By CARY ICHTER http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/opinion/0902/02international.html A debate has recently erupted at the University of North Carolina over the requirement that incoming freshmen read a book about the Quran, the book that Muslims believe to be the revealed word of God. Like most issues of the day, the television talking heads have monopolized the discourse -- if that is what you want to call self-declared experts on everything screaming at one another. Of particular interest were the observations of the biggest head of them all, Bill O'Reilly. O'Reilly allowed as how students should not be required to read or to learn about the Quran because "these people are our enemies." Comments such as O'Reilly's reflect not only an intolerance that is reprehensible, but they also betray considerable ignorance regarding the Muslim faith and Islam. I am not Muslim; I don't even think I could be called religious, but that is no excuse for ignorance or bigotry regarding one of the most widely practiced faiths in the world. Before classifying Muslims as enemies because of their faith, O'Reilly and others who share his views should read the Quran, or at least read an analysis of the book. Most Americans probably would be stunned to see that the Quran advises Muslims to "be courteous when you argue with People of the Book [Christians and Jews], except with those who do evil. Say 'We believe in that which is revealed to us and that which is revealed to you.' Our God and your God is one." (Quran 29:46) This and other language from the Quran reveals that freedom of thought and conscience are, among rational thinking Muslims, highly regarded Islamic values. Although Islam is often depicted in Western thought and popular culture as "a religion of the sword," the Quran condemns war and violence. The Quran instructs the followers of Islam to take up arms only to defend themselves, but not to initiate hostilities: "Fight for the sake of Allah those that fight against you, but do not attack them first. Allah does not love the aggressors." (Quran 2:191) Mohammed observed these tenets in leading his people. In 622 AD, the Muslims led by Mohammed left Mecca and settled in Medina. In spite of the tradition of that time of religious intolerance, there was no attempt on the part of the Muslims to convert others because to do so would intrude upon the freedom of thought and conscience that was so highly prized in Islam. No doubt many readers will find it impossible to reconcile these teachings with the savagery we have witnessed in the name of Islam. True enough, but such savagery is hardly unique to Islamic fundamentalists. Indeed, Jews have, and still do, make war in the name of God. Likewise, Christians have, and still do, make war in the name of God. Soon after his death, Mohammed's successors began to spread Islam through conquest in manner that was inconsistent with Islamic teaching. But holy wars are hardly an Islamic innovation. Holy wars have been vogue since Joshua led the Israelites. Nor is brutality an Islamic invention. In Joshuan times, when a town or settlement was conquered, each and every man, woman, child and even animal was exterminated, and all structures were reduced to rubble. Christian society expressed its religious fanaticism through holy war in the time of the Crusades. From 1096 through 1291, Christian armies, heeding the call of popes and prophets, marched off to slaughter and to be slaughtered in wars that killed millions. All of this, of course, was done in the name of God. The fact that crusaders justified their brutality by reference to the Bible does not make the Bible evil or wrong, just as the crimes against humanity perpetrated by Islamic fundamentalists do not make the Quran evil or wrong. As with every religious group, Islam has fanatics. And like most other religious groups, the madmen attract the most attention. Today, radical Muslims have perverted the teachings of the Quran to serve and support their own twisted view of the world. But that does not make the Muslim world our enemies. The radical factions of Muslim society no more define modern Islam than Timothy McVeigh defines Christian values. If we are to avoid the suffering and inhumanity that intolerance breeds, we need to be more careful and thoughtful in who we declare to be our enemies. Being a Muslim does not make you a terrorist or an enemy any more than being a Christian makes you a good person or an ally. |