Monday, November 1, 2010
Islam and Violence
In response to the Western perception that Islam is a violent religion/culture, I chose this week to research Islam in order to better understand where that perception comes from and if it is accurate, which I doubted. Here is an article entitled Islam and the Question of Violence which I thought was interesting and addressed my question.
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I found this article enlightening, especially learning that Islam only supports the use of violence to establish harmony and equilibrium.
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I suppose that because Islam does not distinguish between secular and religious life, that the Westernization of many countries and cultures threatens Islam's teachings and ways of living to the extent that force is necessary to re-establish a lost equilibrium. I wonder if this is what has motivated the latest acts of violence in Yemen -- the attempt to send bombs through international air packages. I don't see how that act of violence would in any way bring about equilibrium. It seems like a rather minor act, which taken alone, probably would not do much more than cause pain to families of those who died and spur more unnecessary violence and hate.