Is It Arab Culture or Religious Extremism?

In his NYT column today, Thomas Friedman threw in the following translation of a poem by a Saudi:

"When you cannot find a single garden in your city, but there is a mosque on every corner — you know that you are in an Arab country.

When you see people living in the past with all the trappings of modernity — do not be surprised, you are in an Arab country.

When religion has control over science — you can be sure that you are in an Arab country.

When clerics are referred to as “scholars” — don’t be astonished, you are in an Arab country.

When you see the ruler transformed into a demigod who never dies or relinquishes his power, and nobody is permitted to criticize — do not be too upset, you are in an Arab country.

When you find that the large majority of people oppose freedom and find joy in slavery — do not be too distressed, you are in an Arab country.

When you hear the clerics saying that democracy is heresy, but seizing every opportunity provided by democracy to grab high positions — do not be surprised, you are in an Arab country.
...
When you discover that a woman is worth half of what a man is worth, or less — do not be surprised, you are in an Arab country. ...

When land is more important than human beings — you are in an Arab country. ...

When fear constantly lives in the eyes of the people — you can be certain you are in an Arab country.”

I expect these are valid criticisms of today's Arab way of life but as I went through this list I began to wonder if some of these didn't fit the lives of the fundamentalist Christian right:

- People living in the past with all the trappings of modernity
- When religion has control over science
- When clerics are referred to as "scholars"
- Rulers transformed into demi-gods who never die or relinquish their power
- Clerics who say [secular] democracy is heresy yet seize every opportunity provided by
democracy to grab political power
- Where a woman is subordinated to a man.

I think a lot of this wisdom isn't confined to the Arab world at all but is rooted in religious fundamentalist extremism of any faith.