Monotheism and a cultural sense

When people live in or subscribe to a monotheistic religion, do they also subscribe to a particular view of culture? I wonder.

Let me explain. What happens when Americans or people from the western world or for that matter, the followers of Islam who reside in the Islamic nations visit another culture? One that largely subscribes to a polytheistic religion? Do they recognize that the culture they have stepped into, differs from their own?

Taking a step back. Do they even subscribe to a particular kind of culture themselves? For example, most Americans I know tend to support diversity--of the colour of your skin, language, and yes, most importantly, sexual orientation. The typical stance (again amongst people I know) is to say that it doesn't matter to them that non-Caucasians are fast surpassing the Caucasian population in their country. That it is important to acknowledge that not everyone must speak English; Spanish and of course, Chinese are much more commonly spoken global languages. That a person's sexual orientation is their own--no one else has the right to comment on it.

But what happens when they visit another culture? Be it India, where every part of the country has vastly different norms and practices or most Arab lands where it is a sin for most women to even reveal their ankle to any male other than a husband or close relative (kind of ambiguous, that).

I remember a trip to Hampi, the seat of the ancient kingdom of Vijaynagar, a World Heritage Site and still home to some of Hinduism's oldest functioning temples. A town that is frequented by tourists and pilgrims alike. A town where the norm would be to dress modestly (do I sound medieval enough?). A town where American tourists decide that short shorts and noodle strap tops are perfectly acceptable attire. And I wonder why?

Why do Americans think that while different skin colours indicate diversity and bring with it the need to respect the associated cultural mores, their own dress code would be perfectly appropriate for a completely different country?

Not to say that Indians will ever win the award for respecting cultural diversity and the fact that people are different. No, for most communities in India (except maybe for the folks who sang mile sur mera tumhara), culture is all about proving that mine is better than yours. But dig deeper and in that sense of competitiveness (yet another quality that shines like a beacon on our foreheads), is an acknowledgement of the fact that people are different and that different cultures exist.

I am sure there are flaws in this half-baked observation. And I am pretty sure that I can come up with some myself. But it's definitely food for thought. And heck, maybe some kind of ethnographic research :)