--- In logic-ot@y..., GAmoore@a... wrote:
> Have a religion that can be interpreted to grant salvation for
> death in battle, even if battle means killing civilians in a sneak
attack.
Now, I wasn't going to write anything else, until I read this . This
is written from a person who OBVIOUSLY knows nothing about
this religion, Islam. No, he didn't say Islam specifically, but it was
implied.
What bothers me is how people can make assumptions about
Islam, or other non Christian religions for that matter, yet cannot,
or do not, take a look at their own religion. I read the above
comment, and thought to myself "Crusades". Was the fact that
thousands of Muslims were killed during the Crusades,
because of Christians trying to promote their 'superior religion'
ever taken into account? Or the fact that Christians have been
using Bible scripture to justify slavery and hatred towards
Africans for hundreds of years, and that many right wing
extremists and white supremacists still use the Bible today to
propagate their hated of Jews and other minority groups? I doubt
it.
Have you actually READ the Koran? I have, although I was raised
a Christian.
My point is that Islam does not corner the market on fanaticism;
one only has to look at the Northern Ireland conflict as proof.
Islam, like Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, or
whatever, is a peaceful religion. It's the people who practice
religion who make it what it is.
Case in point:
I'll never forget watching Larry King Live on CNN International two
weeks ago. The topic was what role religious leaders could play
in helping people to deal with what happened on Sept.11. His
guests were A Methodist minister, A Muslim scholar, A Jewish
rabbi, a Catholic priest, and the head of a large Baptist
congregation in the southern US. They were discussing the
possibility of leaders of the different faiths coming together to
find some ways to educate the public on what the different faiths
have in common. The Baptist kept ranting and raving about 'God
being the one true God, and his son Jesus Christ, who died for
our sins,' etc.etc.etc. , with the Muslim and the Jew sitting right
next to him. At that moment, I was embarrassed to be a
Christian, because he demonstrated what the Muslims' main
gripe is against Christianity: a lack of respect for their faith. A
billion people can't all be wrong.
Instead of theorizing on who what the terrorists of tomorrow will
look like or from what part of the world he / she will come from,
we need to collectively do find common ground with those who
differ from us politically,economically, and religiously, to make
sure that Sep.11 never happens again.
Charles Simmons
African-American, politically enlightened, Christian raised, Koran
and Torah -versed, underpaid, over enthusiatic,
R&B Singer in exile, in Germany. :-)