once again you outdid yourself…

“I would hope that you in the media would be passionate about letting people judge for themselves, that you would be careful about some of the language that you do actually use,” he said.

“‘Muslim terrorism’ - have you ever read anywhere ‘Christian terrorism’? - as if Islam propagates violence, but you have never spoken about what happened in Northern Ireland as Christian terrorism,” he said.

“Fundamentally there is no faith that I know that propagates violence, that says it’s a good thing to oppress anybody.”

Tutu said he recognized the media could be a force for good but that it had responsibilities.

“You have a very powerful media. I know because you helped us very much in our struggle to tell our story. You did it for us and we benefited enormously.”

Tutu added, however, that understanding different religions required peoples of all faiths to understand different perspectives.

“We Christians ought to get off our high horse and learn to be a great deal more humble, when you look at our history, the bloody things that we did in the name of religion,” he said.

I would say there is no religion that has a monopoly on tolerance or intolerance. Before we rush off to point fingers and condemn others, I think we would all do well to examine the intolerance within ourselves and our own communities, how willing we are to stereotype people we’ve never met based on biased news reporting, and how quick we are to condemn in others, that which we tolerate in ourselves.

Cantor Steve Puzarne
Pilgrimage of Peace

Whatever be the beliefs, whatever be the religion people belongs to, it is primarily because it is where they born into. It is a blessing. However, that blessings will manifest only if the person is willing to tolerate others. How can I being a Muslim, a Hindu, a Christian, or a Jew can claim to be a rigteous man (a good person)? IT is “by our actions, deeds and services”. I lived in Middle East for quite several years and surprised at other faiths being considered as “not acceptable” to them. Middle East is the breeding ground to “propogate that hatred”. I have seen people of Islam tradition and holding western passports, comes to Middle East and ignite the hatred against other faiths in order to get promotions in their jobs. THEY VERY WELL PULL DOWN BLESSINGS BY “CHEATING GOD - AT LEAST THEY BELIEVE SO”.

It is a common practice in the offices of Gulf countries to pray at the designated hours. There is a widely publicised joke about this. Manager starts reading the business plan in the morning, and the prayer call comes, he rushes to pray; come back and started reading from the beginning again, and the prayer call comes, he rushes again, and it goes on and on back and forth every day. And he is impelled to start reading from the beginning of the business plan and it is never ending because of the blessings of the prayer. Two steps forward and three steps backward.

Everyone in the world has the right to choose what he want to practice - it is his free will. However, that does not mean at all to hate others or kill others in the name of their beliefs. IT IS LIKE MY OPINION ALONE COUNTS, NOT YOURS.

Second, religion is a door to spread peace; not at all to ignite fire in the minds of the people. IT IS MADMESS and that is what is exactly happening in IRAN and with HAMAS in Palestine, to cite few examples.

Third, salvation belongs to who? To God and who benefit from it. Of course the people. But, the Islamists take the salvation into their hands and they decide in this world that “who goes to heaven and who goes to hell”. They believe a “suicide bomber who kills whom they decide to kill goes direct to heaven” - heaven opens to them immediately. IF THAT IS THE CASE, HEAVEN WILL FALL DOWN SHORTLY WITH ALL THE TALIBAN LEADERS AND OSAMAN BIN LADENS SHORTLY.

Forth, a prayer is a call for introspection that benefits himself and all others. A proper understanding of this concept will not allow Isalmists to behead people in the banner of their Islamic religion. Who gives you right to behead a person just like killing a sheep. Even for killing an animal, God has given commandments. Aaaron’s son’s were killed by God for doing disservice to the Holiness.

In this regard, Tashbih Sayyed’s findings should be given credence by the Muslims in general, and the hardcore Islamists in particular.

Let them read his own words: “The existence of Israel will one day convince the Muslims of the necessity of reformation in their theology as well as sociology.”

World is a good place to live, but that to happen it needs consistent efforts by everyone.

Zacharia Mathews
Canada