Once again we are faced with acts of terrorism, where innocent people lose their lives. And along with these acts, we again witness the desire for retaliation. And, of course, as always, we witness the blaming and finger-pointing at the alleged perpetrators, whether imaginary or real.
When we encounter and hear about atrocities such as the one in Paris this last weekend, we become indignant. We ask "Why do these things have to happen?" We become awed, confused, perplexed, and full of rage. No logical or rational explanation that we hear is sufficient to even minimize our anger and desire for vengeance. Our emotions and irrationality blind us to the possibility of other explanations as to the "why" of occurrences such as these.
As in the case of September 11, 2001, we condemn and denounce the immediate perpetrators. Very, very rarely, if ever, do we begin to ponder on the question of "what have we contributed to this situation?" We act as if we were innocent bystanders that have things happen to us out of the clear blue sky with no historical antecedent or precedent. All we want to do is to get back at those that we consider the main culprits. The mere suggestion that we examine ourselves in order to determine if we have contributed in any way will generate anger.
I can't help but ask if Moses, Jesus, or the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), were living in Paris, how would they react to these atrocities? If the atrocities had been committed by people who claim the Jewish faith as their own, would we be quick to condemn Judaism as a religion of terror? Or if they had been committed by those claiming to be Christian, would we be quick to say that we must "secure our borders against Christians?" One preacher who also happens to be the son of a famous preacher, had the audacity to advocate for "securing our borders against Muslims." Needless to say, I wrote a note of condemnation for that bigoted and ignorant statement on his part. I even went as far as saying to him that his statement was a disgrace since it does not adequately represent the Christian Gospel, and furthermore, is a disgrace to the legacy of his father.
What can we do to stop terrorism? Some would resort to the quickest and most simple approach, i.e. retaliate, and bomb the hell out of the perpetrators.
I would like to think that what Moses, Jesus, and the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) would challenge us to do would be the following:
1. Undergo a sincere introspection of the heart to examine ourselves and determine if we have in any way been guilty of agitating and instigating these types of situations.
2. Put an end to the support of state-sponsored terrorist governments world-wide, especially in the so-called Middle East.
3. Commit ourselves to act in solidarity with those groups and nations who are sincerely seeking peace together with justice.
Please share with us what you think we can do to stop terrorism in the world and achieve a genuine and lasting peace.
In the Name of God the Creator, Liberator, and Sustainer. Amen.
Rev. Dr. Juan A. Carmona
My dear husband makes us ponder on a very difficult situation with few answers. The answers must, however begin with each individual and their commitment to love your neighbor as yourself. Simple yet can profoundly change our world. Thank you honey for forcing us to constantly stop and THINK!
ReplyDeleteDear Ruth: Thank you for your input. Indeed, this most recent situation, like many others, is a complex one. It truly has more questions than answers. As you know, in the Reformed faith, we ¨live with the questions.¨ I agree with the principle of committing to love our neighbor as our own selves. That commitment has to be collective as well as individual. Thank you for your insightful input.
ReplyDeleteJuan Carmona
Well with that question in tow, we must examine what is terrorism and what is not. As events unfold one has to wonder if those militias in the state Oregon who are occupying federal land for the past seven to eight days, it's strange that the FBI and other authorities as of this writing had not yet removed those ranchers by force even though those occupiers are armed. My question is if those were members of the Black Lives Matter movement or Muslim's what would have been the governments response. Hmmmm good question? When it comes to the second amendment, all citizens have a right to bear arms but does that second amendment right extend to the Black and Brown people in their communities? As we witnessed in the 60s when members of the Black Panthers stormed the state capital of California in protesting that right, they were jailed and convicted of assembling in their right to voice their rights in carrying arms.In sticking with said subject, the other question I raise is there was a situation in Florida wheras a Black Man who's car was distressed along a Fla highway and when the policemen arrived at the scene, the policemen had observed that this stranded driver was in possession of a loaded firearm, mind you in the state of Florida, u are allowed to carry a firearm minus concealment. As the story unfolded the officer shoots the motorist to death and his response was, " I seen the gun and I thought he was going to use it on me ".. Now was the officer in fear of his life or was it the fact that when he observed a Black Man carrying a firearm in full view but yet the firearm was nowhere near to where the motorist was sitting. Makes you wonder about these situations huh? So returning to my above question, who is the terrorist and who's not a terrorist? That's the $99k question. Peace to all reading this response.
ReplyDeleteBrother Raul: Asalaam-alaikum. Thank you for this very insightful and valuable input. It would apppear that the only answer that one could give to your question would be ¨Um, um,um,ah, huma, huma, huma. ¨Terrorism¨ is in the eyes of the beholder. Let each one draw her/his own conclusion.
ReplyDeleteRev.Dr. Juan A. Carmona