We have three Abrahamaic faiths which have been able to stand the test of time. They are Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Of all the three religions, the only one which has drawn the anger of the good and peace-loving people of the world is Islam. However, the meaning of Islam is PEACE. But sadly, some ‘sick brains’ continue to bring the name of this fine religion into disrepute.
To these hotheads, anyone who does not belong to their religion is a Kefir and as such he or she must die. So they breed suicide bombers who are always on the prowl, killing and maiming innocent persons all in the name of religion. One thought after the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center in the US and the bloodbath that followed when the US decided to attack Afghanistan – the home base of the Al Qaida – these religious zealots would learn a lesson and stop their madness.
That barbaric attack on the World Trade Center was directed against everything that holds the innermost core of our world together, namely respect for human life and human dignity, the values of freedom, tolerance, democracy and peaceful conciliation of interests.
The world stood together in solidarity and when the bombs started falling on Afghanistan, everybody, including moderate Muslims, was very happy. That fight against these barbarians should have been a continuous one but sadly the world went to sleep and the terrorists continue to operate in many different countries, killing and destroying everything.
Several years ago, the philosopher, Carl Popper, wrote the following in his powerful book, his opus magnum entitled: “The Open Society And Its Enemies”, “We demand that the state restrict freedom to a certain extend so that in the end everyone’s freedom is protected by the law”.
When the so-called Islamic State (IS) started their madness, the world looked on until they gained roots and started conquering territories, seizing oil fields and making millions of dollars to buy weapons from gunrunners. By the time the world decided to confront them, thousands of people had been slaughtered. World Heritage sites and even revered Mosques were bombarded. The beheading of Christians was showcased to the world. The world seems to act against terrorism when the terrorists had already attacked.
What prompted me to write this piece was what happened in Sri Lanka when some crazy blood-thirsty IS terrorists attacked a church and a hotel and killed more than two hundred and fifty souls and wounded several others on Easter day when the world was supposed to celebrate the death of Jesus Christ. Why attack Christians who are also the descendants of Abraham, the patriots who begot Isaac and Ishmael? One may blame Abraham for defying God to go in for Hagar the Egyptian maid of Sarah, because at a point in time the spirit may be willing but the flesh would be weak.
When God instructed Abraham to send Hagar and her son away in order to save the situation where Sarah was always on the neck of Hagar, the Almighty knew what He was doing. The Lord told Hagar that he should go and He would build His covenant in Isaac but He would bless Ishmael.
True to what the Lord of Host said, where Hagar and her son dwelled, even though the place was a desert land the animals they reared became so fine. Crude oil or the black gold as it is being referred to now is in large quantities in the Arabs states and solid gold which is yet to be exploited is buried under the ground where Ishmael dwelled. Why then the religious zealotry and the crazy attempt to destroy Christianity and moderate Muslims who do not see anything wrong with moving in sympathy with their Christian brothers.
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