VISIT TO ABDUL BAHA VILLAGE IN MYANMAR (BURMA)

Je suis Charlie” or “Je ne suis Charlie” 
I am Charlie or I am not Charlie

If religion is the cause of hate and disunity, it would be best for us not to have a religion at all. Religion has been a major feature in many historical conflicts and even today religion, instead of uniting the whole world has always been at the forefront of disunity and the cause of many terrorist activities around the globe.

Muslims are fighting Christians and Jews in Africa and the Middle East, Buddhists are fighting Muslims in Sri Lanka and Myanmar and Hindus are fighting Muslims in India.  And, just last week, Muslims have staged angry protests across the world from Turkey to the Philippines over French magazine Charlie Hebdo's decision to depict the Prophet Mohammed on its latest front cover. A few days ago, Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram has killed scores of worshipers and burned down four churches in a major attack on Christians in several villages in Nigeria as a result of this event in Paris.

It is disheartening to learn that clergies, monks and leaders of several sects of religion are deeply involved of organizing political demonstrations and have demonstrated a long track record of hateful and virulently views against other religions.

In each religion there is beauty, but collectively, there is no unity at all. I love the teachings of all major religions. They are peaceful and ask the followers to do the right thing. But, I condemn the self-appointed messengers and, in some cases, the clerics or spokespersons of the divine who instigate violence and mass murders or often involve in immoral behaviors.

Pope Francis blistering criticism during his annual Christmas speech to the Vatican’s central administrative bureaucracy, I strongly believe should be directed to other major religions of the world.  He mentioned a list of “spiritual diseases” to which he believes Vatican officials are susceptible, such as careerism, arrogance, and gossip, summarizing the list as “pathology of power.” Yes, this may be true for imams, mullahs, priests, monks and other religious leaders. Early this month, the President of Egypt addressing the assemblage of imams, said that the contemporary understanding of Islam is infected with justifications for violence and asked them to correct the teachings of their Faith.

The world is in a mess and the humanity stands at a critical juncture in history. It calls for strong moral and spiritual leadership to help set a new direction for society. They have failed. The religious and spiritual leaders must work together and recognize their moral responsibility for the well-being of the human family and establish justice, love and unity on earth.

This brings to my next point of the incident “I am Charlie,” French magazine Charlie Hebdo's decision to depict the Prophet Mohammed on its latest front cover. According to a recent article in L.A. Times, some of the cartoons depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad in Charlie Hebdo were considered over-the-line by many people. I agree to this to a certain extent and respect everyone's right to freedom of speech, but it should always come with social and moral responsibility. If speech or expression incites people to commit acts of violence and harm on others then we should rethink about the consequences of the act of free speech.

I have many friends who embrace the Islamic Faith in several countries around the world.  Their prophet emphasized peace and love. For them, Islam is more than a mere belief to embrace, but a way of life and a part of cultural heritage and it remains a part of the heart and self-identity. We must take extra care of understanding the culture and heritage of others and unless we learn to respect one another, it will be very difficult to create peace and unity in a world of different views and differing cultures and civilizations. Just imagine, nearly 60 percent of the Arab population is under the age of 25. These young people yearn for freedom, education, health care, and the opportunity for a better future. Their freedom should be respected.

Religious wars have a along history. Ironically, conflict and fighting more often occurs within religions than between them. Today, we witness the growing conflicts and enmity between Sunni, Shiites, Wahabis, Alawites and other Islamic extremists. And, Muslim hostility to Christians and Jews is not something that began with the modern state of Israel or after any recent implementation of an American foreign policy.

Why are we fighting among religions?  All religions are one. I consider that no one of the Founders of religions of the past, is superior to another.

I would like to mention what Bahá'u'lláh, the Founder of the Baha’i Faith said about oneness of religion. He explained that God, the Creator, has intervened and will continue to intervene in human history by means of chosen Messengers. These Messengers, Whom Bahá'u'lláh called “Manifestations of God,” are principally the Founders of the major revealed religions, such as Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Jesus, Muhammad, and so forth. It is the spirit released by the coming of these Manifestations, together with the influence of Their teachings and the social systems established by Their laws and precepts, that enable humankind to progress in its collective evolution. Simply put: the Manifestations of God are the chief educators of humanity.

With regard to the various religious systems that have appeared in human history, Bahá'u'lláh has said: These principles and laws, these firmly-established and mighty systems, have proceeded from one Source and are the rays of one Light. That they differ one from another is to be attributed to the varying requirements of the ages in which they were promulgated.

The Bahá'í principle of the oneness of religion differs fundamentally from both of these traditional concepts. Bahá'u'lláh attributed the differences in some teachings of the great religions not to any human fallibility of the Founders, but rather to the different requirements of the ages in which the revelations occurred.

Further, Baha’i Writings say that the fundamental principle enunciated by Bahá'u'lláh, the followers of His Faith firmly believe, is that religious truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is a continuous and progressive process, that all the great religions of the world are divine in origin, that their basic principles are in complete harmony, that their aims and purposes are one and the same, that their teachings are but facets of one truth, that their functions are complementary, that they differ only in the nonessential aspects of their doctrines, and that their missions represent successive stages in the spiritual evolution of human society.

 

Respect. Justice. Love.Unity.