The recent religious storms stirred up by certain exploitations like that of cartoonist Molly Norris' "Everybody draw Muhammad day" and Pastor Terry Jones' intention of burning copies of the Quran ought not to have happened nor thought of.
But first, as Muslims, let us look at the atrocities committed by certain Muslims in just the last couple of months.
A group of Indonesians attacked a couple of church elders in the city of Bekasi in Indonesia. One was killed and the other seriously wounded. Although the attackers had not been identified, the suspicion fell on Muslim hardliners.
In Pakistan, as Muslims marked the final days of Ramadan, a suicide bomber struck at a Shia rally, killing some 44 people.
Attacks on the Ahmadiya sect, founded by Mirza Gulam Ahmad of India in the 19th century, had taken place in Pakistan and Indonesia.
Attacks on any religious Muslim or non-Muslim group are un-Islamic and go against the very spirit of Islam and Islamic teachings. So, how could any Muslim have the audacity to commit atrocities on human beings, Muslim or non-Muslim?
It is a fact that forgiveness is emphasised in both the Bible and the Quran. Isn't the most conspicuous utterance during the celebration of Eid ul-Fitri "Ma'af zahir dan batin", the seeking of forgiveness of one another?
From the Bible, we learn that Christians are to pray to God to "forgive us our sins as we forgive those who wrong us". Also, when Jesus Christ was hanging on the cross, he called out, saying: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
The Quran refers to the Jews and Christians as "People of the Book". Islamic history tells us that when Prophet Mohammed and his followers were being persecuted in Mecca, the Prophet sent a group of his followers to the neighbouring nation which was ruled by a Christian emperor, assuring them that as Christians they would protect innocent Muslims. They did.
All religions teach the importance of patience, peace, forgiveness and harmony. We need to respect and cooperate with one and another, instead of fuelling hatred, ill-feelings and division.
Jews, Christians and Muslims ought to organise certain special festive events to celebrate together. Booklets ought to be produced showing the commonalities and linkages of these three great religions.
The leaders of these three religions, nay, even all the other major religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and Sikhism could come together to form a special World Inter-faith Day to stage activities for a mutual multi-religious celebration, and declare it a holiday as a mark and dedication for religious understanding and unity.
No comments:
Post a Comment