, this is the basis on which it is even practiced more; this means that the members practicing terrorism and suicide bombing are driven by their cultural and societal duty and religious obligation to defend their community and religion by all means, including terrorism which they carry out through suicide bombing.
It is important to understand that different cultural practices are subject to societal conflicts. The conflict arises because one or a group of cultures are fighting other cultures (ethnocentrism). The cultural conflict has even been aggravated by globalization which necessitates interactions of individuals with different cultural backgrounds from all over the world. When individuals interact, they already have a perception of particular cultures which they consider as inferior to theirs. It is worth noting that the individuals engaged in terrorism and suicide bombing are not different from others but are rather the products of different social enculturation.
Conclusion
Individuals in society are not different, especially at birth, but in the process of learning different cultures and practices, they acquire certain beliefs and traits that may clash with the rest. It is clear that what institute culture are just perceptions of the minds that are deeply rooted into individuals’ subconscious.
Bibliography
1. Hanson. Meaning in Culture. Volume 6 of Routledge Library Editions. Routledge. 2004.