Yesterday in class we did a textbook reading on Feng Shui. I told them I was no expert on the subject, but I at least tried to explain to them that, to the best of my knowledge, it had to do with being mindful of the relationship between people and the Earth and the ways in which the energies of all things interact. The reading talked about businessmen, including Donald Trump, who consulted Feng Shui experts when building their businesses and how it helped their businesses succeed.
When I asked for their opinion, one student said it was cheating and that whether your business succeeded or not was up to Allah and had nothing to do with the Earth. I wasn’t about to bring up the question that if God created the Earth and its creatures, then wouldn’t God also be present in and work through the Earth, and shouldn’t we listen to and respect its messages?
So, instead, I asked the student if he believed that Feng Shui worked, even if was unethical. He said he didn’t believe in it because it was cheating. I argued that if he thought it was cheating, then it must mean that he believes it works, otherwise the question of ethics wouldn’t matter. He shook his head “no” and just said all things were up to Allah. Of course, when I asked if anyone else in the class had an opinion, none of them did, because they all agreed with the first guy. Oh, conformity.
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