Dec 3rd, 2008

Religious Tolerance in the 21st Century by: Ali Qureshi

Chaos, confusion and war. These are often the terms used to describe when various religions
interact. Critics have often pointed the finger at religious texts as the source for this anarchy and
destruction, however, ignorance gives the blind eye towards divine religious scriptures that speak of
peace and tranquility towards other religions. This epistemology was truly tested at the turn of the
millennium, when 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked airplanes and used them for the sole purpose to
notcause havoc. This tragedy created ripple effects all throughout the world as scholars and students
alike, questioned the inspiration behind the motives of these attacks. A large following of people,
concluded that religion was responsible for this intolerance, and categorized a certain belief system and
ethnic group under this heading with bias. However, a new voice has arose, a voice which calls for a reunderstanding of all components of religious nature. From the primary sources of influential religious
leaders to the study of human interaction, scholars have reasoned that when studying religion at its
purest nature, one can apprehend that all religions in the world ask for one common action upon their
believers; virtue and to speak out against vice.
The defense of religion by apologists has many columnists speaking of a religious intellectual
movement. A movement not represented by violence and uprising, rather an intellectual revolution, in
which the purpose is to educate the masses about the common principles and foundations that all
religions in the world share. For example, the concept of charity discussed in the Quran, known as
Zakat, obliges every able Muslim to give back to their community; monetary donations, food and
other necessities to those who are in need. The same comparison can be drawn to Christianity, whereas
Jesus Christ, led by example hinting to a way of life whereby if we put others first, we can find true
happiness. These examples are just a small fraction of the diverse amount of interfaith relationships.
Our daily lives revolve around hearing the negative aspect of religion; holy war. We are
constantly being bombarded with images and scenes that portray certain religions in an unholy manner.
As humans, we put our biases against other faiths based on the actions of a diminutive minority. This
base of judgment has proven to lead towards stereotypes, discrimination and even genocide. Following
the horrific terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001, many Muslims living in the west were faced with
a complex situation. The selfish actions of 19 men had placed many honest and hard working Muslims
in a jeopardized position in which they were constantly being portrayed as terrorists and barbaric in
various aspects of the media. This demonic image, often placed Muslim youths growing up in the west
into a dilemma; should they practice their religion in fear of being socially rejected? With these rising
tensions came solutions as outspoken members of each religious and ethnic communities came together
to form think tanks. The purpose of these think tanks was to unite humanity on one basis, a dictum in
which every single religion places enormous emphasis on; tolerance and acceptance of one another.
With the combined efforts of many intellectuals, scholars and leaders, the notion of salvation,
whether believed to be in this life or in the hereafter can be achieved by speaking out against
prejudices and extremism. Verily, those who interpret the sacred scriptures are wrong-doing and going
against the Supreme Ruler's decree giving humanity the duty to correct and educate both sides of the
brewing conflict. The first step to achieving acceptance is for a dialogue to take place between the
moderates and extremists. Likewise, a dialogue must take place between those that speak for
generalization. For as said and repeated numerous times by historians, an ideology cannot be destroyed
however it can be corrected through a refinement process that may prove to be lengthy but can touch
and save the lives of unsung strangers.

Dec 3rd, 2008

The ********* often credited with being multi-cultural, would not have gained such a high
reputation if not for its emphasis on community, excellence and respect. These foundations have
enticed students to look beyond superficial biases, and rather look at one another as part of a collective
unit. For this collective unit represents the notion of humanity although everyone has their own unique
faith, they have points where they share common similarities. These similarities help the average
person to choose the path of willful co-existence and bring forth humanity to the road of progressive
development.