Lets have a look at Islam from a broader perspective. Islam is the youngest of the three great Monotheistic religions. The first, Judaism is already 4000 years old (dating back to Abraham). Christianity is roughly 2000 years and Islam a "mere" 1400 years old. As such it has borrowed heavily from both elder sisters.
An interesting observation is that both Judaism and Christianity had gone through their own phases of violent and cruel behavior. The ancient Hebrews (commanded by Jehova as the Old Testament tells us) went through a journey of massacre and cruelty during the conquest of Canaan by Joshua. This however was not a religious campaign. It was simply fulfilling the need of a people to claim the "promised land" for its national determination. Once the Jewish kingdom was established by king Saul, and later David and Solomon, the Jewish people never used violence again except for defense against outside invaders.
In fact, the Jewish faith has isolated itself by raising a barrier for others to join in (it is very difficult to be accepted even today). Yet, the Old Testament is full of violent descriptions and cruel behavior.
Christianity on the other hand is a religion based on love and understanding of the fellow man. Yet, for centuries, Christian leaders used violence and terrible cruelty in the name of religion, to prosecute the Jews and others.
My conclusion is that there is little connection between the teachings of the holly scriptures and the actual behavior of the believers of a certain religion. The issue is with the religious leaders and not the Bible or the Koran. It is with the Mullahs, the Imams and the Ayatollahs who interpret Islam as a violent and murderous religion, and send their believers on Jihad of terror.
The Koran itself is simply a code of behavior, in part borrowed from the old testament and the teachings of Christ, with a very simple message: Believe in Alla, Pray a lot and do charity: 2.177 "it is righteousness- to believe in God and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; "
However, the prophet also had a mission to unite the many wild Arab tribes under a single religion. To that end, the prophet (or his disciples) needed to instill obedience in his followers and instruct them on how they should behave while spreading the faith throughout the land. This is why the Koran is very explicit in this regard. As we know by now, this strategy worked very well. Islam has spread throughout all of the Arab lands and then some.
The trouble is, that while doing so, the Koran has nothing about co-existing with other faiths in peace. This is the juncture we are in today. Unless the Mullahs etc. will take on the interpretation of Islam as peace loving religion that can co-exist with other religions, we shall be faced with continuing terror and war.
Somehow we need to pass on the message to these Mullahs etc. that the world is no longer in need of uniting under Allah and his Prophet. That Muslims can only prosper when they accept other religions and nations as legitimate partners on planet earth. This is the message that well educated Muslims throughout the world need to pass on to those Mullahs, Imams and Ayatollahs, for the sake of all of us.
This is my opinion, and I stick by it!
GDA |
