Religion- a key to know different cultures

Religion is a complex of cultures. Some people tend to take it cultically and respond allergically, perhaps because of the terrorist attacks by cultically-religious groups. I agree and can relate to their prejudice somehow. However, if you expose yourself to foreign cultures, you’d face to religions in which your foreign friends believe. Sometimes their ethics, thoughts and actions are in line with the belief that their religion teaches them. I believe that knowing the religion help us to know their selves.

To this extent, I’d research the local religion before going to a certain country. Being a Buddhist, I researched Buddhism and the Dalai Lama before I went to Ladakh three years ago, so did I for Muslims and Christians before I went to Malaysia and Europe respectively. As you can read in this blog, I've been researching the enshrined deities upon visiting Shinto Shrines throughout Japan, though I didn't make it to cover the whole shrines I've visited due to my schedule conflicts (I’m on my way!).

This attitude has made respects in my heart towards what the people believe and it gave me some great opportunities. In Malacca, Malaysia, I strayed into a mosque, the religions payer room for Muslims, by the seashore. It was built on an artificial island and half of the building was on the ocean (well, it was supported by strong iron poles embedded into the ocean). I was fascinated by the mosque view with the ocean and got an impulse to take the photo, but I also realized the place was for their religion. In this way, I approached to one of the mosque guy and asked for his permission for my photo taking.

He was surprised at my attitude in a good way. He gave me OK with a condition that I’d refrain from taking photos inside the prayer room. I accepted it and took photos roaming around the building. He said then that I can go inside the prayer room since I was rather polite to their religious importance. Of course photo taking was banned but the man let me wear a special gown in such an occasion that non-Muslim people come inside the mosque. He said; it was very rare to ask non-Muslim in the prayer room.

This is just an example I've encountered during my trip but the more polite we are towards the religion, the more polite the people become. 

Globalism has been argued as if it was a cutting-edge fashion. People tend to think that English-speakers can be a global person. However, the core point for the globalism is to get to know different cultures. With this regard, religions may be one factor to shape the difference between their cultures and yours. Open your eyes to see the world and you'll learn something.