Two Cent Rant: Islamophobia

The Prophet said, 'There are some who see me by the same light in which I am seeing them. Our natures are one. Without reference to any strands of lineage, without reference to texts or traditions, we drink the life-water together. 

- Rumi

While gunshots were still ringing inside the offices of Charlie Hebdo, one could already hear the cries:

"Islam is violent!"

"Islam is intolerant!"

"Islam is savage and barbaric and hateful!"

Islamophobia is a prime example of blaming the wrench for the mechanic's incompetence. The wrench, in this case, is the Koran and the mechanic is anyone who uses it to destroy rather than to repair. Instead of painting all Muslims with a broad brush, we would do well to step back and employ some critical thinking.

Here, I'll get you started.

First off, anyone who accuses "Islam" of being anything admits their ignorance right off the bat. Islam, like Christianity, is an umbrella term used to describe a bunch of different sects. The only thing uniting all these sects is their belief in the Koran as the word of God. That might sound like a lot but it really isn't because everything comes down to interpretation.

Let's take Jihad, for example. Some Muslims believe it to mean holy war against infidels while others see it as an internal struggle waged not against real people but the animal self and its destructive passions. Same book, radically different interpretation.

Having realized the foolishness of lumping all these different brands of Islam together, educated Islamophobes turn their sights instead to the source: the Koran.

This is only slightly better than criticizing "Islam."

The Koran, like all holy books, is a mirror that reflects our best and worst qualities back to us. It contains powerful truths about human nature. It reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly that resides in every human's inner-world. It's up to individuals to decide how to interpret these messages and apply them in their lives.

You know how ultra-right conservatives cling to a pair of obscure passages in Leviticus to justify their hatred of gays ("it's a sin!") but ignore almost everything else written in that particular book? That's just one example of selective interpretation.

Do you know why I'm almost positive conservatives ignore the rest of Leviticus? Because wedged between the two chapters that condemn homosexuality God warns us not to breed different kinds of animals together, plant two kinds of seed in one field, or wear clothing made of mixed fabrics.

"Let's see the tag on the inside of your shirt there, mr. Bible Thumper! It's just as I thought. Cotton and polyester. Everybody grab some rocks: it's time for a good old fashioned stoning, Old Testament style!"

This kind of selective fixation and interpretation is the extremist's most powerful tool. Of course the Koran contains passages of startling violence, brutality, and intolerance: so does the Old Testament. To say that the Koran is exceptional in its brutality is hypocritical to say the least.

People tend to overlook or downplay the nasty parts of the Bible because Jesus rolled up and softened things up a bit. You could almost say that Christ tried to reboot the Old Testament. He gathered people into a crowd and was like "Hey guys, you know those old books you're all really into? Forget all that shit. Stop cutting your dick-skin. You can even eat pork if you want! It's all good. As long as you love your fellow man, you're doing right by me!"

And Christians still managed to twist and distort this message of universal love and salvation to justify acts of unimaginable violence! Notice I say "Christians used the Bible," not the other way around? Books don't use people. They're just paper and ink.

Terrorists are not created by holy books but by socio-economic and geopolitical conditions. The Koran isn't training these zealots to strap up and go ka-boom: people are.

Imagine you can't feed your family and your neighbourhood gets bombed every other week. Imagine that your country is being attacked, invaded, and occupied by foreigners for reasons you either don't know or don't understand. Imagine holding your little son's body in your arms after a misplaced drone strike. Now when some AK-47 wielding extremist comes looking for recruits and promising eternal life as recompense, well, I don't blame anyone for signing up. It's all about perspective here, folks

Victims of botched drone strike that hit a wedding in Yemen.

Two wrongs don't make a right but push someone into a corner long enough and you better expect some backlash.

To blame religion or a holy book for this is nonsense.

Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Jew, Taoist, Hindu, Scientologist: these are labels, nothing more. And when we dig beneath the labels down to the foundation of these belief-systems, we find that they sprang from a single source.

In any case, the Koran is no better and no worse than any other holy book. Case in point: if the Koran truly were a despicable text filled exclusively with hatred, violence, and intolerance, you would expect all who believe it to reflect its contents. With 23% of the world population identifying as Muslim ( approximately 1.6 billion people) you'd think we would be fighting World War X by now.

Clearly Muslims don't all fixate on the same passages. Clearly they don't interpret it the same way radicals do, or else terrorist attacks would be daily occurrences here in the West.

If you want to judge the Koran, you can't just look at the words and deeds of its most unstable and violent adherents: that would be like me judging your entire family based on your one crazy uncle who brought a hooker to thanksgiving dinner at your parent's house that one year.

If you want to gauge the Koran, you have to take in the full spectrum of Islam. Doing so will reveal that the majority of Muslims, just like the majority of people regardless of religious affiliation, are decent people trying to find their way through life.

/rant over