"It does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are 20 gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
--Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia
Take a moment to imagine Thomas Jefferson contemplating the hysterical posturing of Rev. Terry Jones. What might the author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom make of the would-be burner of a book cherished by one-fifth of the world's people as the most sacred manifestation of God on earth? He might well have asked how the republic had come to such a pass.
And how did it happen? How did the comic-opera pastor of a tiny Southern congregation come to dominate the media for the better part of a week, eclipsing countless expressions of outrage from religious and secular groups around the country? How did our ninth annual day of solemn remembrance become an occasion for naked intolerance? How could fear, anger, and hatred so discolor a time set aside for the celebration of values worth dying for?
There's no doubting the importance of cynically crafty posturing by major figures on the far right or the grandstanding of penny-ante demagogues. But none of that would have any traction at all if it weren't for culture-wide ignorance of and insensitivity to the religious "other."
We've heard a great deal from pollsters and pundits regarding Americans' concerns about Islam and their overwhelming opposition to the Park51 project (unsurprising, given the torrent of misleading invective about the "Ground-Zero Mosque"). But we've heard much less about polling data suggesting that 63 percent of us have very little knowledge of Islam -- or none at all.
Today's ugly Islamophobia painfully recalls the bigotries of earlier times. Now, as then, "culture wars" are energized less by what is known about the other than by what is not known or not understood. And, for those who care about lifting up the values that have meant the most to America's social, political, and ethical maturation, that's the place to put the lever.
When a society is divided by race, gender, class, politics, or religion, the path to harmony always leads through encounter, dialogue, and engagement. Too often, our most deeply held prejudices are simply unexamined, because we've never met, really talked to, or worked with anyone from "that group." Actually meeting the other almost always lightens the burden of misconception, and the next steps can begin to build productive relationships.
So where do we start?
For the past 20-some years I've been on a fool's errand, or so I've often been told. I've been active in the global movement for interreligious understanding and cooperation for the common good. Those who disparage the effort usually come from one of two very different starting points:
Yet the interreligious movement flourishes despite the naysayers. Those who have struggled to empower it know that religions, deep down, have much more in common than divides them, and that most of these religions are more inclined to convergence than conflict. The bridge-builders also understand that together, the religions of the world have a great deal of energy and inspirational power to offer to a world facing a daunting array of critical global challenges.
Skeptical? Then consider that in 1960, virtually no city on Earth had a serious interreligious program. By 2000, most did. Something significant had changed. What's more, by the early 21st century, most of those local efforts had created rich programs of outreach, community-building, and interreligious cooperation.
On a larger scale, organizations like the International Association for Religious Freedom, the World Conference of Religions for Peace, the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions, and the United Religions Initiative now bring their own unique perspectives and years of experience to overcoming our cultural blindness to one another. And groups like the Islamic Society of North America and the Council for American-Islamic Relations are hard at work countering pernicious stereotypes and encouraging American Muslims to reach out to people of other faiths and to non-believers as well, to build new models for dialogue and engagement.
Those who are concerned about the current storm of religious intemperance are probably heartened by the calls for tolerance that we've heard from the president and from religious and secular groups around the country. But for those closest to the ongoing interreligious movement, tolerance just won't suffice. If I merely tolerate you, I may be willing to accept your presence in the social order, but I'm less likely to relate to you in genuinely constructive ways. Real intercultural harmony demands exposure, as well as respect, mutuality, and, ultimately, engagement -- the shared commitment to building a better world. Tolerance is only the starting gate.
Today, at home and abroad, religious extremists (who are to be found in every major tradition) are playing the odds, hoping to emerge victorious from a zero-sum game of their own making. In the process they have learned to manipulate the less-informed among their own co-religionists and in the despised group. But in an age on which the radical fact of religious plurality has descended, when the great majority of the world's urban centers are home to adherents of countless different faith traditions, interreligious existence is a starkly non-zero-sum proposition. We either all win together or we all lose.
It may seem daunting during times like these, but culture-wide interreligious engagement is not only possible, but highly probable. And like so many of life's most surprisingly rewarding dimensions, it all begins with the willingness to learn. I'm reminded of my friend Steve in Telluride, who responded to Rev. Jones' incendiary proposition with mountaintop clarity. Instead of "Burn-a-Quran Day," he urged, in a letter to National Public Radio, that we make it "Buy-a-Quran Day." How ironically transformative it would be if for every sacred book desecrated many more were opened and read for the first time, and for every holy site defaced countless more were visited by people of other faiths.
I believe that Jefferson, who owned a copy of the Quran, would have nodded and, perhaps, smiled.
David Bromwich: Cordoba House and Religious Freedom
The Qur'an has perversions of Biblical stories.
For example the Qur'an has Abraham about to sacrifice Ismael, yet it was really Isaac who was on the altar. Ismael and his mother Hagar were cast out and disinherited. That is one example.
Muslims do not read original sources. They do not compare the Qur'an with the Bible.
I suggest you read Jesus and Mohamed Profound Differences and Surprising Similarities by Mark A. Gabriel Ph D
http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Muhammad-Differences-Surprising-Similarities/dp/1591852919/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1286698349&sr=8-3-fkmr0
One other thing to keep in mind. Christianity and Judiasm are not the only religions in the world. There is Buddhism, Hindu,Asatru,Wicca to name just a few. All have beautiful stories and profound lessons.
That is what I mean when I say tolerance goes both ways. The Qur'an doesn't tell the whole story of the Jewish people, nor does it tell the story of the Christians or Jesus Christ. Muslims are ignorant about Christianity and Judiasm.
Muslims are taught that Abraham, Moses, Jesus were Muslims. That is false.
Ann Coulter
But wait, what made him critisize Islam in the first place? It was what the Muslims had been doing all around the world. Not only is it about the past, but more so at the present times. Slaughtering, bombing, terrorism, forced conversion, etc.
Though they might keep on saying there's no such ruling in the Koran, but it's there alright. Sure, they didn't put the words 'bombing' in the Koran, but when the terrorists call themselves as Muslims, holding on their dear Koran when doing such despicable acts, how can you expect us not to associate these terrorists with "Muslims"?
And how did the Americans willingly convert? There are two forms of things to tell, the good and the bad parts. Good part is, to be kind to other (Muslims), pray 5 times a day, to give to the poor generously, etc. Bad part? Kill the infidels. And if they were to use the bad part to influence Americans to convert to Muslims, I think there wouldn't be anyone wanting to convert. So, it's only the good parts they use to influence people to be converted.
http://andwearenotsaved.blogspot.com/2010/10/we-will-keep-on-terrorizing-you.html
When Jihadists attack they are doing what Mohamed commanded. They are emulating him, he was a conquer and a warlord.
That is a fundamental difference.
power - and later by corporations ( Military Industrial complex) - a name given by Eisenhower - To have a grip on natural resources, to sell arms by flaming the fires of disputes - whether it was Korea, Vietnam. Israel - Palestine, India - Pakistan, Iraq - Iran, now Iraq and Afghanistan - very soon Iran.. Talk to any person - male or female in any part of the world - each and everyone of us would like to have a normal, peaceful life and to raise our kids in the right way and would like the future of our kids to be bright, trouble free and better than ours. .
Pointing fingers and searching to find offensive and violent references in other religions has
become the norm of the day. The whole mindset is changing - it is now I against You, us them against them. Each and every person thinks that he is right and his religion is the best and the
genuine one - to be one up on the other - we are trying to find faults and shortcomings in other
religions -- The comments are seen to be believed -- this is how hatred spreads - as it is we
have many many problems in our personal lives - why add
It's no more fair to categorize all Muslims as being this or that than it is to categorize Christians, or Jews, or Buddhists, or any other major faith.
Muslims participate in the World Parliament of Religions alongside their brethren from the various religious faiths/traditions. Imam Rauf - of Park51 fame, amongst other things - was in Australia for the most recent such gathering.
Maybe by that time they'll learn to keep it to themselves.
How about we all just stay out of each other's business.
As a women living in the 21st century, my logic has to agree with the content set by nature thus having validity everywhere. If the actions of Muslims who have committed heinous crimes are validated using the Quran, it should be corrected that is if the “source” indicates a basis for Muslims to carry out injustice that justify their wrongful actions, I believe its time scholars and Muslims as a whole undertake the task of reinterpreting the Quran which corresponds to the 21st century, as well as reflects the great characters of the Prophet and prominent Muslim as an inspiration.
Muslims in different eras had their books, teaching and interpretation of the Quran. It’s time we undertake such task, even more now for 2 reasons…
1.Sake of humanity…less preventable bloodshed…
2.Change in the Muslim world…I mean we have to start from somewhere?
All in all, as long as we do not focus on the root problem, and revolutionize it from bottom up, nothing will change.
If a YMCA (Young Men's CHRISTIAN Association) adds a prayer room or chapel, is it then a church? The NY Muslims want to build a 10-11 story community center with 2 stories devoted to prayer facilities for patrons whose religion dictates prayer 5 times a day. Strip clubs and other controversial establishments are within blocks of the WTC site so what is the big deal?
Americans need to concentrate on the CIA/military industrial complex's grip on our tax dollars, our rogue nation foreign policy, artificially high oil prices propped up by our foreign policy choices, the erosion of our liberties brought about by 9/11 and the "Patriot Act", subsidizing the export of American jobs and the rapidly decreasing standard of living that all of these things have brought about.
And believe me, as a Christian, if I were an out of work construction worker with a family to feed...youbeddabelieve I'll be working on building the community center.
Trust me, if its the unions themselves, which I don't believe, because I'm sure there are Muslim construction workers as well, they'll be sitting on the sidelines watching it be built.