The Religion Of The Ignorant

In contrast to the nobility in Islam, coarseness is the dominant theme in Ignorantism. Silent protests, such as turning away in anger during arguments among friends, refusing to speak, suddenly turning one's back and storming out, sulking for protracted periods of time, deliberately not laughing at comical things, or wearing down the opposing side by refusing to answer or giving curt and abrupt responses are just a few of these vulgar, banal forms of behavior.

Giving Oneself Airs and Belittling Others

Adherents of the Religion of the Ignorant constantly seek to establish superiority over one another, and do everything they can to put others down, because they imagine they can rise to the top only by pushing others down.

Workplace supervisors or people of high rank generally use behavior such as appearing irritable and abrupt, or giving the impression that they are very busy and have no time for their own subordinates. Engaging in behavior that makes it clear one has no respect for others is regarded as quite justifiable in Ignorantism. One way of belittling other people in this religion is to address only certain individuals in a group, to look only at them and to ignore everyone else. Another device frequently employed is to address everyone around but the person whom one does not want to appear to be dealing with directly, even though one knows that he is interested in that particular subject.

Continuing to do what one was busy doing while another is talking, displaying as little interest as possible by refusing to look at someone who is talking, or deliberately avoiding to answer a question even though one has clearly heard it, are seen as signs of strong personality in Ignorantism. Appearing to have risen above certain things is seen as one way of attaining superiority. As a means of belittlement, the appearance of being uninterested is scrupulously adopted in all walks of life. For instance, it's very important to be the one who's greeted first. Great care is taken to ensure the other person utters the first "Hello!". Ignoring a greeting is another oft-used method of belittling another. Yet the moral criterion revealed in the Qur'an is quite different:

When you are greeted with a greeting, return the greeting or improve on it. Allah takes account of everything. (Surat an-Nisa', 86)

Seeking to achieve superiority over others by means of artificial actions and behavior, and to conceal one's own flaws and deficiencies, are defects seen in those who lack full belief in Allah and the Hereafter. Believers trust only in Allah and fear nothing but Him, but adherents of the Religion of the Ignorant, who fail to appreciate Allah as is due, live in a constant state of fear, insecurity, restlessness and flawed identity. Being humiliated in front of others, being left behind or ignored, all represent major problems for such people. They, therefore, develop an internal defense mechanism, which constitutes one of their major weaknesses. In order to conceal that weakness in society, they generally act from the logic of "An attack is the best form of defense."

Attracting Attention

To attract attention, to make one's presence felt or to prove oneself in a group environment, the most obvious of the artificial behavior and attitudes resorted to are:

Seeking to appear different and to give oneself a unique air by engaging in inappropriate behavior,