The Fight for Social Equality - Essay Example

Political Science 13 December Islam and the World: The fight for social equality The relationship of religion and the has far been debated since the start. Though religion is viewed to have a great impact on the standards of ways and living of the people, still many opposes the power it has over politics and the way to govern a country or state. The views of non sectarianism in most governments believe over the sovereignty of it and the constitution and its power over religion should always prevail. The classic fight of supremacy over faith has travelled along way, tracing back in our ancient history. Pointless fights and issues over beliefs and cultures have gone overrated since and still struggling for an unbiased parallelism with other religion. Taking Islam for example and putting it on the hot seat as struggling religion among a world of mostly Christian origins not merely fighting as the victorious among the faithful but rather a just acknowledgement in the social arena. The books Kremlin Rising: Vladimir Putins Russia and the End of Revolution and Taming the Gods: Religion and Democracy on Three Continents by Peter Baker with Susan Glasser and Ian Buruma respectively discusses the ignition, tension and damage that may arise from the conflict of religion. The different oppositions against Islam and their ways marked the history and the contemporary especially in stories of colonialism and propagation of religion. Muslim dragged out of their lands leading to fled to foreign places that seems to be unfit of their ways and on the contrary the rebellion of an organized Muslim group against the government to retrieve and gain independence. The Netherlands: the dilemma of Islam populace. According to Ian Buruma, religion is really something that of a problem already solved in Europe. Most European countries now brag about being slightly superior over other nations in describing their own continent as thoroughly secular. And he never ever thought of it as a permanent condition believing that religion is something that does not go that easy. He described Religion as a socially conservative force (1) and that the relationship between the church and state or religion and secular authority cannot be explained but can only be understood in the context of history (6). In Europe people are entitled to do their own ways as long as they abide by the law, this practice has long been going on in the Dutch even before coined as the term multiculturalism which was opposed by classic conservatives (Buruma 6). In multiculturalism each is for his own may be a Christian a Jew or a Muslim: Catholics go to catholic school, listens to catholic radio station, goes for a catholic social club etc (Buruma 6). Multiculturalism is simply allowing various sectors or groups of minorities to practice their beliefs as long as they go by the rulings of the state. By the virtue of multiculturalism is the provision of having an environment of different sect of religions or beliefs living together in harmony and not being neglected of their rights in favor of another. Sectarianism was by far something that they taught was no longer a problem and yet in the Netherlands as mentioned by Buruma, is a political party whose agenda is to fight Islam and Muslim immigrants and the elites in Europe are being blamed for allowing too many immigrants especially Muslims (Buruma 45). Having too many immigrants does not pose immediate danger but the habits of these new immigrants often clash with the prevailing norms of the mainstream society (Buruma 88). Often times these immigrants cannot cope up with the western culture form the way they were raised to believe. The culture clash they feel is a violation to their belief and as a threat that they have to do something about. Since they feel they do not belong to community and they are neglected by the western culture they behave irrationally against them being seen by the mainstream society as a danger that needs to be addressed .This seeing as a threat to the Muslim community especially now in our freer modern time is a crime against humanity and degradation to their existence. And this oppression often leads to rage and rampant often irrational revengeful behavior towards the offenders- a classic explanation of example of the infinite Christian and Muslim rivalry pointing which is which of the offender and the victim that in reality is an evil of misunderstanding. Fundamentalism defined as the belief in the literal truth of the bible (Longman 211) still preside in most nation despite cultural diversity and the real threat is a fear of radical ideology in the form of holy war (Buruma 89). The argument between fundamentalisms versus other beliefs is pointless since beliefs and cultures are group norms and one cannot simply tell another that their ways are right and force them to embrace their ways and their belief. The sprout of the Muslim populace is now seen as a social threat rather than religious. Their growing numbers of Muslim is surpassing the locals and so as their culture being threatened by a foreign culture that they see in a different way thus alienating and comes as a threat (Buruma & Myers 2010). Buruma cited in a forum regarding his book Murder in Amsterdam: The Death of Theo Van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance the threats imposed upon Islam due to the murder of Theo Van Gogh by a Muslim named Mohammed Bouyeri due to the his making of a film viewed as oppressive by the latter . This tragedy was viewed by most locals as a death of a person freely expressing his freedom and as one threat from the Islam community. Different populist sensationalized the damaged made by one man into generalizing the danger imposed by the Muslims in their community (Buruma & Myers 2010). Chechnya and Russian war: of land or of faith? Chechnya, a rugged land in the Caucasus Mountains on the southern periphery of the Russian empire, was home to a fiercely independent, clannish society that resented outsiders from colonizing their fruitful land. The initial Russian forays into the Caucasus in the eighteenth century met unyielding resistance (Baker & Glasser 102). A young Islam student, Shiek Mansour, led a holy war sending away invaders and destroying an entire Russian brigade and encouraging more Muslims to fight for his cause. The Russians on the other side believing their superiority and being of great power over Chechnya cannot tolerate the hard resistance, fighting the stubborn struggle in the person of General Aleiksei Yermolov. These forces of the ruthless general burned down villages and committed widespread mayhem and was quoted saying “I will never rest until not a single Chechen remain alive (Baker & Glasser 102).” This assertive move of the Russians paved way for even more bloodshed fights from the Muslims of Chechnya. Furthermore, Imam Shalil led an army of Muslim against the catholic colonialism in the 1830 that lasted for a stunning success of a 25-year revolt against the foundation of the Russian rule (Baker & Glasser 102). The resistance lasted not until Shalil forcefully surrendered with the Russian captivity of his son. However after the revolution, many Chechens took up arms again to regain their independence and was able to create an autonomous republic together with the Ingush (Baker & Glasser 102). It was during World War II when Premier Joseph Stalin declared operation chechevista. Stalin who doubted Chechen’s loyalties ever since have accused them and declared them all to be Nazi collaborators. The operation to massively wipe out Chechens out of Russia suddenly took place. Russian troops together with American Studebakers provided by the United States under the Lend-Lease Act hoarded thousands of them in exile in the steppes of Kazakhstan, forcedly getting them inside a crowded boxcars were many of them were not able to survive the cold, hunger and disease along the way (Baker & Glasser 103). Chechen tried to declare independence from Russian federation but was fiercely opposed, thus a war over the oil-rich land happened not just once but twice where hundreds of thousands of people were killed however many of them were allowed to return four years after Stalin’s death in 1957 (Baker & Glasser 103). In 1991, Chechnya tried to declare independence from Russian federation but was opposed by Boris Yetsin. Thus war over an oil-rich piece of land happened twice where hundreds of thousands of people were killed (Baker & Glasser 103). Oil as the major fuel that ran companies of the world holds an important part a nations economic stability and somehow breeches to power. The oil reserves of Chechnya as well as the rest of Russia clings the Russian federation to every land it holds and could be the major reason for the rampant claims of the Chechens land forcing them out of their fortress that they have guarded for so long protecting their beliefs, ways and culture from intruders and colonizers. This assertion made by Russian Federation over Chechens made them even more resistant and vigilant to every step of freeing their land out of the federation. An out of the line move was made by Chechens by putting children as hostages in a gym. The seizure of a school with hundreds of children came as a shock to Russia but hardly a surprise. Over ten years and two wars, the conflict to control the rugged mountainous territory of Chechnya barely thirty miles to the east of Beslan had evolved from the nationalist struggle for independence into a blood feud in which both sides terrorized civilians with wanton cruelty and any sense of moral boundaries had long since evaporated (Baker & Glasser 18). The Islamic Chechens drastic move to gain its independence can be traced from their history of being an independent Muslim group chased out of their native lands and now claiming victoriously what they deserve. The historical event granted Chechnya a de facto independence after each group compromising to certain agreements, one of which is the pulling out the Russian troops in Chechnya in return is the release of hostages in their possession. Russian flight for independence started when Yeltsin was elected president of Russia at 1991 paving for the making of the Russian parliament “concept of judicial reform” that sets out a system that guarantees individual rights and a fair and independent judiciary. (Baker & Glasser 234) Different dispute may arise from the conflict of belief; over the history religion is shadowed with hidden dark fought trails from its propagation over and across the lands. Even until now the pointless war between Islam and Christianity can be felt in some places. Though a lot now open mindedly accepts the nullity of the argument regarding religion still certain groups still remain behind the shadow of the past. Bloodshed is not acceptable regardless of one’s religion especially in our modern world of humanism. Buruma thinks Europeans can learn from Americans, in a way that they have to learn to gradually adopt a kind of national identity that is more based on law and respect for the law and on political institutions, and less on culture because respect for the law should be the center of national identity, the same goes for the immigrants. In addition he cited it is counterproductive, to be inflexible in things like head scarves and having Arabic spoken in mosques or having Islamic schools. One should allow people with the practice of their cultural expressions and the propagation of their beliefs as long as they abide by the law, as long as they dont threaten violence or use violence to impose their views. Concluding all citizen including immigrants can abide by this law then harmony and peace will come in the long term. But if we see it in terms of cultural differences and insists supremacy over the other then we are very likely to deal with this dilemma the way our ancestors sees and dealt with it (Buruman 2010). Works Cited Baker, Peter and Susan Glasser. Kremlin Rising: Vladimir Putins Russia and the End of Revolution. Simon and Schuster, Jun 7, 2005. Buruma, Ian and Joan Meyers. "Taming the gods:Religion and democracy on three continents." 10 March 2010. Carnegie Council. 12 December 2011 . Buruma, Ian and Joanne Myers. Murder in Amsterdam: The death of Theo Van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance. 20 November 2006. 12 December 2011 . Buruman, Ian. Taming the gods: religion and democracy on three continents. Princeton University Press, Feb 21, 2010. Crowdy, Stephen and Elizabeth Walter, Top pocket English Dictionary. MOnophoto Nimrod: Wm. Collins &Sons Ltd., 1989. Jack, Andrew. Inside Putins Russia: Can There Be Reform Without Democracy? Oxford University Press, 2005. Read More