[theikon]

Good evening everyone,

I saw something on TV last night that got me thinking a bit. I figured I'd write a quick opinion in the newspaper, but I ended up getting a little long winded! I'm still hoping this will get published, but if it doesn't - atleast my thoughts won't go to waste! enjoy!

My God is Better than your God - The Danger of Divisiveness



On Sunday evening, I was watching 16:9 The Bigger Picture on Global TV, and it was reporting on the outrage that numerous individuals are showing towards the new Atheist bus campaign in London. In all honesty, the ‘There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.’ campaign does not bother me in the least bit. It exercises freedom of speech as it was intended by the constitution – inoffensively and without slander.

There was one part of the program that did concern me though. The Bigger Picture reporter pays a visit to a church, synagogue, and a mosque, to get reactions regarding the campaign from the leaders of the various congregations. When he goes to the mosque he says something along the lines of ‘Let’s replace God with Allah, a different God, and see how the Muslim reacts?’ I have no doubt that the reporter said this without malice, but unfortunately the idea that we all have different God’s is becoming a stronger, and more divisive force in society today. The Muslim man, likely an Imam, pointed out the fact that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all Abrahamic faiths, but to no avail. The reporter seemed confused and baffled by this statement.

Historically, Jewish Arabs and Christians Arabs referred to God as Allah, long before Islam even existed. Allah is simply an Arabic word for God. Many Christian Arabs in Indonesia still refer to God as Allah. Same God, different language. Although the way we practice our faith may be different, the basic tenants remain the same. More importantly, God remains the same. All religions preach the universal values of peace, compassion for those less fortunate, and the human responsibility of common well-being.

Similarly to the Bible and Torah, the Qur’an also emphasizes the oneness of God, and emphasizes the idea of a common humanity.

O mankind!
Be careful of your duty to your Lord
Who created you from a single soul
and from it created its mate
and from them twain hath spread abroad
a multitude of men and women

A couple of weeks ago, President Obama named a number of prominent pastors, faith-based social justice giants, rabbis, and people from secular service organizations to his Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Amongst his group was Eboo Patel, an American Shia Ismaili Muslim of Indian Heritage, founder and executive director of the Interfaith Youth Core in Chicago.

In a recent paper by Eboo Patel, he comments that 9/11 taught American Muslims a crucial lesson: if there is a vacuum out there about something important, and you don’t fill it, someone else will.

This statement made by Mr. Patel is applicable to almost any facet of life. Working in Alberta’s oil and gas industry, I can draw upon the recent political unrest over the development of the province’s oil sands as an example. Operators within Alberta’s oil sands admittedly did a very poor job of explaining and showing the world that they were conducting business in a very environmentally and ethically sound way. Unfortunately, they failed to communicate that to the general public, leaving a knowledge vacuum that needed to be filled. This vacuum was filled by Greenpeace, and other such political organizations. Now operators in the Alberta Oil Sands are fighting tooth and nail to show the world that they are behaving in a responsible manner. If there is a vacuum out there about something important, and you don’t fill it, someone else will!

To their credit, Muslim groups have been very busy since 9/11 speaking out against terrorism, condemning terrorism, and confirming the need for perpetrators of such acts to be brought to justice.

Just as the Muslim community should be credited for speaking out, other communities should be credited for listening. Replacing the knowledge vacuum that was falsely filled by 9/11 is the responsibility of the Muslim community, and listening openly is the responsibility of the communities in which they live.

Rather than creating divisions within faith groups by claiming that ‘your God is different from my God,’ we should embrace our patchwork heritage, and common destiny. Our faiths are bridges for service and cooperation, instead of barriers of separation and resentment. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers. Our diversity is a strength, and not a weakness. As our world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself.

For as the Qur’an says:

O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other).