It is with great sadness and pain that I follow the ongoing captivity of the Korean hostages held by the Taleban in Afghanistan. The brutal and senseless murder of some of their number has shocked my family and me. The claims to righteousness of their captors has offended our Islamic identities and inspired me to write in appeal and in protest.
Many of us wonder what plea can reach the ears of those who are causing such suffering to innocents. How can we show these misguided men of war that our faith instructs us to put humanitarian considerations above all else? All true Muslims must realize that it is vital to recognize the humanity of the other in order to affirm our own humanity.
It pains me to see the religion of Islam once again being exploited in a way that is wholly at odds with its historic message. Perhaps we can understand how this comes about in certain circumstances. When people are afraid, when they are broken and powerless, they sometimes lash out violently. However, it is both tragic and ironic that in their rage and fear, they destroy the beautiful tradition they claim to defend.
This is indeed a time of great crisis in our world. Violence has overtaken dialogue, and compassion has lost out to hatred and revenge. Now, as anger threatens to escalate out of all control across the world, we must remember that peace is not just the absence of violence; it is the active creation of trust, respect and empathy.
As a Muslim, I call for my fellow believers to work together so that our faith may be elevated above politics: So that church, mosque, synagogue and temple may regain their moral authority outside the political realm. We must consider the damage being done to Islam by those who act out of anger and aggression. Our guiding faith does not tell us to kill innocents and to harm those who act in good faith.
Our religion of peace commands us to take positive action amid mounting hostility and mistrust and to make a substantial contribution to building peace in a polarized world. Our communities need an urgent call for responsible religiosity among Muslims. We must move away from the polarities of truth that have come to drive the international agenda.
Media and film images have helped to promote a false idea that Islam preaches violence. Muslims must not act to confirm this shocking misrepresentation. We must battle peacefully against our world’s disinterest in human welfare and the ever-widening gap between rich and poor. The injustices of occupation in Palestine and the terrible future facing the children of Iraq compete for our attention with anxiety about the stability of Afghanistan. None of these worrying situations will be solved by violence and bloodshed. Islam, like true Christianity, teaches dialogue, engagement and tolerance. Islam, like Christianity, seeks to improve the lot of men and women of all faiths and backgrounds.
The current bloodshed in the Middle East, along with the anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment which has developed since 9/11 have caused real pain and suffering to millions of Muslims around the world. Vicious calumnies delivered by a minority of Christian evangelists and Western politicians have created feelings of a religious “crusade” against Islam. To this, many Muslims around the world have reacted with indignation and anger.
But the actions of a misinformed minority in the West and the objectionable policies of some governments must not lead any Muslim to forget the centrist and humanitarian message of the Qur’an. Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) life is clearly not being implemented by so-called fundamentalists but perverted into a driving force for their own, highly politicized agendas.
Crucially, we cannot continue to claim to be moderate and centrist if we are not dynamic in promoting that centrism — in promoting the middle ground. If we are not dynamic in pursuing peace we cannot claim to be proper adherents of our faith.
Some years ago I was saddened, as a Muslim, to see the wanton destruction of places of worship sacred to the Buddhist faith in Afghanistan. I am more dismayed that politicians and warlords who claim to speak for us are destroying the precious terra media, the middle ground of dialogue that has existed for centuries between faiths.
Once again, I want Muslim delegations to travel to Afghanistan to represent the UN and the families of the captives. As a Muslim, I can claim cultural and religious affinity with those who would act in my name and say: “What you are doing is unconscionable for Muslims.”
As president emeritus of the World Conference of Religions for Peace (WCRP), I call for dialogue to resolve this moral and humanitarian crisis. The WCRP is well placed to mediate any discussions that might hopefully arise in the coming hours and days.
