Man or beast in belief

Perhaps because I am not a overtly religious person I find the intolerance among people who portray themselves as the keepers of the faith as the biggest problem we face in this modern world.

Most incidents of conflict in the world today sprouts from intolerance for alternative thought.

For example, incidents of burning of the Quran and defaming Mohammad - the most revered prophet of Islam - in the name of free speech is a missed opportunity to better understand the faith by people who react in fear without understanding.

In my opinion unlike Islam and Judaism, Christianity has been allowed to evolve and the regiments of the religious order been allowed to relax. Having said that, of course, one cannot discount that Catholics are not so relaxed in their teachings as are the other tenements of Christianity and preach a more restrained and binding outlook, offering fewer liberties.

Ask me if this is a good thing and I will not be able to conclusively provide any form of answer. As a rather liberated muslim myself, I would like to believe that a more relaxed religious order makes it easier to live in good faith – as prescribed as moral and civil order in the sacred text.

Far be it for me to preach that a liberated outlook in this modern world is correct – given an opportunity many might (and do) take additional liberties and at one point abandon religion and subsequently any semblance of self-restraint and morality altogether; civil society and civility dies when that is allowed to happen. After all self-imposed restraint for the sake of civility is what separates man from the beasts.

[Of course even beasts can teach man a thing or two – namely only take what you can consume and not one bit more.]

But I digress...


Islam is probably one of the most misunderstood religions in the world. Not just because it is probably commands the strictest adherence to regiments of the religion and offers the most overt images of what the western world sees as 'oppression' and loss of 'freedom.' These ideas, coupled by the fact that most mullahs around the world in lesser developed countries are not enlightened and have used the religion as a subterfuge. Twisting the message's true meaning to harness greater control over an undereducated (and highly volatile) people.

The Burqa is considered a symbol of oppression by the Western media yet many women feel unsafe (if only by habit) without it. In France the Burqa has been banned under the pretence that by doing so it has liberated muslim women from their supposed tormentors; which may be true to some extent but the law works under the assumption that ALL women clad in burqas were doing so in fear of their male relatives.

There are many conservative western women who prefer to cover up rather than feel 'exposed' in something that shows more of their bodies. Are these women (despite being Christian) being oppressed because they do not wear a flimsy (possibly more comfortable) summer frock in the heat?

Personally I feel that women should not have to wear the burqa if they do not wish it; but should be free to wear it if she desires. Speaking of desire, the argument for the burqa is that without it a woman can inadvertently set a man's loins on fire and force him into temptation to covet the flesh. In my mind I feel that religion is stronger when one can hold his own in the presence of temptation.

Another fact that I would think separates man from lesser beings, is that the man should be able to simply look away when faced with a temptation he does not want to succumb to.

One should recall that Adam and Eve got kicked out of Eden because they could not resist the temptation of the succulent apple. Finding God through resisting temptation is true religion.

But I digress...

If my understanding of my religion is correct and my assessment that Islam is a BIG (read MAJOR) religion, just like Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism, and is not a passing fad, how can it be considered so fragile as to be threatened by a badly produced film – so much so that anarchy can break loose and people riot, maim and kill with so much hatred?

Truth be told, I have not seen the film but unlike my riotous religious brethren I do not feel that my religion has been shaken because some non-believers have taken a less that rosy view of my prophet!

Given a chance the mullahs will have me believe that I am a lesser muslim because I refuse to stand up against a slight against my prophet. I would like to remind them, my prophet's honour cannot be tarnished by man nor beast and needs no protection in the form being meted out under their tutelage.

One would be best reminded also that millions of people do not believe in either Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism or Hinduism (to name but a few), but that does not diminish any of these major religions in the slightest – but tolerance among the believers only serves to make their respective religions bigger... and separates the men from the beasts.