Global threats

 Now that Australia has responded to the threat of the criminal organisation ISIS, and the idea is to blow them off the planet, presumably that fixes that. There is no doubt ISIS is a criminal organisation nor is there any doubt that they need to be stopped. The idea of only blowing them into oblivion however seems to require a little more thinking.

We have the problem that the Prophet under Islam decreed that the whole world had to be converted to his ideology and the rest would go to hell. Christianity holds a similar concept. The main difference seems to be that under Islam non-believers are the enemy and how you treat them does not really matter, while on the Christian side it’s “offer the other cheek”. On the other hand Islam elsewhere says respect non-believers so a little confusion. 

It needs to be remembered that Christians fought Christians and committed many foul deeds before things settled down even though we still have one interpretation of the faith violently opposed to all others. At the time before Mohammed died in AD 632 it was also a time of war so a lot of what was decreed needs to be seen in that context.

Lots of other things have also changed. Mahammad was criticised for having between 11 or 13 wives and then restricting followers to four but then at the time women had no rights without men so it could be argued he was just helping out. Owning slaves was also a sign of the times. No one ancient prophet predicted refrigerators so the food rules are probably outdated. The main point in this is that the basis of religions need not be cast in stone and should be adaptable to the times. Can one still own slaves? So why be selective?

While following religious dictates, any thinking person would have to challenge the Christian virgin birth theory given that Joseph was reported later disturbed that the supposed son of God didn’t want to follow on the trade of carpentry. Most Christians can go along with this and also take a physical rising from the dead as a symbolic interpretation.

But here is the problem. If you go along with religiously praying five times a day with necessary ablutions it is probably averaging three hours a day on this activity. If you have been doing that from age 6 to 30, by then you have spent a total of 3 years, 24 hours a day devoted to praying. With that investment in your faith it’s going to be hard to get anyone to change. And harder still if you want to be inflexible. It is hard to adapt if it is fed to you from birth. If you then feel slighted or looked down upon, and couple that with a basic inferiority complex, you pick the bits you want out of the Koran and become disillusioned young men taking your anger out on society. At the extreme end you get radicalised and we get such criminal organisations as ISIS.

Blowing up these people might act as a little dissuasion but the leaders get their jollies from the fear they can instil in others and are able to fall back on religious teachings to enforce their crimes. So blow them up by all means to stop them taking territory. But for everyone you kill they have say four relatives who won’t take that too kindly and perhaps then also join the cause now with a motive other than religion. This could go on for ever.

The problem has to be addressed back at its routes and by Islamic scholars. There needs to be some community leadership which directly addresses the religion and explains to everyone that in changing times conditions change. The best example is in the dietary laws. With modern technology you don’t die from eating pork and blood does not have to be drained from an animal before you can eat it. These were sensible laws at the time but an Angel coming down now a days would know refrigeration existed and so would not make the same rulings. Accepting then that times change you add that with so many people on earth and no need for local wars, not everyone who does not accept your teachings needs to be killed. It should be easy enough to say there is only one God and that Mohammed was his prophet. No one could prove otherwise so go along with that and stop there.

Coupled with this need for modernisation is the question of respect. All sides have to acknowledge that Muslims, Jews or any other religious group have their beliefs and are following traditions even if others believe them antiquated. Adequate respect should be paid so these people do not become marginalised.

Finally there needs to be more emphasis on integration between all walks of life. This requires dialogue and needs to be enforced by both government and religious leaders in good faith. Not just once but continually. We need to get back to live and let live and recognise that it is now 2014 and times change. Humanity is adaptive as Darwin showed. It is probably why ISIS has banned his theory in schools along with philosophy and chemistry. They have to be stopped but blowing people to bits on its own is not part of the order of things. One needs to be a little more creative…