Respecting others’ ideologies vital for peaceful coexistence Wednesday, 09 June 2010 02:48

nterfaith dialogue, understanding, and living among others will be possible between a Muslim, Christian, and Jew once the same is possible among Muslims themselves. Not only is interfaith dialogue and understanding between Sunnis, Shias, and other sects but most significantly, it is the first step, among Sunnis in the same country.

It is the tragedy of ideologies that immediately nullify and reject someone if they do not wish to discuss sub-religion. Anyone who attempts to think aloud is preyed upon aggressively. Rather than responding to arguments or questions point by point, which would allow people with different ideologies to win or lose the debate, or progress toward enlightenment by sharing their different knowledge, open dialogue, and mutually progress toward better understanding trading in malice and hatred for rational thinking and respectful discussion.

What is sad is that even Sheikh Jalil and a senior scholar such as Sheikh Al Qaradawi are not secure from being verbally attacked if they are to move in another direction than what the mainstream opinion desires. It is as though the students have become the scholars, drawing the maps of where the learned
should navigate.

If the public likes the direction the scholars are taking, they support and cheer but if not, rather than taking the position of analysts, and considering that each issue under discussion is subject to criticism and interpretation, they immediately react viciously and turn against the scholars that they had previously admired, belittling and forgetting their history of research, studies, ideas, and education. They fail to realise that the opinion of the scholar is one thing, personal views are another, and there is no certain way of knowing which is right or wrong in the
eyes of God.

If that is the relationship that the public has with their charismatic scholars, who they have been familiar with for a long time, imagine how they will react to the opinions of other members of the community who are working hard like them but posess different mentalities and also wish to discuss their heritage, tradition, religion and ways of worship through rational thinking and considering different perspectives — without challenging religious tenets or claiming to do so.

Such an affirmation gives the right to label anyone with opposing views in the public arena as blasphemous or sacrilegious for having dared to violate the norms and touching upon what is taboo.

Religion does not belong to anyone. It is open as long as humanity exists. Knowledge, science, and communities grow and evolve and need religious edicts to keep pace with the modernity of the era. Islam is not a religion that does not warrant reflection and defies analysis. It is revolutionary, evolving, enlightening, rooted, and unwavering to discussion and research. It is not undermined by an attempt to see different views and interpretations. Whether or not the interpretations are right or wrong is not as important as faith and sincerity.

Possibly, fanatics fear that their religion will be distorted. They may harvest such fear due to mistrusting the intentions of others, for conservatives have lost the compass that reveals to them whether others are imposters, hypocrites, or their sincere brothers who do not seek deception. Perhaps conservatives seek to protect the children of their country for fear of cultural erosion if they are exposed to different opinions of which they are not sure of. So, they are infuriated, burning and destroying anything that is different.

Such over-reaction divides children in a single class in the same country, making them question one another’s intentions, and planting hatred and discrimination among them. They judge and cast stones upon their peers and overlook their humanity, bringing an intolerance so sharp that it eliminates the rights of others.

This leaves no room to mention the tolerance of Islam and its call for tolerance, humility, and containment.

If everyone has good intentions with their words and actions, then they should not fear differences of opinions for mankind has been created in different colours, shapes, languages, beliefs, and customs. Those who do not trust their own logic and theories consider the existence of others as threats to their survival.

Such a limited, narrow, and destructive view does not have jurisdiction on any particular religion, for there are fundamentalists in every faith or ideology. What is interesting is if any extremist of a particular faith were born into another one, they would be their own worst enemies!

Those who support the removal of churches from the territory of Muslims should be more understanding of the fanatical haters of religion like them that exists in countries protesting that the call for prayer be stopped, mosques demolished, and veils banned. They are all in one basket and do not respect others’ religions, mocking them.

People of other religions are our brothers and sisters in humanity, especially those who came to work in our country. They did not come alone but through contracts of employment and the need for the State, private sector, and citizens for them. So who are we to change their methods of worship or beliefs? They also have beliefs, ideologies, and histories that they want to maintain.

What we consider erroneous on their part, might be considered the same by them. Therefore, respect is a duty between us and them, and it is their right to practice their religion as long as they do not insult ours. Just as we want the echo of our call to prayer reach their ears in their countries, practice worship in their homelands, and we have done so in freedom and security for hundreds of years in the past.

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