The title quote is attributed to the Prophet Muhammad under the circumstance of being asked by the Muslims to curse the infidels (as reported in Sahih Muslim).
Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Sikh, Hindu and every other religion, including those who do not profess faith in a higher power, on the face of this planet have been maligned at some time or other and each has been persecuted at one time or another. Most religions espouse loving kindness to others, they challenge the individual for personal growth and a growing proximity to perfection, the deity or ones ancestors. The faithful of these religions range from gentle peaceful devotees who try to walk in the enlightened footsteps of their revered teachers and saints to the self serving fanatical leaders who use their charismatic words to convince their followers that kidnapping, murder and acts of terrorism are sanctioned by their deity of choice.
It is these fanatics who darken the light of their truths, who give their brothers and sisters in faith unfair representation, these individuals become the face of their religions and give nonbelievers a reason to fear and hate. Hatred is a rare tenet of a belief systems. Religion becomes the anchor from which leaders like Adolf Hitler, Jim Jones, David Koresh, and Osama bin Laden float their message of hatred and personal gain. History is full of examples of "divine inspiration" veiling religious and political despotism. The news is currently filled with stories of Boko Haram, self proclaimed Muslim and kidnapper of nearly 300 girls in Nigeria. This is just the latest act of terrorism in a long line of acts of hatred from Haram.
We cannot allow the use of the word "Islam" by this morally destitute creature to color our opinions of those who also follow the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, just as we would hope others not of our own faith would judge us by those who claim the same divinity as ourselves. What we should be doing is seeking ways to help those who are able to affect change in the regions subjected to the horrors of men like Haram.
I have lost sleep over the tragedy of these young women. My heart goes out to them and their mothers, fathers and families. I have a heavy sense of dread knowing that we live in a world where at any time men feel that they can and should go into places of learning, worship or communities in general and take that which does not belong to them simply because they can. If there is one thing I have learned in my life, simply because you can does not mean that you should.
For those of you who doubt the reality of misogyny in our world, I direct you to the actions of people like Boko Haram, who believe that their place is above women, who views women and children as things to be stolen, used and sold. His actions damage the lives of others irrevocably, the scars will remain always. Although I am hopeful for the girls and their families that they will all be returned and able to heal, it is wishful thinking to believe that this is something they will ever forget. The longer they remain captive, the less likely it is that they will all be recovered. He has forced them into conversion to Islam. These are not the tenets of Islam nor the teachings of the Prophet. Nor are these beliefs shared by Christians, Jews, Buddhists nor any other religion known to me.
I have no answers on how to fix this nor can I make Haram give the girls back their freedom but I do know we cannot judge others by the actions of few. We must judge individuals for their own personal actions. We can stop these acts of terrorism through vigilance and self-empowerment. Learning to recognize when the message of hatred is threaded through the tapestry of belief and speaking out against it is our best weapon. Bringing those who violate others to justice is the tool we should use. Speaking to one another with words of kindness and show mercy and understanding. These methods will not change the world overnight, but they are the only way to move forward from our less civilized ways of life.
This way is not just limited to terrorists abroad or on a global scale. Such fear and hatred is present in our lives every day. People is positions of political and social leadership throughout the world who say and act on their feelings of fear.
We are mere mortals, humans with the life span of a scant handful of decades. We cannot hope to understand everything we encounter, but we can put aside our fear of the unknown and embrace those who are part of our journey as brothers and sisters in life. I do not live under the delusion we will like every person we encounter, nor will we be universally loved, but we make our own decisions and we are the rulers of our own hearts and minds. Some find it easier to follow this pursuit through the teachings of a spiritual or religious leader, some find that they are able to make their way through their own well tuned moral compass.
Do not seek to curse those around you, look to the wisdom of those who walk lightly on this earth and leave love and kindness in their wake. Reach out to those who are suffering and beaten down. Reject those who would have you hurt others to better themselves. Work within the political and social structures available to you to affect change. The opposite of Love is not hate, but fear, reject fear and live your life to it's fullest.
Enjoy maximized empowerment my friends.
Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Sikh, Hindu and every other religion, including those who do not profess faith in a higher power, on the face of this planet have been maligned at some time or other and each has been persecuted at one time or another. Most religions espouse loving kindness to others, they challenge the individual for personal growth and a growing proximity to perfection, the deity or ones ancestors. The faithful of these religions range from gentle peaceful devotees who try to walk in the enlightened footsteps of their revered teachers and saints to the self serving fanatical leaders who use their charismatic words to convince their followers that kidnapping, murder and acts of terrorism are sanctioned by their deity of choice.
It is these fanatics who darken the light of their truths, who give their brothers and sisters in faith unfair representation, these individuals become the face of their religions and give nonbelievers a reason to fear and hate. Hatred is a rare tenet of a belief systems. Religion becomes the anchor from which leaders like Adolf Hitler, Jim Jones, David Koresh, and Osama bin Laden float their message of hatred and personal gain. History is full of examples of "divine inspiration" veiling religious and political despotism. The news is currently filled with stories of Boko Haram, self proclaimed Muslim and kidnapper of nearly 300 girls in Nigeria. This is just the latest act of terrorism in a long line of acts of hatred from Haram.
We cannot allow the use of the word "Islam" by this morally destitute creature to color our opinions of those who also follow the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, just as we would hope others not of our own faith would judge us by those who claim the same divinity as ourselves. What we should be doing is seeking ways to help those who are able to affect change in the regions subjected to the horrors of men like Haram.
I have lost sleep over the tragedy of these young women. My heart goes out to them and their mothers, fathers and families. I have a heavy sense of dread knowing that we live in a world where at any time men feel that they can and should go into places of learning, worship or communities in general and take that which does not belong to them simply because they can. If there is one thing I have learned in my life, simply because you can does not mean that you should.
For those of you who doubt the reality of misogyny in our world, I direct you to the actions of people like Boko Haram, who believe that their place is above women, who views women and children as things to be stolen, used and sold. His actions damage the lives of others irrevocably, the scars will remain always. Although I am hopeful for the girls and their families that they will all be returned and able to heal, it is wishful thinking to believe that this is something they will ever forget. The longer they remain captive, the less likely it is that they will all be recovered. He has forced them into conversion to Islam. These are not the tenets of Islam nor the teachings of the Prophet. Nor are these beliefs shared by Christians, Jews, Buddhists nor any other religion known to me.
I have no answers on how to fix this nor can I make Haram give the girls back their freedom but I do know we cannot judge others by the actions of few. We must judge individuals for their own personal actions. We can stop these acts of terrorism through vigilance and self-empowerment. Learning to recognize when the message of hatred is threaded through the tapestry of belief and speaking out against it is our best weapon. Bringing those who violate others to justice is the tool we should use. Speaking to one another with words of kindness and show mercy and understanding. These methods will not change the world overnight, but they are the only way to move forward from our less civilized ways of life.
This way is not just limited to terrorists abroad or on a global scale. Such fear and hatred is present in our lives every day. People is positions of political and social leadership throughout the world who say and act on their feelings of fear.
We are mere mortals, humans with the life span of a scant handful of decades. We cannot hope to understand everything we encounter, but we can put aside our fear of the unknown and embrace those who are part of our journey as brothers and sisters in life. I do not live under the delusion we will like every person we encounter, nor will we be universally loved, but we make our own decisions and we are the rulers of our own hearts and minds. Some find it easier to follow this pursuit through the teachings of a spiritual or religious leader, some find that they are able to make their way through their own well tuned moral compass.
Do not seek to curse those around you, look to the wisdom of those who walk lightly on this earth and leave love and kindness in their wake. Reach out to those who are suffering and beaten down. Reject those who would have you hurt others to better themselves. Work within the political and social structures available to you to affect change. The opposite of Love is not hate, but fear, reject fear and live your life to it's fullest.
Enjoy maximized empowerment my friends.
