[Buddha-l] Was Buddhists Taking a Stand Against Isllamophobia

[Dan Lusthaus]

>>Did you make it to the last paragraph?
>
> I did, but still found myself wondering what you might suggest individual 
> Buddhists individually do. I would appreciate your fuller thoughts.
> Randall Jones

Radically changing the ingrained culture(s) of a major swath of the planet 
earth is not something an individual of any persuasion can individually do, 
unfortunately. Group unity, focus, persistence and courage will help.

On an individual level, nonetheless, Buddhism teaches that the core Buddhist 
pursuit is applying the (medical) pathological model: symptom, diagnosis, 
prognosis, and treatment plan. Buddhist call that the Four Noble Truths 
(suffering, its causes, curability, and methods).

First step is to acknowledge and take cognizance of the symptoms. The next 
is to diagnose the problem. There can be many diagnoses -- but those most 
etiologically rooted will in the long run probably prove the most 
significant. First and second step would be to follow the links I provided, 
or comparable information on the history and culture(s). There's a lot of 
white noise and self-congratulatory insularity that one can find online. 
Differentiate the wheat from the chaff, the symptom-denial from the usefully 
diagnostic.

If there seem to be too many links in what I sent, one might want to start 
with these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrDPAVo-J-g
http://tinyurl.com/92n5mw8
http://tinyurl.com/8jylf7u

Once you have clarity on a diagnosis -- which Buddhism will remind you is a 
*causal* understanding of the process producing the symptoms -- then 
determine what can be done about it. Is it curable? How can it be modified 
for the better? The "it" will turn out not to be anything singular, but a 
multitude of different things.

Meditate on key concepts, e.g., "hegemony." What does it mean to muslims (of 
all stripes), and how does it play out throughout the theoretical, 
practical, political, and spiritual realms, in all the particular, distinct 
places and situations in which it occurs (i.e., serious meditation).

When a clear path to remedying this (e.g., taking on "hegemony" as a 
particularly dangerous form of atmavada), then implement it.

Reward the peaceful, friendly, warm aspects; befriend Muslims. Learn from 
them, but have enough confidence to know that they, too, can learn some 
important lessons from you (if that's not the case, you are not going to be 
very effective). Kindness is more powerful than cruelty, but don't 
underestimate the risks, nor the effectiveness of power judiciously applied.

There is a good deal more online about the "Blasphemy case: Muslim cleric 
accused of framing Christian girl" http://tinyurl.com/8hukysh

Individually one would not be able to do much to help her, or all the others 
caught in her not atypical situation (similar arrangements also happen to 
young boys in Afghanistan and Pakistan becoming the "companion" of men, but 
somehow international umbrage gets more riled when the victims are female). 
But concerted international attention can shine some light on these roaches 
thriving in the dark under their rocks. Honor killings, female circumcision, 
stoning and hangings for adultery, and a host of other things that should be 
considered unacceptable in the 21st c. can be targeted and become the focus 
of sustained campaigns. All that helps. But a Buddhist should look for 
underlying causes, and not be distracted by all these things as if they were 
isolated from each other. Look for the common underlying issues, and work on 
solutions. Then get others involved.

Dan