Monday, July 4, 2011

Holy Wars.

It is a sad commentary of life that the holiest of holy places has caused maximum bloodshed and misery and paradoxically it is the world’s two interconnected religions Islam and Christianity that have been at loggerheads with each other since time immemorial. We are taught that all religions are about love and compassion, and seeing all living beings as one; or as Booker quoted” I will permit no man to degrade my soul by making me hate him”. Yet we see religion everywhere pit brother against brother, Hindu vs Muslims, Cain vs Abel, Islam vs Christianity! Religion has the power to divide, and only plays a divisive role, as terror is often triggered by religious fanatics. The city of Jerusalem reminds Muslims of Islam’s pluralistic traditions; for one cannot be a Muslim without belief in Jesus, Moses and other earlier prophets. Jerusalem the city of monotheistic glory is loved more than any other sacred place in our planet. It was the Archangel Gabriel who escorted the Prophet to Al Buraq and the wondrous winged steed that carried Muhammad to the temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. The Ascension of the believers is by offering prayers called mirajulmuminin, which are fastened like 5 buttons to the fabric of their faith, with which the believer fumbles to release himself every day. These prayers and reading the holy verses and scriptures are meaningless, a way for people to fill the spaces that separate them from others, to fill their souls with the sounds of words. Formal prayer has an end, but the prayer of the soul is unlimited. The challenge for both religions is to see Jerusalem as a symbol of inclusiveness. Muhammad came to unite all the branches of Abraham’s family, but those dreams and visions have been obscured by a hazy blend of religious fanaticism by both religions, drowning the lofty values in their own cesspool of hate. Islam remembers one way and Christianity remembers another way, and in the end it doesn’t matter. –Vinay-

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