I live in a country which has the world’s second largest Muslim population. I have lost friends to acts of terrorism on our soil. I have soldier friends who till today bear wounds acquired fighting an enemy sworn on Allah’s name to bleed us with a million cuts besides having fought wars with us. That country harbours known enemies of my land and regularly sends terrorists from sanctuaries there into our land to carry out acts of terror. I am naturally concerned about what is happening to the religion which has driven some of its adherents to violence and to killing innocent people in the name of Allah.
There is one young member of my family who thinks that I am nuts. He has got some muslim friends who reacted to Woolwich with tweets saying things to the effect that islam is a religion of peace. In fact, it was that information from him to me that led me to blog on Woolwich.
My posts that followed on Woolwich and Woolwich Again have generated some email traffic for me and two of them directed me to two different messages.
The first one is from a friend who asked me what I made out of the interview in the BBC shown here.
The other mail led me to this article in the Wall Street Journal.
Are we beginning to see a tipping point?
People who freely abuse others and yet feel all offended and disgusted when it happens to them don’t deserve the time of day from anyone. Unfortunately, there are far too many individuals in this world who don’t believe in doing unto others as they would have done unto them. Tragic.
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Maria, this approach will open a can of worms. Who started it all?
I believe that the world is divided into people who are listening to mostly only one side of an argument and blocking out any different view or opinion since on subjects like these positions are deeply entrenched – for whatever reason . I found “Homeland” ( Season 1 ) quite interesting . As I had mentioned in another post nationality and religion are accidents of birth – the choices one makes and opinions held thereafter are part of a de-conditioning processes .
I agree with you that at a certain age we become responsible for our deconditioning. Very few people agree with us, I’m afraid.
Cheerful Monk recently posted..Throwing Paint
Part of their “conditioning” !
Your belief is valid.
You once wrote that you don’t believe in free will. If so does that mean all of this violence is preordained?
It doesn’t take religion for people to be destructive. Here’s a video of a guy whose neighbor set fire to his house while he and his little daughter were inside: http://on.aol.com/video/was-this-familys-house-set-on-fire-because-of-their-lawn–517799928?hp=1&playlist=127167&ncid=webmail31 The incident was recorded on the 911 call the guy made while it was happening. The lawyer for the culprit said his psychiatrist had just changed his medications, so presumably it’s not his fault? If you were a juror in the case what would you say?
Cheerful Monk recently posted..Throwing Paint
Free will only means that we are given a car to drive and we do so as nest we can ; however there are maniacs , roadblocks , black ice , potholes etc on the road which make us change direction or speed or sometimes even do a UTurn . In the end the fuel runs out or the car is trashed . Rebirth means we get another new car which might have manufacturing defects , or not , no warranties or guarantees – just fate .
sorry “best we can ” not “nest”
Yes, I do believe that the violence is preordained. If you have read the Bhagwat Geeta, Krishna clearly says that the battle that is about to take place between the forces of evil and good is preordained and that Arjuna is but a tool in the grand scheme of things.
In that specific case, I would go by my instinct at that particular moment of decision making.
People claiming to be mentally unbalanced while committing crimes do get away don’t they!
As I’ve said before, I did read that when I was a teen. That’s where I got my motto, “Play your part well and let go of the results.” To me that was just common sense.
Cheerful Monk recently posted..Fire!
Thathaasthu.
As long as man is on the Earth there will be killing and war.
blessings ~ maxi
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Sadly, you are right.
This extract from the Wall Street Journal says it all …
“I wonder what would happen if Muslim leaders like Julie Siddiqi started a public and persistent campaign to discredit these Islamist advocates of mayhem and murder. Not just uttering the usual laments after another horrifying attack, but making a constant, high-profile effort to show the world that the preachers of hate are illegitimate. After the next zealot has killed the next victim of political Islam, claims about the “religion of peace” would ring truer.”
I would love to see this, but doubt that it will ever happen.
I noticed that in recent press photos of a multi-faith tribute to the Woolwich victim it was easy to spot some Hindus, Sikhs etc. in the crowd, but no ‘obvious’ Muslims.
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Yes, and bar a few courageous muslims, most simply hide behind a veil of horror at what ‘some’ misguided followers do. No, we are unlikely to see the religion of peace ring truer in the foreseeable future.
Striking is it not that other religious immigrants can come out but the muslims dare not?
I like this series of examinations you have put together. My ruminations right now are on the converts to Islam from outside who obviously had more need to justify what they already leaned toward than to learn and follow a religion. And, like you, I also have felt for a long time that the Islamic leaders need to be more outspoken and consistent in their statements and teachings if they wish to stop the justifications. What I am wondering about these leaders is why they are not doing more of this on a consistent basis and allowing their “pure” faith to be compromised. Do you think that being labeled as infidels themselves plays into it? In other words, are peaceful muslims being bullied by the aggressive “spokesmen?” In a milder form, this is happening in Christianity after all.
Note: I will not be able to view the YouTube in this post until I get back home tomorrow and it may address this in part.
The Old Fossil recently posted..Tomorrow
In the meanwhile, here is something that will give you an idea as to why I am so concerned. http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/india-remains-subject-to-violent-terrorist-attacks-us-report/article4769294.ece
Religious extremism of any sort – no matter the religion – terrifies me. Anyone who feels they have the right to impose their religion on another is dangerous.
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It is not only dangerous, I consider it as violence when even preselytising takes place.