Arun Gandhi Gandhi
April 17, 2010, Washington post
For almost ten years it has been dinned into the minds of the citizens of the world that we are under attack by 'terrorists' who are motivated by Islamic teachings. It is well known by now that linking Islam and terrorism was concocted by those who were eager to go to war. Violence seeks to justify itself through lies. One has to make an enemy, then paint the enemy black and finally dehumanize the enemy to be able to wage a war to eliminate the enemy. Islam, in this case, is used in the same sense as Christianity was once used to justify slavery and then, later, to justify discrimination. The truth is that no religion can claim to be perfectly worded because it was written by imperfect people and it is interpreted by imperfect people. Imperfect interpretation leads to imperfect understanding and when you preach imperfect sermons to people who are impoverished, ignorant and suffer from generations of hardships you have a boiling cauldron of hate and violence. But, I am digressing.
The question is whether or not President Obama is right in passing an order not to call the Al Qaida and the Taliban as 'terrorists' and not to link them to Islam. Of course, he is right. But this should have been done at least eight years ago. After the world has been brainwashed for almost a decade will it make a difference in people's perceptions and understanding? I doubt it. Shakespeare was right when he said: What's in a name? Whether we call them terrorists or renegades or rebels or whatever they still remain, in the minds of most people, a dehumanized entity that needs to be eliminated.
I believe if President Obama seriously wishes to change the perceptions of the people and correct the mistake that has been perpetuated over a decade then let him set up an impartial commission to examine the Islamic scriptures and debunk the theory that Islam is a religion that preaches violence. I think the media should play a constructive role in educating its readers about the true message of Islam. As far as war and violence is concerned the record of no religion is perfect. We tend to interpret religion to suit our needs and to kill our conscience when it begins to raise its voice. It does not make our interpretation right, nor does it make religion wrong. We human beings are great at manipulating everything, including religion.
Arun Gandhi Gandhi is the fifth grandson of India’s legendary leader, Mohandas K. “Mahatma” Gandhi. He worked for 30 years as a journalist for The Times of India.
