The Work of God

The news on Wednesday of the murders of the editorial staff and police during the attack on the French magazine Charlie Hebdo was traumatic and shaking to many. It was a direct attack on one of our most cherished freedoms, freedom of expression. The disguised attackers apparently knew their targets and knew where to find them which indicates a high degree of planning. Their ability to elude immediate apprehension hints at a wider organization from which support is obtained. It is reported that one of the attackers shouted that they were the action of Al Qaida in Yemen which has been under attack by the United States for quite some time but the facts are still to be determined.

One of the repercussions that is feared is that this attack will strengthen the National Front political party in France which is vehemently opposed to immigration by Muslims. Of course, the hue and cry from those already of that mindset is that Muslims in general are the enemy and that we must take action to defeat them socially and militarily. Many Muslim organizations have voiced their condemnation of these fanatics but that is just not enough for most people. On this point those voices may have a point. While we shouldn't seek to ostracize or harm those who practice the Islamic faith just for their beliefs I think it is time that we should expect the general populace of the Islamic faith to stand up and loudly make their voices heard in their condemnation and ostracizing of those who practice a radical form of their faith. It has reached the point where it is not enough for only those more progressive leaders of Islam to denounce these barbaric acts. It is incumbent upon Muslims everywhere to repudiate the hatred and radicalism that those proponents of terrorism practice. While it is not universal, for the most part people in the United States will accept the practice of other faiths and religions but we expect those who are a part of our body to also respect our practice of our faiths and the tenets upon which the United States stands. It is only when those who practice a radical and murderous version of Islam are denied support and financing that they will diminish in power and attraction.

But, as with all things, there are two sides of that coin. Those who are angrily denouncing those practitioners of the dark arts must also reciprocate by showing acceptance and consideration to those of the Islamic faith. Many of those within not only the Christian community but also others accept the narrative that our battle against radical Islam is a battle against Satan himself. It is no surprise that those against whom we fight consider us in the same way. Must it be our goal to battle until one side or the other is vanquished in war and strife, weakened to the point that their voices can no longer be heard? The popular narrative is that we were attacked by Islam on 9/11 and that we are only defending ourselves against those who would deny us our freedom and God but our battle with that part of the world goes back much farther than that. One could argue that it goes back perhaps a thousand years to the crusades when Christians were attempting to take the Holy Land.

The truth is that people are not so much different everywhere you go. Most just want to live in peace, take care of their families and worship their god. It is when radicalism that will only accept one way rises that tensions overwhelm us. Now we are engaged in worldwide strife with an enemy that uses a radical form of its faith to justify the means to the ends that it seeks. We also go to war beseeching the blessings of God on our cause when it is doubtful that God can bless any kind of such destructive behavior.

In the past when forms of radicalism have threatened to subvert the national peace we, as a people, have stood up to reject that demonization of principle. Even during this battle with radical Islam our citizenry by and large has rejected the notion that we are at war with Islam itself. It is true that there are more than a few who do not feel this way and reject Islam itself as a violent religion bent on world domination by murder if necessary. Bill Maher, a well known liberal, is vocal about his perception of Islam as a violent and repressive religion. On the other hand, he feels similarly about Christianity. Yes, Islam has its scriptures that seem to advocate violent conversion of infidels but Christianity has also had its own dark past and largely moved past it. Islam needs to bring its faith into the modern world and universally reject violence as a form of evangelism and it needs to do so loudly by rejecting any support, financially or otherwise, for those who advocate radicalism of Islam. At the same time, we must acknowledge that there are some of us who would make the practice of our faith the foundation of our government's actions and reject those of differing beliefs. We must reject that also.

This will not, in and of itself, bring peace to that part of the world. Islam has been radicalized by those who claim the blessing of their god in the attempt to throw off the yoke of dictatorial regimes and monarchies. Rejecting the claims of holiness will reveal the true desire of the people and force change along those lines rather than the false claims of doing the work of god. Until that change is effected it will be very difficult to project power in that part of the world and the attempt to do so will result in radicalism of our own beliefs and the bankrupting of our treasury.

My Take is this. The rank and file who practice Islam need to be visible and vocal in their rejection of all that the radical form of their faith stands for. We should moderate our militancy and be willing to work and live in peace. It is not possible to defeat radical Islam militarily and, because we are the United States of America, we should seek ways to defuse the wars that are creating suffering for so many.