Let's talk

There are many news articles out there that talk about religion... Perhaps rightly so, many news articles talk about views held by some Muslims that are misogynistic, racist, prejudiced, condescending, snobby and a host of other adjectives.

It is very difficult to defend against these perspectives, because they are truly held by co-religionists of mine. Some Muslims do carry these perspectives as do some Christians, some Atheists, some Hindus, some Jews, some Buddhists, etc... but the thing of real concern to me is found below the articles, in the comments. More and more often, in more and more diverse sources I find people who are frankly, quite reasonable holding views such as "Islam's values [being] incompatible with those of Canada," or the rejection of "Shariah Law" (which by the way is preposterous, in Canada the only law that can exist is Canadian Law... According to some definitions of the word "Shariah," it refers to the way in which the world and universe are ordered... by this definition, everything must live by Shariah Law, besides this definition, there is no other threat of any other set of laws coming into Canada, I would personally fight against any laws that I felt were unjust or impinged on anyone's rights).

These opinions and comments are disconcerting because they carry some truth to them. Why are there so many Muslims who carry radical perspectives? If Islam is a religion of peace, then why is it surrounded by war? What kind of backwards people follow a faith that subjects women to such hardships and makes people into suicide bombers?

There are so many ways to answer these questions, but no one will listen. You can shout from every rooftop in every city, yet people will still ask, "Where are the moderate voices of Islam?" The moderate voices of Islam are in your everyday life, in the Dentist who works on your teeth (okay, fine, I get it - you hate dentists, it doesn't mean they're out to get you), in the cab driver who takes you home after a long night, at the checkout of the Walmart where you get groceries.

Just asking for moderate voices is not enough. People in society have to listen to the voices all around them. People always ask, why aren't Muslims taking accountability for getting their message out there? I think it's a two way street. It isn't just up to Muslims to tell people that they have the same hopes and dreams and aspirations as anyone, it's up to those who are asking for answers, to listen to those answers. By, the way, it seems obvious to me that all people regardless of religion, race, creed, etc... hold the same basic desires. We all want what's best for ourselves and our families. How we go about doing this differs, but the basic desires are always fundamentally the same.

There are Muslims who carry radical perspectives, maybe there are more Muslims than Christians who carry these perspectives. Maybe it has something to do with socioeconomic factors. It can even be argued (I would say unsuccessfully) that there are religious differences that contribute, but just quoting lines from translated Qur'anic verses out of context (keeping in mind it's a pretty hefty book), without any reference to who translated it, why they translated it from Arabic and the background of what the translator wished to accomplish doesn't do much. The Qur'an can mean anything anyone wants it to mean. It's meant to be allegorical and to have multiple meanings, and yes, some of those meanings can be taken in a very negative light, but the same can be said of anything that encounters the human mind.

There are many uneducated and ignorant individuals who are Muslim throughout the world... and maybe this can be excused, compare people living in Agrarian Muslim majority countries with Agrarian Christian majority countries (yes, you may have to go back in time a bit) and you'll likely find comparable levels of education about social matters and egalitarian ideals. However, those who live in a privileged society, owe it to themselves to learn more about a faith with 1.3 billion+ adherents before calling them backwards and ignorant. Who is more ignorant, the educated one who has books in front of him and refuses to read them, or the one who cannot read?

So, let's talk... and listen to each other.