OpEd:
Islam Is Not The Problem
November 24, 2009 by Kyle BradyTags: Christianity, Crusades, Fundamentalism, Islam, Jihad, Judaism, Politics, Religion, Terrorism
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The world’s three major religions – Christianity, Judaism, and Islam – all share the same common, fundamental roots, to the point where the differences of lineage are a matter of disagreement that resulted in a forking of beliefs and the co-development of ideologies. This is important when analyzing the current contentions between different parts of the world, and for discovering who, or what, is truly the core of the problem.
Essentially, the intertwining of these three religions breaks down fairly simply: Christianity is an offshoot of Judaism, where the future-Christians believed their Savior to have come and the Jews disagreed, and Islam is a semi-branching of Christianity, where Jesus is considered a Prophet, but not the last or most important Prophet. It is because of this family tree that Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all share the common written text known as the Old Testament (Christianity) or the Tanakh (Judaism), both of which are reverentially referenced in the Qur'an (Islam). Many people, clergy included, often forget that these religions are all related to each other in very strong, definable ways, but simply have a difference of opinion in terms of specific ideological points, worship, and the implementation of faith into everyday life.
Just as Islam has declarations of violence and sexism from a far-distant age, so too does the first half of the Christian Bible - “an eye for an eye” sounds eerily similar to many of the lines in the Qur’an that are selectively chosen to support violence and, ultimately, the act of jihad. When these religions share so many ties with each other, why do they continue to battle desperately over what amounts to minutiae? In this, the 21st century, wars are still being fought over so-called holy lands, artifacts of worship, and for conversion to a chosen faith – thousands of years from the root node of these beliefs.
This is not an issue that should have become problematic in the modern world, and yet the last decade has seen a rise in religious extremism and terrorism across the world that's not restricted to Islam. Every religious sect has fundamentalist factions, seen throughout both modernity and history, that can mutate into a very dangerous form of fanatical extremism. While Islam is seemingly destined to flourish in dictatorial arenas that allow the implementation of harsh and inhumane law based on a strict, yet selective, interpretation of their holy texts, they are neither alone nor in any way the single culprit of extremist violence.
In the United States, there is a worrisome trend of growth for evangelical and fundamentalist Christian groups that wish not only to live as they feel their beliefs entitle them, but wish to force these views on others at all costs. These fundamentalist, non-Islamic groups support, inside American borders, the banning of gay marriage, the restriction of rights for non-white individuals that is thinly veiled as an attempt at immigration policy, the embedding of church within state, and significantly more, all while decrying other religions, including those of their own faith that are not “strong” enough for their tastes. They often go even further, which can be seen in events such as the murder of so-called abortion doctors.
Ultimately, if the longview of humanity is taken, it is easily found that Islam is actually not the cause of the world’s problems, because it has been shown, albeit on few recent occasions, to peaceably coexist with other religions or secularists and with modern sensibilities. It is the fundamentalist interpretation of beliefs, however, that is of greatest concern, regardless of the specific religion. All three religions have had fundamentalist uprisings that resulted in massive death, destruction, and chaos at one point in time, and it appears that Islam may be having its reformation moment in the present, despite internal attempts to quell those who would prefer weapon-based Islam to any alternatives. Christianity had the Crusades and Judaism has the Zionists, so the world needs to be understanding, at least partially, of the situation for many Muslims worldwide.
If current trends of fundamentalist growth continue, there is a distinct possibility that an all-out religious war may occur – not simply between extremist Muslims and the non-Muslim world in a battle for a worldwide Caliphate, but rather a clash of fundamentalist Christians and Muslims, incited by internal, religious coups to replace moderate leadership for those of more radical belief. The days of religious coexistence in Istanbul are long gone but are still revered by many scholars as the source of some of the world’s earliest and revolutionary advances in mathematics, science, and philosophy. Religious groups, factions, and individuals throughout the world would do well to remember this, and strive to once again achieve relevance for moderate and applicable beliefs that are neither hypocritical nor exclusionary.
Kyle can be found on Twitter and MySpace, or reached via email.
