Do different religions/customs contribute to worldwide conflict? Where? Why? How?
Francisco Campos (Chicago)
Francisco,
You seem like you may have been dozing off during those long history lectures. Let’s start by listing a few key facts to describe planet earth, shall we? There are approximately 6.6 billion people inhabiting the world today, living on one of 195 countries, and practicing one of 19 major religions (Robinson). Let’s break it down this way: the world is filled with people who possess their own system of beliefs and values; thus, it is only natural for each of us to express individual thoughts and opinions, right? If we didn’t, we might as well have been made in a factory in London, programmed exclusively to function as robotically as the Betas and Alphas described in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. But because Huxley’s novel is solely a work of fiction (or a remarkable revelation of the world to come), conflicting religious views and customs are two of the major reasons for existing conflicts throughout the world.
Since the Middle Ages, the lack of tolerance for religious groups different than ones has resulted into religious wars. The Crusades, for example, were religious expeditions launched against rival religions, primarily Islam. The expeditions were attempts to regain Christian control of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, recapturing this land from Muslim rule. “The first Crusade was launched in response to a call from the Christian Byzantine Empire, requesting help against the expansion of the Muslim Seljuk Turks into Anatolia” (Crusades). The motivation that fueled the launching of the Crusades appears to foreshadow the current conflict existing between Israel and Palestine. Coincidence? I think not.
Today, two of the major religious world conflicts exist between Israel and Palestine and Al Qaeda and the United States. According to Dennis Prager, nationally syndicated talk show host and best-selling author, the Israeli and Palestinian conflict is probably one of the hardest world conflicts to solve. In a nutshell, here’s a brief synopsis: Israel would like to exist and recognizes the right of the Palestinians to have a state. The Palestinians, however, and many other Muslims and Arabs, do not recognize the right of the Jewish state of Israel to exist. Many Palestinians want there to be no Jewish state of Israel, don’t believe that it should exist, or have any basis for being.
What engendered this world conflict? Beginning with the end of the First World War, Palestine was the only state belonging to the Ottoman Empire that was not granted independence. During this time, a Zionist movement in Palestine was resulting in a massive influx of Jews in what was known as a predominately Arab state. By the end of World War II, the Jewish population within the area continued to increase, alongside the growing intolerance of the two religions.
The two religions continued to disagree and soon the struggle escalated into acts of violence. As a result, the British government granted Israel their independence. On the other hand, the same independence was not granted to Palestine who had refused to recognize Israel as a state. The new Israeli state soon began creeping into Palestinian-owned land, almost leading to the invasion of Palestine by Israel. Inevitably, a number of wars have resulted within the region. Many people believe that the current Israeli-Palestinian situation is a religious war, as it appears to be the “most relentless onslaught raged by Western imperialism and culture against Islam since the time of the Crusades” (Eid).
On September 11, 2001, Al Qaeda became a household name after performing one of the biggest terrorist attacks against the United States one of the regime’s major enemies. Out of the six major terrorist attacks performed by the regime, four of them were against America. Their justification? As Islamic fundamentalists, they believed they were obligated to fight holy wars against all enemies of their religion in order remove Western influences from Muslim area. Dedicating their acts of mayhem towards Christians, Jews, and other religions that do not conform to their ideology (Who Are Al-Qaeda?), Al Qaeda hoped that the attacks would make Western countries treat Muslims differently. To their surprise, their holy wars have yet to receive positive recognition.
Osama Bin Laden, the movements’ leader, was trained in the early 1980s by the United States to fight Russians, an act deemed necessary in order to stop the spread of communism. Bin Laden fought alongside Americans during the Soviet-Afghan War. During this time, Bin Laden began to develop a deep hatred for the way America used its “super-power” status to control aspects of the world economy. Now, it’s important to understand that the United States was not always the regime’s greatest enemy. In fact, it wasn’t until the collapse of the Iron Curtain that Bin Laden began to focus all of his hatred and anger towards the United States instead of the Soviet Union. In response, the United States retaliated by waging war in Afghanistan and its surrounding countries, an act the United States government deemed necessary in order to capture Al-Qaeda forces.
The aftermath of September 11 had a tremendous impact on the Muslim community. “Many Muslims living in the United States and other western countries endured personal insults and taunts during the many years since [the] 9/11 attacks” (How Did 9-11 Affect Muslims?). Because the men behind these attacks believed they performed acts in obedience to the Koran, individuals are now questioning if ordinary, everyday Muslims should have the agency to reinterpret their faith.
The attack also left a devastating blow on the global economy. Airlines were threatened with bankruptcy and tourism plummeted, resulting in massive layoffs. On the flipside, heightened security measures have been taken in airports in order to guarantee the utmost safety of the passengers.
Do different religions contribute to worldwide conflict? Yeah, I think it’s safe to say so. Be sure to stay awake the next time your history teacher is giving a lecture. Who knows, you may learn a few things.
Yours Truly,
Sylvia Montijo
Works Consulted/Cited
1. Robinson, B.A. "Religions of the World: Numbers of Adherents; Growth Rates." ReligiousTolerance. Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. http://www.religioustolerance.org/worldrel.htm.
2. “Crusades." Wikipedia. Web. 20 Nov. 2010.
3. Eid, Bassem. "The Role of Islam in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict." Israel-Palestine Center for Research and Information. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.
4. “Who Are Al-Qaeda?" BBC News. Web. 14 Nov. 2010.
5. "How Did 9-11 Affect Muslims?" Muslims and 911. Web. 14 Nov. 2010.
6. "The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in a Nutshell:." Middle East: MidEastWeb. Web. 20 Nov. 2010.
7. "Crusades & Religious Violence: Muslims & Christians Killing Everyone." About. Web. 20 Nov. 2010.
8. "The Great Divide." ThinkQuest. Oracle. Web. 14 Nov. 2010.
9. Alden, Edward. "Targets for Terrorists: Post-9/11 Aviation Security." Council on Foreign Relations. 07 Sept. 2006. Web. 22 Nov. 2010.
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