Editor,
Mark Erasmus's letter in Friday's Daily Lobo epitomizes the concept that religion is inherently irrational and a source of conflict, evil and bloodshed.
While all religions have been exploited to justify conflicts and bloodshed at one point or another, the real reason has nothing to do with religion.
I need only to point out that the wars with the greatest human casualties ever were not religious by nature, and let me add that Islam and the Muslims had nothing to do with them.
These were World War I and World War II. The real reason for evil is the inherent feeling of insecurity that is an integral part of human nature.
This feeling of insecurity comes into play in human relations between lovers, family, government and nations at large.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Often, our ignorance about other people flames our fears and drives some into a frenzy to persecute and even destroy those we don't understand in hoping to gain a false sense of security.
Religion provides hope, which catapults man from the jaws of misery and failure to fight on to achieve sweet victory.
It is religion that drives man to selfless sacrifice for others. It is religion that brings out the beauty within each of us and induces us to tolerate the thorns that are an integral part of the overall beauty of roses and life.
It is religion that motivates us to fight the evil within all of us. Beautiful as they are, mathematics and science are impotent in motivating most of us to all that.
I feel obliged to clarify some of the ignorance about Islam Erasmus displayed in his letter. Islam stipulates that faith should be based on reason.
One of the most common themes in Quran is for man to think, because religion without thinking is destructive.
Prophet Muhammad instructed Muslims that an hour of thinking is superior to one month of worship. He also instructed that seeking knowledge is obligatory on every male and female Muslim.
The very first verses glorified reading and writing, in effect glorifying the value of information.
If the so-called Muslim terrorists annoy Erasmus, he can rest assured they infuriate most Muslims. So much that these mongers of hate are driven underground and into the caves of no-man's lands everywhere in the Muslim world.
For every non-Muslim they have killed, these monsters have killed 100 Muslims. Almost all Muslim scholars have opposed the venom of these criminals because of the basic Islamic law that ends do not justify means.
The emotional deaf and mute dialogue between the Muslim world and the West is the root cause of Erasmus's ignorance of Islam and Muslims.
Erasmus, as a Muslim, Islam instructs me to forgive your insults and love you as you were created by the one, loving god Muslims adore.
As a Muslim, and I say to you: Peace, brother.
Sami A. Shakir
Daily Lobo reader
