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| Olde Tyme Religion |
| Islam at a crossroads |
| 2015-01-30 |
| [NATION.PK] Every religious war that has ever been waged has eventually been linked to causes other than religion. The crusades, for example, took place in the name of religion, yet their causes range from economic to political to social factors. The expansion of the Ottoman Empire, done in the name of religion, was nothing but the desire for an empire to grow in power and size. The spread of Islam to the subcontinent didn't take place to please God; it took place to please men who wished to become powerful and feared. It should also be kept in mind that no expansion takes place peacefully. Moslems conveniently claim that Islamic expansion has been the most peaceful, that not one individual was killed during the conquest of Mecca. However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... we fail to understand that the conquest of Mecca was only a part of the beginning of Islamic history. Between then and now, there is a vast stretch of time that is full of examples of how not all Islamic 'conquests' have been peaceful. How can wars waged in the name of Islam, from that time till modern day, be ignored? How can the lives lost in protecting and expanding the Ottoman Empire be forgotten? How can we choose to ignore the violence that came with Islam when it was brought to the subcontinent? While we glorify the individuals who brought Islam to the subcontinent, we fail to acknowledge the fact that it was our ancestors who were ruthlessly murdered on their own land by individual who claimed to be bringing God's message to the people of the subcontinent. Of course, at present, the entire world is being affected by a religious war; the desire that has driven certain groups to terrorize the whole world in the name of religion. At this point, it is of paramount importance that we understand the immense need for a moderate version of Islam to be promoted. Islam, being the last Abrahamic Faith, should bring about an end to the violence that has gone alongside religion for centuries. Once this happens, Moslems all over the world will be right in saying that Islam is a religion of peace. At present, however, it only seems like history is repeating itself. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 Kinda glosses over the fact that the Crusades were a response to the violent subjugation of Christian territory and seems a little overly sanguine about the existence, not to say dominance of "Moderate Islam". That said it at least admits that this is all being done in the name of Islam and is a religious war. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2015-01-30 08:18 |
| #1 Isn't where a belief that you have to bury a vampire at crossroads to prevent it from raising again? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2015-01-30 06:11 |