to JustMe

Submitted by Sidda (United States), Mar 21, 2006 at 16:33

JustMe, very good questions. I will try to clarify my position.

Normally a person's religious beliefs are his own business--a personal choice. However, if that religion poses a threat to me or my way of life or my society at large, then I have a responsibility and a right to question the tenets of that faith.

That is what we are doing vis a vis Islam. There is no way to ignore the fact that violent acts are being perpetrated and endorsed by those claiming to be Muslims in the name of furthering the cause of Islam. It is also a fact that those who support these actions are not limited to a fringe minority, but supported by a significant minority. The founder of CAIR openly states that they would like to see the U.S. constitution replaced with Sharia Law and the flag of Islam to fly over the White House. They claim they intend to use our democratic process to accomplish this goal peacefully. Neither scenario gives me much comfort.

In light of this, we have every right to question the basis for these actions and beliefs. We will question what tenets of Islam give rise to these attitudes. We also must question whether those who hold to this belief system (political, economic, and social as well as religious) will be able to sucessfully integrate into our culture.

So, yes I agree that when confronted with a religion (and of course Islam is more than simply a religion, it is a comprehensive political, economic, and social belief system as well as religious), that seems to be at odds with our values, then it is appropriate to discuss it in that context.

However, I feel that entering into certain debates regarding religion can deflect from the issues I mentioned above. For instance, discussing whether Christian theology is closer to Islam or Judaism or Hinduism, or the trinity, or "my religion is better than yours" does not address the issue of what impact Islamists and their beliefs have on our societies at the present time. I'm not saying that those debates should not be held or that they serve no other purpose; certainly if someone has a question regarding a tenet of faith they are free to ask it. I just do not find getting into prolonged religious debates pertinent to the subject at hand. But that is my personal opinion.

Hope I made my thoughts more clear.

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