VIEW: Interfaith harmony for world peace —Mohammad Jamil

Muslims have been pushed against the wall with the result that the world has become a more violent, more radicalised and more dangerous place to live in

Pope Benedict XVI is a
highly respected spiritual leader and his words are considered an article of faith for hundreds and thousands of Catholic priests. He can therefore play a pivotal role in creating interfaith harmony, which will help make this world a peaceful place to live in. Of course, to achieve this objective, he, as well as Muslim scholars, will have to inculcate a spirit of tolerance in their respective followers. But, more often than not, both sides react reflexively when their followers are maltreated or persecuted anywhere in the world. Pope Benedict XVI delivered his Easter message in St Peter’s Square in Vatican City on Sunday where tens of thousands gathered to hear his message. He prayed for an end to war and violence so that peace prevails in the world. While mentioning the plight of Christians in various places, especially in Iraq, and in countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, he spoke of Christians who suffer persecution and even death for their faith. He quoted Pakistan as an example of countries afflicted by terrorism and by social and religious discrimination.

One should, however, examine whether the excesses on minorities in any country are a result of state policy or a usual phenomenon in a society infested with poverty, hunger and disease, factors that tend to engender crimes. So far as Pakistan is concerned, all citizens irrespective of colour, religion, caste and creed are equal before the law. In addition to the minorities’ right to participate in elections, there are reserved seats from local bodies to provincial assemblies to the national assembly. In the proposed 18th Amendment, four seats for minorities have been reserved in the senate also. Therefore, any clash between Muslims and other minorities should be viewed in the same context, as there have been sectarian fights. In most societies, the cause for tension or friction between Islam and Christianity today is not because of a difference in perception about the teachings of Islam or the Bible but because of an unjust economic world order. With the US-led war on terror, no one but the Muslim fraternity is targeted. Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and Kashmir are places where Muslims have been persecuted and subjected to repression and foreign occupation.

In all these cases, Muslims have been pushed against the wall with the result that the world has become a more violent, more radicalised and more dangerous place to live in. Against this backdrop, if a few hundred misguided elements out of 1.5 billion Muslims in the world resort to violence or suicide attacks, Islam or the Muslim fraternity as a whole is not to blame. By giving these details, it is not the intention here to condone terrorists’ acts and suicide bombings or provide justification, because barbarism and savagery are not tolerable or acceptable under any circumstances or on any pretext. One should avoid the debate about who is persecuting whom, and should find common ground and commonalities for coexistence. Nevertheless, it is true that the plight of Muslims in the US and western countries, especially after 9/11, is harrowing. In many American states, Evangelists use vitriolic and even abusive language on radio and other media not only against Muslims but also against Islam. In the recent past, blasphemous cartoons published in Scandinavian countries have hurt the feelings and sentiments of Muslims throughout the world.

Sometimes, during intellectual discourse, one unwittingly says something that has serious repercussions. On September 12, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI, in his lecture to the staff and students at the University of Regensburg — his Bavarian homeland — quoted criticism of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by a 14th century Byzantine Christian emperor Manuel II, who, among other things, misinterpreted jihad and misquoted the command, which triggered protests throughout the world. In the Holy Quran, Islam advocates religious liberalism: “Let there be no compulsion in religion” (2:256). But Emperor Manuel was quoted as having said, “It is one of the suras of the early period when Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was still powerless and under threat.” Some liberal democrats in the west objected to the infecundity of referring to a 620-year-old analysis, as it gave rise to protests and tension between the two great religions. However, a statement from the Vatican City later said, “The Holy Father sincerely regrets that certain passages of his address could have sounded offensive to the sensitivities of the Muslim believers and were interpreted in a way that does not correspond in any way to his intentions.”

It is also imperative to ensure socio-economic justice in developing countries and establish a just economic world order to remove disparities and deprivations, which are responsible for hunger, disease and crimes — the underlying causes of terrorism and conflicts. The western worldview is, indeed, based on market economy, human rights and liberal democracy; and these principles have helped the emancipation of the people and progress in their societies. Nevertheless, the west should also understand that they, in their societies, achieved balance by means of social legislation, reasonable wage structure and unemployment benefits. To achieve a lasting dynamic balance in the world, and make it a better place to live in, a rational solution has to be found with a view to averting confrontation, which could prove detrimental to world peace.

Apart from some misguided elements in Muslim countries, the pseudo-intellectuals from the west also continue their propaganda against Islam. After the events of 9/11, former US president Bush began using terms like ‘a radical Islamic empire’, ‘Islamic radicalism’ and ‘Islamo-fascism’ that were aimed at demonising Islam and were provocative in nature. In fact, he is responsible for creating more hatred against the US in the Muslim world. Whereas Bush had an imperialist outreach and motives to control the world’s resources, Pope Benedict is not the victim of such mundane ambitions. It is therefore hoped that, using his exalted position, he will try to create harmony between followers of different religions. It would be appropriate to quote John Paul II who, with a view to creating inter-faith harmony, had suggested that Muslims and Christians pray together.

The writer is a freelance columnist. He can be reached at mjamil1938@hotmail.com