(MENAFN- Arab News) I read with interest the article 'Mimicking the West' (Sept. 8) by Ramzy Baroud. I completely agree with the writer's views regarding the so-called liberal elements in our part of the world. The liberals of the wider Muslim world have developed the habit of aping the West without taking into consideration their respective social settings and religious sensitivities.

The intelligentsia has an important role to play in a society. Unfortunately the so-called intellectuals of the Muslim world are themselves a confused lot due to which we are faced with the current social decadence.

In the realm of social sciences definition of the terms like liberal or regressive varies from society to society. There is no universal explanation of a particular attitude/ human behavior. It changes depending on factors such as socioeconomic settings and ideological base etc. What is perceived as regressive in the West may be considered normal in the East. This does not mean that we should stop learning from the western experiences. It is necessary to tailor western ideals suiting our social needs. It is sad to note that our intelligentsia equates westernization with modernization an idea that is seriously flawed.

I don't wish to criticize the western ideals but truth be told we cannot adopt their philosophies verbatim. In our collective psyche religion plays a crucial role whereas in the West religion has long disappeared from their intellectual discourse. This makes a huge difference and we cannot ignore this factor before advocating implementation of western ideals in our societies. Usman Shafiq Riyadh