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Dear Pervaiz
I would like to make a brief comment on the
views of Dr Khalid Sohail ("Humanity at
a Crossroads"). I disagree with many claims that he makes, but in
interests of brevity I shall mention just one broad area. Dr Sohail
mentions Christian and Muslim fundamentalists as if they are similar, but I
do not believe that they are; in fact, they are poles apart. The most
obvious difference is that the latter are much more violent and dangerous.
To those who protest, “What about Bush and his
cronies?” I suggest that Bush’s personal religious beliefs have not shaped
any American policy in as comprehensive a way as parallel beliefs do in
Islamic theocracies…and, naturally within such a nihilistic organization as
al-Qaeda. Say that American foreign policy has been too aggressive if you
want, but don’t put it down to fundamentalism. It could never be so
one-dimensional.
Dr Sohail seizes upon Bush’s use of “crusade”
in reference to the attack on Iraq. Those hostile to the US
frequently quote this word as evidence of the supposed religious nature of
the outgoing administration’s motive. However, this charge is a piece of
sophistry. It was very clear that this word in its context was used
according to its secondary meaning. My local paper reported recently that
the city council was going to start a crusade against vandalism. I have no
religion myself, yet I too have used the word “crusade” to refer to
anything I carry out with some determination and conviction. In fact, this
secondary use is far more common these days. Admittedly, it was a naïve
word choice by Bush’s speechwriter. I remember at the time thinking, “Oh
no! The anti-Americans are going to have a field day with this.” I was
right.
Bush has rather porous fundamentalist
convictions. In fact, the religious right wing was rather disappointed that
he did not push more aggressive anti-abortion legislation. And consider
this: before he was first elected, I read a quite detailed interview with
him. In it, he conceded that although his brand of Christianity was important
to him personally, he knew that it was possible and even common for those
without any religion to be fulfilled people and moral citizens. This is a
rare concession among Christians, and, I suggest, even rarer among Muslims.
Peter Joyce
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