Thursday, March 17, 2011

Middle East Travails: On Islam As Religion Of Peace

I truly believe many Muslims, especially those choosing to live here in America, desire to live in peace. How they reconcile claimed peacefulness with many of the things said in the Quran that appear to be pretty hostile in nature toward anyone who is non-Muslim is a mystery to me but that's something to explore another day. Today I just want to muse over what's happening in the Middle East ... ie, Muslim against Muslim.

Today it is a curiosity to me while watching events unfold in the Middle East what are the roots of/behind the fighting under way. Why are people dying in this fighting? Much of it appears strictly 'political'. However, there's no denying the fact that a significant percentage of the hostility pitches Sunni against Shiite. One 'faction' of Islam against another. I'm trying hard not to make unreasonable and uninformed assumptions or conclusions about it but the Sunni versus Shiite aspect is clear and completely factual. Just as it has been in the past ... in the Iran/Iraq war for example. Just as there used to be within Iraq between a governing minority of one Muslim religious 'faction' over a majority of the other Muslim 'faction'. There clearly is a major 'struggle' going on between Sunnis and Shiites ... historical and ongoing. And it seems destined to play out in religion/faction-based(!) deadly fashion. One thing it is not (at least in what's playing out right now), is peaceful. There is in fact hostile and deadly stuff playing out there. It is not between Muslims and infidels. It appears to be significantly between one Muslim religious 'faction' and another.

So, I'm asking myself and contemplating 'bloggingly', how can it be that Islam is peaceful by nature as many Muslims are asking us to believe while, at the same time(!), very large numbers of Muslims are killing and otherwise punishing each other in the name of their 'version' of Islam? Sadly, as they have in fact been doing for a long time? They ask us for understanding (as being a peaceful religion) while killing each other and living in great hostility and antipathy toward one another on little bases other than whether others are Shiite or Sunni.

This is all aside from the clear hostility/antipathy many (most?) have toward all infidels (non-Muslims), especially Americans and Jews. That's a subject for another day. All I'm talking about here is the apparent abiding and deadly anger many Muslims have toward each other. How peaceful are we to believe they are based on how they actually behave? Are they able and willing to live in peace or not?

On a slightly different note, I'm having great difficulty reconciling what they say represents peace with the concept of freedom. I hear some of the rioters saying they want freedom. But history and today's actions leave me wondering what 'kind' of freedom they mean. Freedom for only Sunnis or Shiites like they are? When they get into power will they promote and practice freedom for all Muslims of any 'faction'? Freedom demands justice too but are they thinking justice of the kind called for in the Quran? That can be pretty harsh. You won't find fogiveness mentioned very much in the Quran. If you think 'eye for an eye' in the Christian Old Testament is harsh, check out what represents justice in the Quran. I'm NOT 'judging' the Quran as wrong here. I'm only suggesting we be realistic about what it says justice is. You and I can decide for ourselves whether we like/approve it or not.

So, what are they fighting for is my question. Peace? Freedom? Justice? Is that what some of them think Sharia Law is based on or represents? What, exactly do peace, freedom and justice look/act like in practice(!) in their view? I'm just asking because I can't tell what those concepts represent to most Muslims in the Middle East right now. I'm NOT judging Muslims or Islam. I'm trying to understand what they want from and of me. What various factions say and do only leave me more confused. And I AM saying one thing: what's going on within the religion doesn't look very peaceful to me. Obviously, they're having difficulty living in peace with each other.

I have NO idea what it DOES mean. I'm trying really, really hard not to be judgemental about Islam and what's going on in the Middle East. Mainly because I don't know enough (I'm too ignorant at this point) to 'judge' any of it. But if they truly do want us to believe theirs is a religion of peace, there's a lot going on that appears to be inconsistent with that. Is their religion one of peace or isn't it? If it is, then why not act like it is?

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