the Message Continues ... 11/13
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MISUNDERSTANDINGS INCITE RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE
[By Steve Higgins, K.W Record, December 17th, 2001]
A Response to a hate-letter.
On behalf of the K-W Interfaith Association, I wish to respond to a
Dec. 11 letter by Sharon Starr which, in our opinion, constituted an
incitement to religious hatred. In stating that the Qur'an directs
Muslims to kill all non-Muslims, Starr is promoting an untruth.
Nowhere in the Qur'an is such a statement to be found.
What the Qur'an does say is this: "Whoever kills a human being, except
as punishment for murder or other villainy in the land, shall be
deemed as though he had killed all mankind." (5: 32)
The violence which presently bedevils Islamic-Jewish relations in the
Middle East and which now poses a terrorist threat to our own way of
life is, in historical terms, the exception rather than the rule and
is based on scriptural interpretations rejected by most reputable
Islamic scholars. The murderous nihilism of Osama bin Laden and his
Al-Qa'eda network actually runs counter to the teachings of the
Prophet [Mohammed].
It is possible that the opinions expressed in the letter are based
upon a misunderstanding of the term "jihad." In fact, many of the
fundamental values which animate Islam are to be found in most
religions and jihad is one of these. While jihad can signify the
defense of the Islamic faith, by far the most important meaning of
this much misunderstood word is "internal spiritual struggle." For any
human being who strives to reconcile the teachings of the spiritual
path with the demands of worldly life, jihad should, in fact,
constitute an essential part of daily life. Mohammed, Jesus, Moses,
Krishna, the Buddha -- almost all great religious figures -- have
enjoined their followers to engage in internal spiritual struggle in
order to make their lives more meaningful.
Another possibility is that what is involved is a misunderstanding of
the term "fundamentalism." Starr wrote: "Fundamentalists take
seriously all tenets, not making selective interpretations." But, in
fact, all who follow a religious or spiritual path must, of necessity,
selectively interpret its demands in terms conditional upon culture
and situation. To do otherwise would be insane. For example, most
Christians and Jews, regardless as to how "fundamentalist" they may
consider themselves, no longer advocate that witches should be killed
(Exodus 22:18), which is probably good news for the very active Wiccan
community of Kitchener-Waterloo. Nor do they stone to death their
disobedient children or adulterers (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). The list of
biblical injunctions now fortunately honoured in the breach, rather
than in the observance, could go on.
In other words, the pursuit of a meaningful spiritual path always
relies on an ability to apply religious injunctions with intelligence,
devotion, forbearance, compassion and love. This is the inner message
of all great world religions.
It is particularly important to understand this within the context of
Canadian civil society. Shortly after the horrific attack on the World
Trade Center in New York, a young woman walking across a street in
Waterloo barely escaped being struck by an oncoming automobile which
apparently accelerated and drove at her intentionally.
Her crime? She was wearing a hijab, the headscarf commonly worn by
conservative Muslim women. This young woman was born and bred in
Canada. She is a Canadian, just as are our brothers and sisters who
arrived in this country through immigration. To assume, as advocated
by Starr's letter, that she should be considered a terrorist because
of her religion or ethnicity is an affront to the most basic civil
values of our society.
The K-W Interfaith Association believes it is necessary to speak out
against such expressions of religious intolerance.
(Steve Higgins is a member of the K-W Interfaith Association and a
practicing Buddhist.)
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