I understand what you mean about religion. I grew up in Kuwait so I’m familiar with the inner works of the entire M.E. region.

You are so right about labels. Labels are just another concept or tool that can be used in positive or negative ways. It depends on the person.
Having an open mind is key. And, as you mentioned, the desire to think rather than follow blindly.

I was born into a religiously polarized environment. And what’s sad about it is that the polarization is within the same religion (Islam). You’d think that people would grow up with age, but that’s a misconception.

After living in Britain for a long time and interacting with people of different faiths, I’ve come to appreciate people’s individuality, regardless of religious affiliation. In fact, I feel very comfortable amongst atheists who think for themselves than family members who are Muslim only because they were born Muslim (and are too afraid to take on the responsibility of thinking).

The problem with labels is that they can help *and* hinder communication. It’s easy to jump to conclusions about what a person’s views are simply because of the labels we use to describe them. I often find it useful to use labels as a starting point, and then get to know an individual better to have a more accurate sense of who they are and what they stand for.