Today we are all French. What happened over the weekend in France, and recently in Beirut, in Kenya, in Iraq, and other countries saddens us beyond words.
In times like these, we stand by all those affected. We grieve for them and hold them in our thoughts. Not only for the victims in France but also the victims of terrorism all across our planet.
Let us not give these terrorists any religious connection as many (including prominent politicians) have done. Islam does not condone these acts. Allah does not lead them. Let us not become even more prejudiced against any religion or ethnic group. And please let us not respond to these attacks incorrectly (as our Nation has done before). But let level heads prevail.
It is not tolerable, it is not
possible, that from so much death, so much sacrifice and ruin, so much
heroism, a greater and better humanity shall not emerge.
-Charles de Gaulle
-Charles de Gaulle
8 comments:
Thank you for this, for being sane and thoughtful, compassionate and heartfelt. I would love for level-headed sanity to prevail.
Amen & amen!!
Well said ... thank you.
Sincerely Jan
Well said my friend.
I am no expert but over the years have read many books on theology. I have tried to understand each religion, to get a glimpse of others views, it has helped me enormously.
Lets hope your views spread far and wide.
Have a good week in the mountains :)
Exactly, Caroline......
Just as Christian leaders can have vastly different interpretations of the Holy Word, so do Muslims. I think it's a mistake not to recognize the overt religious nature of this so called jihad. They are driven solely by what they believe is God's directive to kill all infidels. This is a very very small group of Muslims and we should not give in to our fear that this is normal in the Muslim faith. But let's also recognize that the terrorists are driven my a religious theology. See Frontline's ISIS in Afganistan.
And just yesterday, Boko Haram blew up a market place in Nigeria, killing over 30 innocents. I am seeking solace wherever I can these days.
Thanks for your well-taken point, Tara. Yes, I did see the Frontline. I do agree that originally the group had a misguided interpretation of the Koran. But as I learn more and more about them I believe the new people joining ISIS are motivated more by money than religion. In Syria there is a wider and wider gap among the living situations. Those who join ISIS fare much better than those who do not. The years of war in Syria have produced a group of people desperate to survive and some see ISIS as their best means for survival. The alternatives are to suffer or try to join the other refugees leaving the country.
So I do not agree they are "driven solely by what they believe is God's directive." Rather they are driven by anger, hatred, and greed or (in some cases) by a means to survive. I compare them more to street gangs in major cities but on a much, much larger and more evil scale. They may invoke the name of Allah but they are no more true Muslims than David Koresh was Christian. They kill the fathers and then indoctrinate the children at very young ages.
And I do fear that connecting their name with Muslim (even if we follow it with "extremist or zealot") does a disservice to Muslims in our Nation and abroad. The terrorists may be driven by a religious theology, but it is so far removed from the real Muslim faith that they do not deserve to be called Muslim no matter how many other adjectives describe the word as it applies to them. Overtly or subtly, the term taints a group of people unfairly.
I have a slightly different perspective. As I studied history, I was overwhelmed by how many wars and violent acts were executed in the name of religion. It seems that almost no religion has been free of extremists who do awful things in the name of their religion. As a recent US example, look at the violence at abortion clinics.
As a young woman and a daughter of someone who caught in the middle of the Irish "troubles", I decided not to affiliate with any religion. I try to live by the best moral codes of Christianity but I don't go to church.
That being said, I agree with you that we will only make the current situation worse if we blame Islam in general for the recent terrorist attacks (and others including 9/11). I hope that we can avoid any stigmatization of Muslims in general. I hate hearing about the fear that some Muslims feel living in the western world. I would hope that we would live up to our high moral standards by judging each individual rather than branding entire groups.
Thank you for your (as usual) well thought out post.
Post a Comment