Culture and Islamic Adaptation Psychology by Malik Badri

The indiscriminate exportation of Western psychology to Muslim and third world countries can pose serious cultural and ideological dilemmas. When the exported commodity from North to South is physical in nature, the harm done can easily be identified; for example the quick detection of the life-threatening birth defects caused by the drug thalidomide when taken during pregnancy or the flaws in the breaking system of a Japanese car. However, when the exported product is ideas and beliefs and ways of life, the indirect and sneaky damage, is often much more malevolent and long-lasting because it attacks the worldview of the recipients and it shakes their cherished beliefs.