Quote from: David Pinnegar on July 12, 2012, 06:10:20 PM
Hi!
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/12/world/africa/mali-shrines-destroyed/index.html
We need urgently to open religious discussion with Islam in finding the commonality of "The Construction Force" that we share from Genesis 1 in our common definition of God.
We need to find greater understanding of the common religious heritage even with former manifestations of Divine understanding. WHO WILL WORK TOGETHER IN THIS?
The library of Timbuktu is academically one of the most important in the world. It was the discovery of such an Islamic library in Teledo in 1085 which had preserved the Greek Myths that sparked the Renaissance.
Islamists appear not to understand their heritage. If spiritual rebirth is any part of Islamic philosophy then the second pyramid for a start MUST be respected as possibly a place of initiation. We need URGENTLY to find ways of investigating the ways in which religions find accord so that then all forms of worship can be respected.
Islamists who tried to destroy the heritage of The Parthenon in Athens simply did not understand the symbolism of the Frieze which they would find accorded with their teachings if only they investigated as to how . . .
http://www.rt.com/news/egypt-destroy-pyramids-islamists-007/ explains the reasons for the Timbuktu destruction
Best wishes
David P
===================
Dear David,
It is easy to blame specific religions, cults or tribes for acts of wanton vandalism, destruction or violence, but perhaps we should not be surprised.
In my own lifetime I have witnessed the destruction of so many beautiful churches and chapels; no doubt spawning a fair number of minor saints in their day. Whatever the achievements of the Victorians, they were among the most destructive people in British history; wiping out a great deal of cultural heritage in the rush to expand cities, dig canals and lay down railways.
As "Conbtrebombarde" pointed out, the Puritans were even worse. They destroyed priceless stained-glass, defaced carvings, burned organs and generally wrought havoc on religious art and catholic practices; all in the name of "true faith", but actually under the political command of Cromwell and his supporters. This is precisely how a dominant, war-mongering political movement establishes its power-base, using a combination of false promises, heightening expectations and decrying the beliefs and practices of those in power. There is an old truth, that revolution by the people only ensures one thing; the replacement of one set of rulers by another. Anything lasting or meaningful is a bonus.
Go back further still, and we had the appalling destruction of the monasteries. Every time I walk among the ruins of Fountains, Riveaulx, Whitby or Kirkstall, I wonder just how beautiful they must have been when they were complete. Of course, Henry VIII only plundered the wealth and closed them down, but it was greedy, self-seeking commoners who plundered the lead from the roofs, used the masonry and timber to build houses (e.g.: Fountains Hall) and allowed water, ice and wind to do the rest. Our loss, in our small island, is far greater than anything spawned by the Taliban; the Timbuktu debacle similar to the destruction of the Buddhist shrines in Afghanistan.
You cannot have meaningful dialogue with desperate people, or with those politically motivated. In the Yemen to-day, there are a quarter of a million children starving to death. In parts of Africa, in spite of great mineral wealth and oil wealth, there is unbelievable hardship and privation.
Should we be surprised that they turn to religion for salvation?
Should we be surprised that when religion fails to deliver, the religion becomes ever more extreme?
One only has to look at Afghanistan to appreciate the disparities between the promise of "freedom and democracy" and the reality of drug-barons who provide some degree of benevolent income based on a fiercely tribal and separatist agenda. (The same is true in Columbia and Mexico).
The bottom line is, that extreme religion, and criminal war lords, often work in a symbiotic manner; especially in the Islamic world.
Basically, without massive aid or huge inward investment, these regions will remain poor, unstable and potentially violent, and frankly, I cannot see that changing. Managing the situation is the best hope, but even that is a long shot, as the Russians know only too well. Whether we like it or not, perhaps the ONLY way forward is to recognise that fanaticism is a kind of tribal political statement....sabre rattling.....but of little significance to us most of the time. It is only acts of vandalism and terrorism which makes us raise an eyebrow from time to time. For the most part, we ignore it because it doesn't affect us directly.
The reality is, that even in a region such as Central Asia, the tribal system is the dominant one. The word "stan" means "land of," and within quite a limited area, there are numerous "stans" inhabited by the Uzbeks, the Paks, the Tajikis, Afghans, Turkmens, Krigs (etc etc)....there are seven or eight "stans," many of which are nominally a part of the Russian Federation, yet all with their own distinct cultures and tribal ways. You invade these people at your own peril, because they are tough mountain-people and herdsmen, who know all the hiding places in the vast mountain regions, and who are quite capable of taking on the might of the former Red Army.
The only thing which unites these peoples, is Islam, which remains their principal means of communication and co-existence, and as a recent heated debate with a few young Muslims showed me a few weeks ago, knowing a little something about Islam enabled me to find common ground and discuss differences in a quite civilised and amiable manner. Actually, what I learned, was the striking similarities between Islam and traditional Cjristian religion, but of course, the differences were, and remain, a considerable barrier.
Perhaps we could learn from history, and understand that old Islam during the very real "Golden Age", enabled people of many faiths to interact and trade with each other in a generally civilised manner over many centuries.
MM