23 September, 2013

PESHAWAR TO NAIROBI TO MALI

I am a proud Muslim - Cultural Muslim, if you wish - a person genuinely happy with a rich tapestry of culture in his heritage: from sherwani to ghazal, shehnai to biryani, Shalimar to Tajmahal.. once from Cardova to Kuala Lampur, and from 7th through 13th century.... If I were under coercion to study and choose one of the contemporary organized religions probably it would be Islam. And with this background - and for that reason - I cannot stop myself from questioning the way Islam has come to benumb our sensitivity and attitudes, to subdue our humanness and civility, to snatch from us our world-view and honest absorption of our surroundings. From scholars to militants I find many Muslims fudging with facts with a straight face, blaming all but themselves. But few dare to face the fact: the most violence is happening amongst Muslims today. The Peshawar attack on a church killing 70 innocents yesterday..the mayhem in the Mall in Kenya involving people who are not engaged in a combat... the everyday massacres of Shias and Sunnis in Pakistan or Iraq, the fighting between the fundamentalists and the liberals in Sudan, Mali, Syria or elsewhere.. I wish to ask

a. what is it in Islam, or about Muslims, that has come to throw in so much violence in their midst, without any remorse, without any repentance. [Notice that various factions have been proudly claiming responsibility for the killings]

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