Religion in a socio economic milieu

All religions including Islam should be viewed in a broader socio political context in the wake of unfolding events in our world. The huge surge of violence in the Middle East is due mainly to despotic regimes rather than Islam, though religion is inextricably linked to violence and terrorism. The inclusion of religion into politics is an age old ploy to garner more respectability for the cause, as it gives a spiritual dimension to an unjust cause. Some of the worst perpetrators of violence and terror on mankind did not even use Religion- Pol Pot, Mao, Stalin, and Hitler.
LTTE Tamil Tigers, Basque terrorists and many splinter groups have also used car bombings and suicide attacks as a political tool in their revolution.
Many Middle East countries are trying to throw out their repressive regimes, the underlying reasons of the Arab Spring and other contemporary uprisings must be understood comprehensively the emotions and impulses cannot be generalized as Islamic terrorism. Many of the extreme reactions of Muslims are nationalistic and not concerned with religion. In some ways the Political Dictators try to don the garb of high priests of morality donning black robes instead of white to fit into their larger grand evil designs.
The 9/11 catastrophe has reinforced the thought that violence, car bombings, Fatwa and terrorism are interwoven into the DNA of Islam. The fact that most educated Muslims all over the world also don’t vociferously oppose these fundamentalists, the repressive regimes, and the suppression of women in the Middle East also adds credence to these myths. Islam must take a hard look at its relationship with other religions, cultures and countries to give a broader colour to its socio-political context with respect to the modern world. The fact that the Middle East is strategically located and rich in oil/ energy is also one reason that every nation is trying to pitch in and make the scene more chaotic and drag everyone into a river of dark billowing smoke!