Dominant Islamic Ethnic Culture (DIEC) Map - Guiding Muslims Towards Contentment
Opinion: By Mujahid Chowdhury | Follow me on X
In this short essay I will be presenting the DIEC map which is a Venn diagram consisting of three elements: Islamic culture, geographic/ dominant culture and ethnic culture. The purpose of the DIEC map is to provide a visual representation that can help explain the variations in culture one might find among Muslims within a given society. This map may be more relevant in western countries that have Muslim ethnic minority groups but may also be useful in Muslim majority countries. Cultures form a part of our identity and it is essential for Islamic scholars, leaders and activists to be aware of the nuances in culture that include geographic, dominant and ethnic variations in order to be able to properly guide their respective communities.
I have given different titles to each identity type that falls within different areas of this map. In this essay I argue that the Integrated Hybrid Muslim (IHM) identity type is the identity type that Muslims should be striving for. I also suggest that in order to guide a Muslim to this identity type routes should be established which slowly phases Muslims into this superior identity type. Finally I argue that there is a correlation between the IHM identity type and al-Nafs al-Mutmainnah (The person who is content) which is made mention of in the Qur’ān.
Why does identity matter?
Allah says is Sūrah al-A’rāf verse 199:
خُذِ ٱلْعَفْوَ وَأْمُرْ بِٱلْعُرْفِ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَ
Muhammad Asad translates this verse to mean: "Make due allowance for man's nature [i.e. their cultural norms], and enjoin the doing of what is right; and leave alone all those who choose to remain ignorant."
It is clear from this verse of the Qur’ān that cultural norms play an integral part in Islam.
Al-Qarāfï, a renowned thirteenth-century jurist said:
“Persons handing down legal judgments while adhering blindly to the texts in their books without regard for the cultural realities of their people are in gross error. They act in contradiction to established legal consensus and are guilty of iniquity and disobedience before God, having no excuse despite their ignorance; for they have taken upon themselves the art of issuing legal rulings without being worthy of that practice. Their blind adherence to what is written down in the legal compendia is misguidance in the religion of Islam and utter ignorance of the ultimate objectives behind the rulings of the earlier scholars and great personages of the past whom they claim to be imitating.”
From the above statement of al-Qarāfï we should realise the importance of understanding cultures, this is especially important for scholars who issue legal rulings. Issuing legal rulings and helping to establish behaviors which are detrimental to cultures may result in a violation of the command of Allah in the verse mentioned above in which Allah instructs His Prophet and thereby his followers to “Make due allowance for man's nature”, using the translation of Muhammad Asad.
DIEC Map Codes Explained
| ID | Identity Title | Islamic Culture | Geo/ Dominant Culture | Ethnic Culture | State of Nafs | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | Alien Muslim | Y | N | N | النفس اللوامة | A practising ethnic Muslim living within a particular geographical location that has it’s own dominant culture. They have not inherited the good aspects of that dominant culture neither have they inherited the good aspects of their ethnic culture. However they have managed to avoid inheriting the negative aspects of both the dominant and ethnic cultures. They struggle to fit in and struggle with their identity. |
| AMC | Aspiring Muslim Citizen | Y | ~Y | N | النفس اللوامة | A practising ethnic Muslim living within a particular geographical location that has it’s own dominant culture. They have inherited some of the good aspects of that dominant culture but have not inherited the good aspects of their ethnic culture. They have managed to avoid inheriting the negative aspects of both the dominant and ethnic cultures. They identity themselves more with the geographic/ dominant culture. |
| IMC | Integrated Muslim Citizen | Y | Y | N | النفس المطمإنة | A practising ethnic Muslim living within a particular geographical location that has it’s own dominant culture. They have inherited all of the good aspects of that dominant culture but have not inherited the good aspects of their ethnic culture. They have managed to avoid inheriting the negative aspects of both the dominant and ethnic cultures. They identity themselves more with the geographic/ dominant culture and are comfortable with this identity. |
| BMC | Borderline Muslim Citizen | ~Y | ~Y | N | النفس اللوامة | A Muslim struggling with an Islamic identity whilst living in a geographical location that has it’s own dominant culture. They have inherited some good aspects of Islamic culture and the geographical/ dominant culture however may still practice borderline acceptable Islamic practices that stem from the geographical/ dominant culture. They do not have any understanding of their ethnic culture and therefore they have not inherited neither the good nor the bad from it. |
| CO | Citizen Only | N | Y | N | النفس الأمارة | A Muslim that has completely lost their connection with Islam and is indulging in sin. They identify themselves primarily as a citizen of the geographical location where they are based or have been entirely consumed by the negative aspects of that geographic/ dominant culture. They do not have any understanding of their ethnic culture and therefore they have not inherited neither the good nor the bad from it. |
| AHM | Aspiring Hybrid Muslim | Y | ~Y | ~Y | النفس اللوامة | A practising ethnic Muslim living within a particular geographical location that has it’s own dominant culture. They have inherited some of the good aspects of that dominant culture and some of the good aspects of their ethnic culture. They have managed to avoid inheriting the negative aspects of both the dominant and ethnic cultures. They can do more to learn about the good aspects of both the geographic/ dominant culture as well as their ethnic culture. |
| IHM | Integrated Hybrid Muslim | Y | Y | Y | النفس المطمإنة | A practising ethnic Muslim living within a particular geographical location that has it’s own dominant culture. They understand and have inherited all of the good aspects of that dominant culture. They understand and have inherited all of the good aspects of their ethnic culture. They have managed to avoid inheriting the negative aspects of both the dominant and ethnic cultures. They are highly confident and comfortable with their Islamic identity which is a blend of the good aspects of the dominant culture and their ethnic culture. They are an ideal example and role-model for other Muslims. |
| BHM | Borderline Hybrid Muslim | ~Y | ~Y | ~Y | النفس اللوامة | A Muslim struggling with an Islamic identity whilst living in a geographical location that has it’s own dominant culture. They have inherited some good aspects of Islamic culture. They have inherited some good aspects of the geographical/ dominant culture. They have inherited some good aspects of their ethnic culture. However they may still practice borderline acceptable Islamic practices that stem from the new hybrid culture that is a mix between the geographical/ dominant culture and their ethnic culture. |
| EC | Ethnic Citizen | N | Y | Y | النفس الأمارة | A Muslim that has completely lost their connection with Islam and is indulging in sin. They identify themselves with a new hybrid culture that mixes the negative aspects of the geographic/ dominant culture and their ethnic culture. |
| AEM | Aspiring Ethnic Muslim | Y | N | ~Y | النفس اللوامة | A practising ethnic Muslim living within a particular geographical location that has it’s own dominant culture. They have inherited some of the good aspects of their ethnic culture but have not inherited the good aspects of the dominant culture. They have managed to avoid inheriting the negative aspects of both the dominant and ethnic cultures. They identity themselves more with their ethnic culture. |
| IEM | Integrated Ethnic Muslim | Y | N | Y | النفس المطمإنة | A practising ethnic Muslim living within a particular geographical location that has it’s own dominant culture. They have inherited all of the good aspects of their ethnic culture but have not inherited the good aspects of the geographic/ dominant culture. They have managed to avoid inheriting the negative aspects of both the dominant and ethnic cultures. They identity themselves more with their ethnic culture and are comfortable with this identity. |
| BEM | Borderline Ethnic Muslim | ~Y | N | ~Y | النفس اللوامة | A Muslim struggling with an Islamic identity whilst living in a geographical location that has it’s own dominant culture. They have inherited some good aspects of Islamic culture and their ethnic culture however may still practice borderline acceptable Islamic practices that stem from their ethnic culture. They do not have any understanding of the geographic/ dominant culture around them and therefore they have not inherited neither the good nor the bad from it. |
| EO | Ethnic Only | N | N | Y | النفس الأمارة | A Muslim that has completely lost their connection with Islam and is indulging in sin. They identify themselves primarily with their ethnicity and have been entirely consumed by the negative aspects of that ethnic culture. They do not have any understanding of the geographic/ dominant culture around them and therefore they have not inherited neither the good nor the bad from it. |
Routes to a successful Islamic identity
We believe the best Islamic identity for an ethnic Muslim living in a location with a dominant non-Islamic culture to be the “Integrated Hybrid Muslim” identity type. Below I have described with examples the different routes one could take to eventually arrive at this identity type.
From “Citizen Only” to “Borderline Muslim Citizen”:
A person with a “Citizen Only” identity should first be directed towards a “Borderline Muslim Citizen” identity. This can be achieved by promoting the common aspects of Islamic culture and the dominant culture but are still borderline acceptable as Islamic practices. E.g. A Bengali Muslim living in the UK who goes to the pub to drink alcohol on Friday nights should be encouraged to instead go to the cinema to watch a film with some good messages that are in-line with Islamic values. Although the cinema is not a good place for a Muslim to be depending on the atmosphere and other factors, it is better for a Muslim to be there instead of in a pub drinking alcohol.
From “Borderline Muslim Citizen” to “Integrated Muslim Citizen”:
Once this person has began to adopt such practices that are more in-line with Islamic values they should then be directed towards practices that are both inherently part of the dominant culture as well as inherently part of Islamic teachings and values. E.g. The same Bengali Muslim could be encouraged to join a brothers-only sports team that participates in local sports tournaments. This will help this Muslim to engage in an activity that is very much a part of the dominant culture whilst also being a means of coming closer to Islamic values and that which is acceptable in the Islamic tradition.
From “Integrated Muslim Citizen” to “Aspiring Hybrid Muslim” to “Integrated Hybrid Muslim”:
Once this person is in the safe-zone of acceptable and encouraged Islamic practice they could then begin to explore other aspects of their identity such as their ethnic roots. They can be introduced to programmes which help this person to inherit the good aspects of their ethnic culture that are in-line with Islamic teachings. E.g. The same Bengali Muslim could be encouraged to go on a guided Islamic tour of Bangladesh to discover their Muslim ancestral roots. They could also be encouraged to watch the Shah Jalal docu-drama series which will educate them about their Bengali Islamic identity, history and the good aspects of Bengali Muslim culture.
Other routes:
Examples explaining the below routes will be added soon insha’Allah.
EO > BEM > IEM > AHM > IHM
EC > BHM > AHM > IHM
AEM > IEM > AHM > IHM
AMC > IMC > AHM > IHM
AM > AHM > IHM
Activities for different identity types
What activities can Muslims of varying identity types be directed towards in order to eventually guide them towards becoming integrated hybrid Muslims? This would vary from place to place and across cultures and regions. The leadership of different countries, cities and ethnic communities must come together to discuss a strategy for guiding their community to the IHM identity type. This should include activities for people of different identity types.
Correlation with the three states of the Nafs
In the Islamic tradition there are three states which a person can be in:
1) Nafs al-Ammarah (The person that follows their own desires): Correlates with identity types CO, EC and EO.
2) Nafs al-Lawwamah (The person who is self reproaching): Correlates with identity types AM, AMC, BMC, AHM, BHM, AEM and BEM.
3) Nafs al-Mutmainnah (The person who is content): Correlates with identity types IMC, IHM and IEM with the IHM identity type being the superior of the three.
In order to be completely content as human beings we must be comfortable with our own identity. The most superior of these identities would be fully aware and be able to understand the culture of the geographic location where they are based, the dominant culture around them as well as the ethnic culture stemming from their ancestry and have the ability to take only the good aspects of these cultures. Therefore in order for Muslims to attain the state of contentment they must strive to understand the geographic/ dominant culture around them as well as the culture of their ethnic identity. Inheriting the good aspects of both these cultures that are in-line with Islamic values would give rise to an evolving hybrid Muslim culture.
Inheriting the good from civilizations
Al-Mustawrid reported: He said in front of ‘Amr ibn al-‘As that he heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), say, “The Hour will be established while the Romans are the majority of people.” Amr said, “Be careful what you say.” He said, “I have said what I heard from the Messenger of Allah.” Amr said, “If the Prophet said that, indeed, there are four good qualities in them: they are the most forbearing of people in tribulation, they are the quickest to recover after a calamity, they are the most eager to return after a retreat, and they are good to the poor, the orphan, and the vulnerable. Their fifth quality is good and beautiful: they are the best at stopping the oppression of their kings.” - Muslim
In the above narration we learn about a prophecy of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), that the Romans will become predominant towards the end of time. We also learn from the companion of the Prophet ‘Amr ibn al-’As about some of his observations of the Roman people. He mentions some of their good traits which they contain despite not being Muslim.
As Muslims it would be beneficial for us to inherit these good traits whilst also maintaining other good traits that we may have inherited from other cultures and civilizations that we have come into contact with over the centuries. These good traits should all be viewed through the lens of the Qur’an and the teachings of the Prophet in order to refine them as all good and noble traits can be found in the Prophet.
How Islamic Ancestry use the DIEC map
The first step in Islamic Ancestry’s 18-step docu-drama planning process is human research. This is the phase in the planning process where we gauge what the needs of a specific Muslim ethnic group are and if a docu-drama would be of benefit to that group. We answer questions such as where can this group be found? What variations does it have? What are the challenges that particular group and its variations face? What are the goals of this group? What would benefit this group?
The DIEC map is particularly useful in mapping out the different variations of a particular group, identifying the needs of each variation and thinking about the routes that can be established to guide all variations to the IHM identity type.
The human research is then combined with market research, historical research and political research to gain a deep insight into that ethnic group. We then begin to think of story-lines, messages and ideas about how the docu-drama we plan to produce can help influence this group and essentially guide it to better outcomes.
Summary
In this brief essay I have introduced the DIEC map and explained the benefits of using it. As a next step I think it would be beneficial for Muslim community leaders to conduct surveys within their communities to establish where their community currently resides on the map. Thought can then be given to the routes that can be established to guide community members to the IHM identity type. The DIEC map could also be turned into a heat map to visualise trends within specific community groups.
I hope this tool will be of use to many Muslim leaders and organisations around the world. I would love to see how you are using the DIEC map. Feel free to join the Islamic Ancestry Telegram channel and share your thoughts and experiences. Finally, please do consider making a donation to Islamic Ancestry to help us publish more research, content and docu-dramas!
"In order to be completely content as human beings we must be comfortable with our own identity."