Islamic View of Sin is Often Vertical Rather than Horizontal Shame versus Guilt

This is a keen insight that also apply to the animistic people I lived among. Relationships are paramount.

Guilt is a normal reaction of a Western Christian to sin. His conscience is smitten; this leads to remorse and often to repentance. Sensitivity to and the definition of sin depends on many factors. Conscience is conditioned by culture, moral codes, and parental teaching. Sin is regarded primarily as a rebellion against God and secondarily as rebellion against fellow man.

"By contrast the Muslim focuses on the penalty for sin. He does not usually experience sin as guilt but rather as shame and embarrassment losing face is the crucial issue. Lynn Silvernale describes this reaction to sin in the life of a Muslim Bengali. “Shame or embarrassment is a primary social control, that is, it causes a person to try to keep himself in a socially acceptable position.. . . The Bengali governs his behavior by asking himself, ‘What will people say?”

Three-wheeled cycle rickshas are very common in one Muslim country. The drivers arc notorious for their behavior on the road. Often the police will grab one of these drivers and punish him by making him grab his ears, stick out his tongue, and do scores of deep knee bends. The public laugh and ridicule as they pass by. The embarrassment of this simple, nonviolent mode of punishment bums deeply into the heart of the offender.

A consequence of the Muslim perspective is that it is difficult to communicate the biblical meaning of sin to a Muslim. His outlook is horizontal rather than vertical. Often the key criterion of a definition of sin is whether or not a person is caught. ......Repentance and tears come quickly to people with this perspective when they are apprehended in the act. But seldom does guilt lead Muslims to take the initiative and confess a sin of social consequence. The ideal would seem to be a merger of the vertical and horizontal guilt before God along with the shame and embarrassment one feels in relation to other human beings. These forces acting in concert can serve as an effective deterrent to sin."

(Muslim Evangelism: Contemporary Approaches to Contextualization. Phil Parshall. Gabriel Publishing. 2003 p. 96-97)