Anon addressed my favorite fantasy: the cost of Islam

Submitted by Prashant (United States), Jul 20, 2022 at 10:41

Dear Dr Pipes,

The reader who called himself Anon addressed one of my two favorite fantasies. I often wonder what the history of the world would have been if Islam had not been invented at all or had been quashed in the 7th century itself. Prior to Islam, people in India, Greece, and Persia were having constructive dialogs with each other. Buddhist coins were being exchanged with the Greek coins. There were wars but no big war was driven by religions (And, no war continued for centuries, any way) . Chinese travellers were making trips to India and Chinese boats were sailing back and forth to southern India. Gautam Buddha and Jain saints had already codified the doctrine of non-violence. Unfortunately, it was all replaced by the Islamic mayhem for 1000 years until it was partly subdued by the European colonialists.

It is virtually impossible to do a historical what-is analysis: History does not offer us the luxury of taking the other road of the fork. But it leads me to my second fantasy: What if all Muslims of today become non-Muslims.

All the GNPs that the world is spending in keeping the religion of peace peaceful will be saved. Our biggest problems will be Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-un, and, the local drug dealer. Perhaps, humans will be able to drive from Singapore and Shanghai to London in one piece and take a quiet break in Jerusalem to show their respect at Temple Mount.

Our world -especially Muslim brothers and sisters of ours- should never forget to pause and think about the cost that Islam brings to our lives. If Mahmoud Abbas can contemplate this cost, he might probably be inclined to adopt some of Gautam Buddha, MLK, and Gandhi's ideas. Amen, I say.

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