Page 30 - The Religion Of The Ignorant

THE RELIGION OF THE IGNORANT

At such parties, the conversation is a kind of "show-off" compe-
tition, wherein everyone seeks to prove himself on some subject.
Women seek to put down other women by discussing their trips
abroad, the beauty of a country they visited, the difficulties in find-
ing good domestic staff, the make of clothes they have bought, their
hairdressers, and the jewelry they have ordered. Men, on the other
hand, talk about their successes in the business arena, their network
of contacts, commenting on economic or political matters as if they
were experts on the subject. Any sincerity, warmth or friendship is
therefore impossible in conversations in Ignorantism. Indeed, such
guests, as soon as they leave the gathering, without fail, end the
event by criticising those who remain. They discuss the insincerity
of the people concerned, their attempts to show off, how boring they
were, their hosts' vulgarity, the ugliness of their interior design and
the tastelessness of the food. Tired, bored and offended, they leave
parties where the Religion of the Ignorant reigns.

Know-It-Alls and Priggery
Anyone following Ignorantism will be far from possessing the
reason and sharpness of understanding revealed in the Qur'an.
Nevertheless, such people greatly admire their own intellects, imag-
ining themselves as far more intelligent than others. An adherent of
the Religion of the Ignorant believes that he has sufficient experi-
ence to give anyone advice on any subject whatsoever. Half-ab-
sorbed information garnished from all around is fused with the
conclusions drawn from his own experiences, and the individual
thus imagines that he or she has acquired a great knowledge of life.
Such people then seek to demonstrate that experience at every op-
portunity. Such attributes as reason, intelligence, moral values and
culture are relegated to second place. One of the most important

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