PESHAWAR TO NAIROBI TO MALI
I am a proud Muslim – Cultural Muslim, if you wish – a person genuinely happy with a rich tapestry of culture in his heritage: from sherwani to ghazal, shehnai to biryani, Shalimar to Tajmahal.. once from Cardova to Kuala Lampur, and from 7th through 13th century…. If I were under coercion to study and choose one of the contemporary organized religions probably it would be Islam. And with this background – and for that reason – I cannot stop myself from questioning the way Islam has come to benumb our sensitivity and attitudes, to subdue our humanness and civility, to snatch from us our world-view and honest absorption of our surroundings. From scholars to militants I find many Muslims fudging with facts with a straight face, blaming all but themselves. But few dare to face the fact: the most violence is happening amongst Muslims today. The Peshawar attack on a church killing 70 innocents yesterday..the mayhem in the Mall in Kenya involving people who are not engaged in a combat… the everyday massacres of Shias and Sunnis in Pakistan or Iraq, the fighting between the fundamentalists and the liberals in Sudan, Mali, Syria or elsewhere.. I wish to ask
- what is it in Islam, or about Muslims, that has come to throw in so much violence in their midst, without any remorse, without any repentance. [Notice that various factions have been proudly claiming responsibility for the killings]
