Picture by: http://www.charliehebdo.fr/index.html
Questionable violence and questionable reactions
One era gives their hand to another era, and now this new era holds terrorism and the literally taken violence in Islam, with the Koran as a guide to excuse acts of inhumanity. In Nigeria “Boko Haram” has erased dozens of villages, kidnapped young girls and killed without mercy. In The Philippines the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group threatened to kill 71 year old Stefan O. and 55 year old Henrike D., German hostages if their demands were not met. In Sydney Islamists took innocent people hostage in a Cafe, and now in Paris 17 people died in the office of “Charlie Hebdo”, just because of the exercise of freedom of speech and expression through a satire magazine, and in a Jewish supermarket people were killed, just because they were different.
Many people ask themselves: “How can we explain this frequent and concentrated religious motivated violence?” “How aggressive and intolerant is Islam?” “What does the future hold for us?”
Basically we know, that Islam is not more violent than the Christian religion, if observing those passages in the Bible of the Koran. The biggest difference is, that Christianity went through years of enlightenment and it is roughly 500 years elder than Islam. Secular states are basically practicing the separation of church and state, and yet many pre-dominant Muslim countries don't have that separation, as the Koran states more than just a belief system; it holds daily life behavior and even a law system, called Sharia Law.
Questions on daily basis all around us: Is it allowed to kill in the Koran or not? Are the terrorists inspired by the promise to go to a “heaven” after executing their terrible acts? Are the punishments as whipping, cutting off hands and feet, stoning to death and the hanging of homosexuals the present teachings of Islam? We need to ask ourselves, because even the world Muslims have no clear guidelines, as there are different Muslim sects as the Sunni, Shia, Hanbali, Ismali and the Deobandi, as to count up some.
We can find countries, such as Turkey, where homosexuality is not a crime, and yet it is pre-dominant Islam, and we can find countries with a Christian majority, where suddenly Christianity seems no longer progressive and modern, such as Uganda, where homosexuality is a crime.
Islam sells itself as a “religion of peace”, even as tolerant; and so one can ask oneself again: “Why is it free to join Islam, ones free decision if converting, yet when wanting to leave Islam, it is called apostasy, which is then punishable by death, as stated in the Sharia law? Why are women discriminated and just half the value of men in Islam? Why are non Muslims not allowed to enter Mekka or Medina? Why are Christians not allowed to build churches in Saudi Arabia, or are not even allowed to hold a mass to worship their goddess? Where is the tolerance towards others, hence non religious, other religious and minorities as the LGBT's?
The Palestinian Ahmed Mansour, who is a member of the Islam conference Germany said: “The Islamists have not invented anything new. They have just extracted parts, radicalized and dramatized them. Their stance on non believers and the role of women and men is just slightly different, and thats why the danger is not in the difference to the moderate Muslims, but in the similarity.”
No wonder that there is no clear line separating the radicals and the moderates regarding the fundamental morals and direction of Islam as a religion.
The recent comment of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel was therefor followed by split reactions. She said: “Islam belongs to Germany.”, surely having good intentions to calm down the unrest, but such a statement is very much questionable. Islam is not rooted in western Europe, and wouldn't the tradition of beer brewing and the Bavarian leather trousers be more worth such a statement, that an emotional momentum? Everybody, including Islam requests tolerance in the western world and also in other parts of the world where they for a minority, but where is their own tolerance as mentioned before? Two years a go, the chief Imam of the Saudi Arabian crown requested a “Fatwa”, if any Christian church would be built there; women are still not allowed to drive a car, go out alone or be unveiled.
On the other hand we can observe Muslims, like Egypts President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, who recently appeared irritated saying: “Everything that is holy to Muslims, is now seen as a source of fear, danger, death and destruction, by the rest of the world.” He basically called for a modern and newly interpretation of the so called holy texts, a revolution; something that may remember of the revolution in France under Napoleon towards secularism or the entire years on enlightenment, watering down Christianity. But that is far from such, as he also stated: “The Imams are responsible towards Allah. The world is waiting for your next steps, because the community of Muslims is torn and destroyed. It is about to sink, through our own hands.”
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) had also criticized the remarks of chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU). “I think, the word belongs to is wrong”, the Director of the AJC-Europa bureaus in Brussels, Stephan Kramer, told the Handelsblatt newspaper (Online-version). “It is true that 4 million Muslims live in Germany. They are part of the society.”
He added “If their religion belongs to Germany, should not be certified. As much as the sentence is politically correct, it is still patronized and treating people like children. Did anybody ask if the Mormon Religion belongs to Germany, or Buddhism?”, so Kramer.
We can observe the fear in society, and people are on the street demonstrating. And mostly politicians keep on calling for tolerance and support the idea of a peaceful Islam. I myself ask then: “Why are millions of people in alert ignored or just pushed aside?”
Turkey has been aiming for EU membership for a long time, but in terms of religion; would the Turkish Minister President Ahmed Davutoglu ever say “Christianity is a part of Turkey”? I guess not. And even though since 1918 there is a known minority of 25% Christians in Turkey, compared to 5% in Germany who are Muslims.
In Pakistan we can observe a move praising the Paris attacks. A cleric called Maulana Pir Mohammad Chishti led 60 people in prayers for Cherif and Said Kouachi. They were the ones who shot dead 12 people at the Charlie Habdo magazine’s offices on the 7 th of January 2015, calling them “martyrs”.
“Death to Hebdo publications” and “Long live Cherif Kouachi, long live Said Kouachi,” kissing the posters of the brothers who were gunned down by police finally.
Chishti said: “These two brothers have paid the debt of all Muslims in the world and we present them our salute and respect”
Aurangzeb Alhafi, a professor of Islamic Studies at Punjab University said he attended these prayers as a religious duty stating to AFP: “If freedom of expression stops at the mention of the Holocaust, then it should also stop at the honor of our Prophet.”
Meanwhile a new magazine of Charlie Hebdo was published. It was sold out in minutes and it was a sign set for the freedom of expression and speech, an achievement many parts in the world have fought for for decades. Not only do they publish critical satire about Islam, but also about Christianity. The pope was featured several times, and no violence emerged. What difference is there anyway? And what makes Islam more outstanding than Christianity? Its all belief anyway, and Atheists, aren't they also victims of violence in some parts of the world? But no Atheists kills in the name of evolution or reason.
The new magazine shows a Mohammed with a tear in his eye, and a carton sign with the words “Je suis Charlie” (I am Charlie).
Under that
“All is forgiven.”
By Thomas Fleckner
Picture by: http://www.charliehebdo.fr/index.html
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