Love Your Enemy - Essay Example

One thing not quite understood by many is that Muslims also have the phrase love thy enemies in their Holy Book. They understand that the teachings of Islam are an indication of what should happen when people have misunderstandings. I did not realize that the role of all human beings is to look at the different attributes within society and come up with coping mechanisms that will not divide society but will increase collective success by creating a strong sense of relationship. I learned this when a certain incident occurred and I had to deal with it upfront.

I was on my way to school and came across a group of young men sited on a bench talking animatedly. As I was passing by, one of them shouted offensively at me, making it seem like every one of my kind was part of the ISIS militia group.

However, I remembered that a friend of mine had told me of a similar incident and this all started to add up. We were an enemy even if we were not related to ISIS’s actions in any way. We were labeled terrorists even if people had no evidence of their claims. Examining why most of the people were joining such radical groups, I realized it was partly because of what society was doing to innocent people. The labeling theory was taking shape at the expense of the togetherness expected within society.

Despite the religious animosity across many parts of the world, it is quite simple to make good use of the situation at hand, and this implies having to deal with clouded emotions with sobriety. It will not be easy, but it is worthwhile. If society did this often, the religious wars and crimes in the neighborhood would be minimized. Like the Holy Book commands, it is critical to be a witness of fair dealings even when people hate you for it. Despite one’s religion, it is easy to extend an olive branch to the other party and feel happy for doing such. I learned that my reactions after this incident would determine whether I could look at my enemies and consider them my friends. The brewing hatred is a major point of concern that requires sound and positive approaches to overseeing this growing need amongst the members of any modern civilized society. Whatever we do, we should always look at the benefits to be accrued from our discussions as well as our actions based on what we consider as enmity and cultural attributes. Read More