After we mentioned in class the accusations towards Islam of forced conversions, and the fact that Christianity was in fact more prone to forced conversions, I came across another thought. The allegation that Islam is inherently violent seems a bit absurd when one considers that, according to the Old Testament, the Hebrews in ancient times would routinely sweep into a new region and wipe out entire populations.
Judaism has clearly changed drastically since its early days; even if Islam had been violent in its beginnings, it seems odd that so many people refuse to see that such is not the case today. Perhaps the very fact that Islam was never inherently violent is what drives its detractors to denounce it so staunchly, in order to avoid noticing the truth.
I would agree. Also, it doesn't help that many Islamic fundamentalist groups misuse the notion of jihad. What should and is, a war within the self, is taken literally to mean a war against others.
ReplyDeleteIt's a bit more complicated than that -- jihad can sometimes refer to a collective struggle for the preservation of the ummah as well. Though you are right that its primary meaning is the lifelong struggle to submit to God's will.
DeleteThe detractors of Islam are mainly the people who are ignorant to the religion and have no idea what it is about. They believe the extremists represent the majority, which would be pretty scary considering how many people practice Islam. Clearly, as Professor Silliman pointed out in class, it would be much better to understand the religion rather than fear it.
ReplyDelete"... the Hebrews in ancient times would routinely sweep into a new region and wipe out entire populations." Let's walk this back a little. When the Israelites returned from slavery in Egypt, they fought the (allegedly evil, corrupt) Caananites for control of the territory which they asserted that God had promised them. This was not an especially nice thing to do, and one can't help but feel the force of the defensive political propaganda in the text. But the history of Judaism is not otherwise one of conquest, certainly not of "wiping out" populations. On the contrary, much of that history involved a constant struggle for cultural survival in the face of imperial occupation by others (Babelonian, Assyrian, Roman...)
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