Comment for "What arab christians feel about Obama"

Submitted by Donny Irawan (Indonesia), Nov 7, 2008 at 22:44

I didn't know that there's one who could live for 1400 years like you do. Then, you must have learnt lots of verses from qor'an during your long life. Better than I do, I am sure, who have learned islam since my childhood and still beleive that Islam teaches peace and harmony.

What I know is your "you-versus-us" spirit is as irrational as that of islamic extrimists. This is not good at all for inter-nations' relationship and interaction. Please, my friend, cease to embrace that dangerous spirit. Imagine the Earth's condition if everybody has that in their minds: There's nothing else that happens but war, each claiming "to fight" for divine reasons. Please open your horizon.

For us, moslems in Indonesia, Obama's election to presidency is considered as "a new hope for peace and humanity" in contrast with "inward-looking-ism and capitalism's hunger for oil". That's why we watched and supported his campaign process enthusiastically. He will not become our president but we feel a sudden strong sense of belonging to America. That is because we have hopes for peace.

The idea that moslems hate American culture and dream to fight it, as president Bush cried in front of the press before attacking Iraq, is not at all true. Bay Watch series was aired on an Indonesian TV station for many years with a very good rating and without a single protest from the people, Many American singers, black and white, always come here every year to stage concerts and went home with hundreds of thousand dollars in their pockets from the tickets sold. Many expat English teachers, most of whom are americans, rent humble houses in my neighborhood for years without feeling worried of being tortured or killed. Some of whom play soccer with us in the evenings. And we are the majority of Islam. We love peace, we admire many americans, we buy american song CDs, we watch american movies, and still we are very faithful to islamic teachings.

Yes it's true that many moslems turn to violence to handle their problems. But those random killings are not advocated at all by islam. The roots of the problems are not religions but conditions, aspirations, dreams, anger, despair, and - for many people - greed. All hide behind religious dogmas. We know that random killings and bombings were also committed by north Irish rebells who are catholic, Tamil freedom fighters in Srilanka who are budha, supporters of Baratya Jannata party in India who are hindu, and many others. But how about the rests of the people? the majority of moslems, catholics, budhists, protestants, and hindus who live in peace? They are rational and peaceful people. Not because they're not faithful to or deny their religious teachings.

So those uncontrolled and irrational violences must be rooted from non-religious teachings.

And then what I read about Osama bin Laden who used to be a businessman in America, Taliban militants who used to be trained and financed by american government to block the spread of communism in the region, Sadam Husein who used to be a strong ally of America, and Syah Iran, an ousted Iranian tyrrant are all connected to America. I don't know why they turned violent to you in the end. Ask yourself. So, count us, the majority of Islam, out of your war. Just clean up your own mess. That is not OUR war. We are not ones to blame.

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