Present day age is considered as the age of violence and terror. Humanity is crying in disgrace and weeping in absolute shame, the reason behind it is nothing other than terrorism. The reason is the violence committed against innocent public for political purposes. Western media, scholars, atheists, and mainly the news anchors can be seen as blaming religions particularly Islam for the continuation of terror. However they have no reliable proofs, solid logics behind their arguments. What is reality of terrorism? This is the question? Are religions responsible for miseries, bloodshed and conflict or the media is lying and fooling the masses? Religions are mercy and sources of peace. A true religion never heads conflict, chaos, confusion, miseries, violence, killings and bloodshed. Study the religious texts in diversity, you will find the one relevant common message: promote the global peace, humanity and security to the entire world. Those who use religious symbols and articles to suppress innocents are real terrorists. And most of the bloodshed committed against humanity till date had its roots in atheism and other harmful philosophies. Religions are being targeted, that is all. Haroon Yahya notes: ‘’for terrorists, killing people is a way of life. They may shot innocent people without pity and throw bombs at children. For them shedding blood is a pleasure. They have ceased to be human beings and turned into raving savage beasts…if a terrorist uses religious languages and symbols, this must not deceive anyone. Terrorists who hide under the cloak of false religion are doubly guilty, both of the blood they have shed and for the anti religious propaganda they have spread while committing these crimes in the name of religion.’’[Book: Islam denounces terrorism]
Let me quote some positive examples from world history:
1. In Rwanda in 1994, some massacres actually took place in churches. Does that make the Rwanda killings a Christian crime? When in the 1970’s, Buddhist Cambodia was the venue for the killing fields, did the massacres reflect an innate Buddhist flaw? When a few years ago, almost all members of the royal family of Nepal were shot dead, and later a large number of peasants and security men were killed in shootings, was some Hindu teachings to blame? Indeed, were the two great wars of a 20th century a result of Christianity?
That religion is an element in complex stories of modern violence is only too true, but we should be careful before saying with finality that it is religion in general and one religion in particular that fills a heart with hate and the desperate desire to destroy others and one self. We should recognize that the clash in the world today is not between civilizations, cultures, religions or nations, but rather between forces inside each heart, between fear and faith, between fear and acceptance. [Raj Mohan Gandhi, president ‘Initiatives of changement International’]
2. While members of all three religions were living peaceably together in Palestine, the Christians in Europe decide to organize a crusade. Following a call by Pope urban II on 27 November 1095 at the council of Clermont, more than 100,000 people from all over Europe set out for Palestine to free the holy land from the Muslims and find the fabled wealth of the east. After a long and wearying journey, and much plundering and slaughter along the way, they reached Jerusalem in 1099. The city fell after a siege of nearly five weeks, and the crusaders moved in. and the carried out a savagery the like of which the world has seldom seen. All Muslim and Jews in the city were put to the sword. The peace and harmony in Palestine, which had lasted since Umar, ended in terrible slaughter. The crusaders violated all the ethical laws of Christianity, a religion of love and compassion, and spread in the name of Christianity. { Islam denounces terrorism, p-85] .
Actually we the followers of our respective religions misrepresent the actual teachings and doctrines of our religions. A true religion never welcomes bloodshed and if any welcomes, then that is not a religion at all. Religion guides a man and makes his life easy. It loves humanity and dislikes violence. Osho said,’’ terrorism is going to become a bigger and bigger, because the world war is almost impossible. And the stupid politicians have no other alternative. Terrorism simply means that what was being done one a social scale has to be done on individually. It will grow, it can only be prevented if we change the very base of the human understanding…which is a Himalayan task; more so because these some people whom you want, to change will fight you, they won’t allow you to change them easily. Until we change the basic grounds of humanity. Terrorism is going to become more and more a normal, everyday affair. It will happen in the airplane, it will happen in the buses. It will start happening in the cars. It will start happening to strangers. Somebody will suddenly come and shoot you…not that you have done anything to him, but just, the hunter is back.’’ [Beyond Psychology-chapter 18] Another famous and widely read book ‘’The Dhammapadda: the way of Buddha’’ notes the same fact as: ‘’what is your life? What you are doing with yourself and with others? You feel powerful whenever you can torture others, torture gives you are great release of power. Why are these Adolf Hitler’s, Joseph Stalin’s and Moa Zedongs born again and again? From where do they come? They represent you. They represent the essential madness of humanity. They erupt again and again and they will go on coming, you can’t prevent them, unless we change the very foundation of human existence, if we change human consciousness from misery to bliss, from tensions to peace’’ [Vol-08, chapter-04]. Thus the solution lies in changing the minds and there are none other doctrines than religious ones that can change human minds. The power of revolution lies in religious doctrines. We need to follow our religions strictly. We need to be religious. This peace among persons, groups, or nations is not possible without good will towards one another. And the religion develops that good will. We need the guiding of some supernatural power who created us and all that is between us. So we love to become religious and make interreligious dialogues to build a better world, free from violence, bloodshed and corruption. There was the time when we had no NATO, UNO and other peace organizations but humanity used to flourish in peace, prosperity and harmony. People were in love with each other…u know what was the reason. These religions saved humanity from time to time and promoted messages of mutual love and understanding. In modern time, we have rejected these religions by quoting them that they are not updated and they don’t meet current needs of human society. We adopted atheism, materialism, and secularism. We are wrong and we are continuing this cruel cycle. We need to understand religious teaching of our respective religions and act accordingly. Otherwise it may be too late.
(The author is a freelancer. Views are his own, [email protected])