[Buddha-l] Buddhists taking a stand against Islamaphobia

[donna Bair-Mundy]

Aloha,
   There are many interpretations of the concept of jihad. Many years ago I 
was told by a Pakistani Muslim that the true meaning of jihad is the 
internal struggle between good and evil in one's own heart.  While a 
blanket disparaging of the concept may not be warranted one may certainly 
express a preference for a particular interpretation.  I have a preference 
for the non-violent interpretation, but I suppose that is somewhat 
self-serving as someone who does not self-identify as a Muslim.

   As to violence in the name of religion, there have been many postings 
over the years of participants of many religions committing terrible 
crimes against humanity in their quest to convert the world.  I remember 
a conservative Christian leader saying that the U.S. had the right to nuke 
the U.S.S.R. into non-existence based on the biblical passages relating to 
Gog and Magog (see Exekiel 38 & 39; Revelations 20.8).  A friend of mine 
who served on a ship that went to Vietnam during the war told me that the 
Christian chaplain came on the intercom system and encouraged those on 
board to kill Vietnamese for Jesus.

   There is so much violent imagery in the scriptures of the major 
religions that a person who is upset, angry, feeling disempowered can 
readily find legitimation for violent actions against others.  And the 
World Wide Web makes it easier for the disaffected to find persons of like 
mind around the world, helping to legitimate a violent worldview.  There 
is no easy "fix" for this.  However, we can minimize putting additional 
fuel on the fires of anger.  Allowing Muslim (or Jewish, by the way) women 
to cover their hair does not threaten the security of the majority.  So 
how about allowing women to cover their hair but not their faces? 
Covering the face is not required in the Quran--the passage used to 
legitimate such a requirement is vague and open to many interpretations. 
But to know that we need to be familiar with the Quran, understand the 
Quran.  By better understanding the tenets of a particular religion we can 
more readily achieve compromises that achieve a better balance between 
security and religious freedom.  And by engaging in dialogue in order to 
come to such a balance we can demonstrate respect for those persons whose 
beliefs differ from our own.
   Just a thought...

                    	Have a safe and joyful day,

 			donna Bair-Mundy, Ph.D.
 			Instructor, LIS Program
 			Information & Computer Sci. Dept.
 			Hamilton Library, Room 003-B
 			2550 McCarthy Mall
 			University of Hawai`i at Manoa
 			Honolulu, HI 96822
 			Voice: 808-956-9518 Fax: 808-956-5835
 			<donnab at hawaii.edu>

On Thu, 2 Aug 2012, Gregory Bungo wrote:

> Hi,
>
> If one is to be ashamed, it would make sense to be ashamed
> of the doctrine of Jihad.
>
> Regards,
>
> Greg Bungo
>