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Culture is dominant over religion Just before a time a neighbor entered into our home with his just newly born baby........he was so happy and wanted to name his baby by my grandmother. He was a Hindu but yet desired to have an Islamic name for his baby. The religion like Hinduism is too strict in his values but yet a Hindu selects an Islamic name for his baby is a bit shocking....not only this but they participate in all other Islamic events and occasions just like a Muslim e.g. in Eids, arrange if tar party although don't keep fast, participate in funerals, and believe in many values of Islam. Not only Hindus but also Muslims have the powerful culture over their religion...marriage with quran, unequal distribution in wealth in case of women...vulgar dresses worn by Muslim girls in west and in few areas of Pakistan as well, although all these sort of values are restricted in Islam. Eating meat of cow in Hinduism is prohibited but some of the Hindus even eat it in Pakistan. It seems religion to be dominant over any of its culture if we do not study into the depth but religion is something dependent upon the culture. Culture built our mind and it teaches us what is religion and its values. It is not like that all the different cultures having the same religion will be having the same values they are acting as a religion….for example marriage with quran in Bolochistan (Pakistan) is acted as a religious values just to protect their wealth while it is strictly no where in Islam and it is not acted in most of Islamic cultures or areas. It is that area's culture who taught them that marriage with quran is a religious and Islamic value because culture is always powerful over its religion. Culture is powerful over religion in its values but the basic values of a religion are always remain constant in all the culture where it exists Such as in Islam Allah is one, Muhammad (pbuh) is the last prophet of Allah, day of judgment, Namaz (prayer), fast, Pilgrimage, Zakah (charity), kalima, atc but some secondary values like rights of women, wine is prohibited, interest and bribe are prohibited etc are not followed in all the cultures strictly because these are dependent upon the culture if it is acceptable in the culture so people adopt them even these are not allowed anymore in the Islam. But

described above basic values are followed everywhere in every culture so people just can compromise over their secondary values of their religion but again it really depend on the culture because keeping fast in the area of NWFP id considered to be very strong religious aspect of Islam but it is not followed very regularly in some Punjab areas and in the west by the Muslim community, so this again follow the culture if culture support the religious values so people adopt it otherwise people do neglect it. A very famous pop singer of Pakistan Jawad Ahmed said recently in his interview that he never kept fast from his childhood because his society and parent never prompt him to act like this. Although this man is pure Muslim but he is being taught like this by his culture. A marketer should never take the religion as a single unit for all the cultures where it exists for example Islam, Hinduism exists in many areas of the world but in the area where a religion is in minority so it inspires from the majority religion and the values of the minority religion mix with majority culture. So a marketer should develop different marketing strategies for different cultures even if these cultures have the same religion. A wine business can be launched in Dubai and turkey but not in Pakistan....both areas has the same religion but the values of the religion is practiced in different ways in both areas due to the power of the culture because in Dubai that is the global village, the Islamic values are impressed by the other culture exist in Dubai. A model in mini skirt can be shown in turkey but can't in Pakistan although both are Islamic republic states....... describing all this .the purpose is that a marketer should never prefer the religion over culture while he making any strategy in any area of the world because people always strongly believe in their cultural values as compare to their religious values....it doesn't mean to neglect the religion but more focus should be given on culture rather than religion.

By: Faizan Hayat IM Studies Peshawar, Pakistan