Christian and muslim - Essay Example

Muslims did make violence a cardinal Islamic duty. They retaliated and resorted to violence at the slightest provocation, for instance after the first attack by the crusaders, Saladin recaptured Jerusalem for Islam. Secondly, they formed a guerrilla organization and began a terror campaign after they were ousted in the military coup in Algeria. Retaliation always leads people away from the from the core values of compassion, justice and benevolence. Secular aggression leads to religious intolerance and hatred.

Christian community carries a distorted image of Islam. They regarded Islam as the enemy of decent civilization. The west always looked upon Islam as opposed to democracy and incompatible with the modern world, following the incidents in Algeria. People in the Muslim world switched from sociologist ideologies to political ideologies. Even to build mosques they did not feel it necessary to seek government permission. The fight was not just between two religions but also between secularists and the religious.

The Algerian incident further tarnished the image of democracy, which the west was trying to promote. Muslims’ conviction that the west carries double standards were confirmed when the French again extended support to the ousted party, FLN that had started the revolution against the French colonial rule in Algeria. Western hostility towards Islam springs from ignorance. Christianity did stifle thought and creativity. Islam and democracy are incompatible but west is divided and fragmented. Religion is a tool, which holds people together, and human beings cannot survive being so fragmented.

The responsibility to maintain a bilateral relationship lies equally on both Muslims and Christians. Muslims have to keep the notions of social justice, equality, tolerance, and compassion in the forefront, which would help to keep away from violence and there by live up to their ideologies. They want to hold on to their religious and moral