Every December, there is wailing about the mythical War on Christmas. Fortunately, The Christian Science Monitor often helpfully injects a little reality into the melodrama. Such as this recent piece about Christmas in overwhelmingly Muslim Senegal. As someone who's lived in Senegal, I can assure the generally harmonious Christian-Muslim relations portrayed in the article are accurate.
There's a belief out there that the Christian and Muslim worlds are destined to conflict. But nothing is pre-ordained. Such a conflict can easily be avoided if there's sufficient will in both camps. There's plenty in common between the world's two largest monotheistic religions. Heck, Muslims even recognize Jesus Christ as a prophet (if not The Prophet).
Fanatical Christians and fanatical Muslims are hell bent on convincing moderates of their religion that sectarian war is inevitable, that a "clash of civilizations" is unavoidable. This is based not on faith but on politics and culture. This is why they are called theocrats, because they fuse religion (theo-) and politics/government (-cracy).
The majority of Christians in the world were and are appalled by the Iraq monstrosity. Most Muslims were disgusted by radical Islamist attacks on 9/11 and in Europe. Obviously some cheered these things and even held rallies in support, but most opposed them.
A reason for the tension is the belief, even by some well-intentioned people, that either the Muslim or Christian world is somehow monolithic. Just as Rome is nothing like Dubuque which is nothing like Belfast, Dakar is nothing like Jakarta which is nothing like Riyadh.
Progressives need a climate of hope to gain and maintain political power. They want to build something. A positive action requires a positive outlook. Extremists need a climate of fear to gain and maintain power. Their agenda is to divisive, to separate the pure from the impure.
Extremists feel most threatened not by extremists on the other side but by the possibility of moderates on their side rapproaching with moderates on the other side.
Good post.
ReplyDeleteI think that Virginia congressman's comments about Keith Elliison's swearing in ceremony, puts a face on hating Muslims.
Holiday Greetings
For me, the spirit of Senegal will always be defined by the hero of Kigali, Capt. Mbaye Diagne, a member of the UN forces who disobeyed orders and saved dozens of (Christian) Tutsi during the Rwandan genocide and was killed by a mortar shell during the fighting. He was a devout Muslim from Dakar.
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