Analysis of Religious Hostility - A Global Awareness of Hatred and Terror - Book Report/Review Example

On Religions and Hostilities 1. Summary for each chapter: Chapter I Rodney Stark and Katie Corcoran attempt to clarify issues of religious hostility in their book entitles Religious Hostility: A Global Awareness of Hatred and Terror. In the first chapter, they present statistics regarding the different religions and their number of membership. They have listed Christianity, Islam and Hinduism as top three in terms of affiliation, Christianity having nearly than 2.18 million members, Islam with 1.47 million and Hindu with around 1.04 million ( Stark & Corcoran, 251). The authors also delved into serious matters regarding membership such as church attendance and devotion. As revealed, there appears to be a number of members who never went to church or may have attended church once, twice or a few times in their lives. This is an important aspect that needs to be considered in the book because the writers aim to look objectively at religious hostilities, if they are really committed by devoted members of a certain faith or if they are just called members who are not practicing the doctrines of their religion. The chapter also considers a deeper interest in Christian and Muslim statistics, being the biggest in size and prominently dominant in terms of reported hostilities. In addition, it discusses the relationship of the two religions toward each other. Chapter II Chapter 2 lists a number of religious atrocities which is not limited to the commonly publicized terrorism committed by Muslims. For instance, the authors included three incidents wherein Christians killed Muslims because of their faith, an account which is surprisingly not largely publicized as opposed to Muslim terrorism. There is also a longer list of Muslims killing people from different religions such as Judaism, Hinduism and still others who are mere victims without specific religious affiliation. In addition, the chapter also deals with Islamophobia which is defined as “prejudice against, hatred toward, or irrational fear of Muslims” (667). The authors consider the fact that there are not only Muslim extremists but also Christian extremists as well. This means that people are not just afraid of Muslims because they are generally considered terrorists but there are also those who are afraid of Christians or other religions for that matter, because there are also extremists in their religion who could be as hostile and atrocious as Muslim extremists. Another factor affecting the prominence of Muslims as terrorist is the exposure of Muslims in the Middle East acclaiming terrorist acts which make Muslims in the Western world look as bad as they are but are unable to share their views on an equal setting and exposure. Therefore, it is often the general perspective that Muslims are all terrorists and all Christians are victims when the statistics shown on chapter 2 prove that there are also Christians who victimize Muslims. Chapter III Chapter 3 discusses religious hostility. First, it defines prejudice as “the holding of false, negative beliefs about some out-group”(691) and then goes on to discuss prejudice in the context of religion. Firstly, there is anti-Semitism which, according to history, has been running over centuries starting from the persecution of the Romans toward the Jews. The holocaust is perhaps the most widely known anti-Semitic act in history. The chapter also presents anti-Christians, particularly atheists who “generated remarkably venomous outbursts” in the United States. There is also a list of remarks which show the hostility of Muslims toward Christians. In addition, the chapter also looks at hostilities within religions. For instance, in the Muslim world, there are factions such as the Sunnis and Shi’ahs. These two groups seem to claim one is above the other or that one is right and the other is wrong. This division started after the death of their prophet Muhammad when the decision on who was to take the place of the prophet came into question. It is shown through the report that across the world, hostility exists among Muslims in different levels. With the general view of people toward Muslims as terrorists, it is not surprising that the chapter also mentions hostilities toward them. Chapter IV Chapter 4 looks at other views such as those of the atheists. This group of people does not believe in the existence of God and they have recently been making quite some noise in the media with their philosophies. As scientific information increase, the number of atheists is thought to be growing from the population of scientists. Surprisingly, the chapter shows that the percentage of atheists in the general population has not grown at all” (1043). This caused the authors to examine the reason behind the strength of the atheists’ voice through the selling of books and they noted three reasons. First, although at 4%, the number of atheists is small but if this is converted into a tangible number, it is approximately 12 million people. Moreover, they are overrepresented in the media which makes them seem to be strong and huge. Lastly, they are said to be animated by despair, making them more passionate in voicing their thoughts and feelings about their unbelief in God rather than their belief in the existence of a higher being or a God. It seems books do have a great impact on religious belief as shown in the statistics regarding anti-Evangelicalism wherein Kevin Phillips’ American Theocracy described the former president George Bush as the “Theocrat-in-chief” and the evangelicals as “the victims of half-baked teaching” (1136). For this reason, there has always been the proposal that there should be a separation between the state and church. Chapter V The September 11 attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon became known as Muslim Terrorism however, “overwhelming majorities do not believe that a group of Arabs flew the planes” (1288). Instead, a huge number of Muslims “agree with the so-called American Truthers who think that George W. Bush staged the whole thing” (1298). Whatever really happened on that dreadful day, Muslims were questioned about the justification of the act. This is what chapter 5 is all about. It deals with how Muslims view suicide bombing which, as the statistics show, a minority think they are sometimes or often justified. The chapter also discusses the strict implementation of religious faithfulness among Muslims, considering the punishments when a Muslim converts to other religions. In some cases, merely reading a Bible could be punishable by death. Honor killing is another issue discussed in the chapter. Muslims are known to kill members of their family, especially women, to save the family’s reputation, when they commit adultery. Some Muslims themselves admit that such acts are justified and perhaps, they would do the very same thing, killing their own flesh and blood, if only to save their own family’s honor when they are in similar situations. Chapter VI Chapter 6 looks at how Europe treats the church and state as it delves into the issue of religious repression. “One race, one language, one religion” is the doctrine that Myanmar follows so that Christians and Muslims alike are driven out of the country. In addition, there have been violent acts as well committed by non-Muslim and non-Christian citizens to try to suppress the increase or even the practice of Islam or Christianity. This is not happening in Myanmar alone but in other places as well which is one of the reasons why a lot of people are migrating to more tolerant countries such as the United States. For this reason, there arise the question again about the separation of church and state, that the state should leave religious matters to the church. Nevertheless, as the chapter uncovers, there are countries which do not simply forbid worship in other religions aside from their own but they also deprive other worshipers of rights such as having a place of worship. In addition to the role of the state affecting religious repression, there is also the influence of social pressure. For instance, members of certain religious groups are stigmatized by a general concept just as the Muslims are thought to be terrorists. Other factors influencing such stigma could be “the prevalence of negative attitudes toward other or nontraditional religions, conversion to other religions, proselytizing, and social movements against non-conforming religions” (1688). Chapter VII Known with its strict adherence to the religion, Muslim nations are covered in the seventh chapter. How they deal with Christian emigration is discussed in detail according to different nations. In Iran for instance, with the highest emigration rate at 21.6%, there are only a few thousand Christians because they are discouraged to learn the Farsi language to prevent them from converting any of the 78 million Muslims. Turkey follows in the highest emigration rate but does not allow Christians to have a legal house of worship while Iraq resorts to religious atrocities such as massacre. In Azerbaijan, Christian proselytization is prohibited and going against the law could mean arrest or imprisonment. Although Bahrain is quite tolerant in terms of religion, the emigration rate is lower compared to the above mentioned countries which are stricter in protecting their religion but still have higher emigration rates. This, according to the chapter, is a result of the hostility caused between the Sunni and Shi’ah wherein the Christians are often caught in between their fights. Egypt has the lowest emigration rate with only 1.6%, perhaps because of the brutal killings of Christians committed in country for the past decades. One interesting matter discussed in the chapter is the claim for Christian victims due to religious atrocities numbering to a hundred thousand annually, specifically made by Archbishop Silvano Maria Tomasi and the result of the consequent investigation made by the writers. 2. Significant/surprising detail per chapter In the first chapter, I was surprised to read that Sub-Saharan Africa has higher rates in terms of Christian church-goers compared with European Christians. This is quite surprising and interesting at the same times considering the fact the Europe was often the source of Christian missionaries and teachers going to Africa. Muslims were known to kill Christians and not otherwise, at least through the eyes of the press, so it was quite surprising for me to find out that there are also Christian terrorists. Christians always talk about love, tolerance and forgiveness so regardless of what they hear or see from Muslim extremists, they should are not expected to retaliate but will help resolve the issue through peaceful means. The seat of the Holy Father of the Christians is supposed to be the source of good things such as peace, love, forgiveness and unity. Nevertheless, it is noted in chapter 3 that anti-Semitism and anti-Christianism began in Rome. I am impressed that it did not start in Egypt, Iran, Iraq or Saudi Arabia as might have been expected by other readers. Most people claiming the non-existence of God often refer to scientific studies to prove that there is no God. However, it is surprising to know that with the highly scientific views becoming more common today, there has been no increase at all in their number. The mention of the vulnerability of the less-educated among Muslims or any other religion in chapter 5 is significant because it does affect the tendency of such group to join the extremists. While extremists are often raised with extreme ideas from childhood, recruiting more members can be done among the less-educated who are easily swayed with the convincing and passionate words of recruiters. Buddhists are seen as a calm and peaceful group of religious people so I never expected that they could be enlisted in the list of hostile or repressive group. Myanmar is not usually read or heard on the news in terms of religious hostility so it is interesting to know that it has one of the most repressive attitudes toward Christians and Muslims. Also, the statement, “There is far less opposition in many Muslim nations than might have been supposed” only shows what many are speculating about media bias. I think, when the media want to show people how cruel Muslims are, they will find a lot of evidence to prove that. Similarly, if they want to show that Christians are largely victimized by Muslims, they can do that as well just like in the case of the claim of the Center for the Study of the Global Christianity at the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA (1767). In relation to the reference made above, the question on the world press missing a whole series of world massacres is raised. In this regard, I also bring out my own question, could the press be a mere instrument to the more dominant religion? 3. Answers to questions a. According to chapter 1, how do the current growth projections of Christianity and Islam compare to one another? What are the key variables that affect the projections? Based on the recorded statistics in chapter 1, Christianity will still remain to be the number one religion in terms of membership whether nominal or actual while Islam will come next in line. According to regionalism, Christians are at par because there are more places wherein memberships are lower than actual church-goers as opposed to Islam wherein there may be a similar pattern but it is lower in the number of places. Conversion rate is another factor affecting the growth of Christianity as it is mentioned, “Christianity enjoys a very substantial conversion rate especially in the global south” (342). b. According to chapter 2, what warning do the authors provide about Islamophobia? How does this warning relate to their earlier claim that they refuse “to be blinded by political correctness” (p. 26)? Chapter 2 warns people about the truths behind “Muslim terrorism”. As mentioned earlier, extremists do not represent the majority of Muslims although they are quite exposed to the media as opposed to the majority. This appears to be a misrepresentation of Islam so that Muslims should not be viewed as terrorists in general but should be considered with more prudence. In addition, if there are Muslim extremists, there are also Christian or Hindu extremists who can commit heinous crimes as well. Therefore, instead of hating or being afraid of Muslims (which trigger them to hate their haters or bully those who fear them), other religions should be more open-minded and understanding. This warning reflects their claim that they refuse “to be blinded by political correctness” (26). The authors are simply trying to look at the different religions without bias but with the best objective examination they can provide for readers to consider not only to understand one another’s religion but to use their religion as a means of living well with each other. c. From chapter 7, what is the significance of the discussion about the rate of Christian martyrs in the world? Why do the authors think it is so important to address and reconsider the data? Statistics is often great information that gives backbone to claims and this is considered very important by the authors. Therefore, when the Archbishop Silvino Maria Tomasi claimed that one hundred thousand Christians are killed every year for their faith, they were shocked by the information but reluctant to accept it as truth because there seems to be just a few published-information to back up the claim. Upon investigation, they found out that the source of information is quite fallacious. Such is the reason why the authors think that the data should reconsider and do something, correcting it so that it will not be misleading. 4. In general, what do you think the authors are saying about Islam? What is their assessment of the religion? I think the authors considered Islam quite well in the book. They have been open-minded with their approach and they stood to their claim that they will not be biased “nor will they be blinded by political correctness” (26). They have looked at Christian hostilities as well as other religions. They have presented the Muslims as victims not just as perpetrators. This is a fact that can be true not only in religions but other matters as well such as politics. I think they are saying that if Christians are often seen as victims, people should also look at the fact that Muslims could also be victims. In addition, the popular minority should not be considered a representative of the religious group nor should they represent their religious views because not all Muslims are violent. Also, as some Muslim leaders claim, the extremists are not at all Muslims because they are not acting according to Muslim tenets. Islam is not at all what the press may have exposed it to be instead; it is a religion which may simply have been twisted by extremists which may be the case of other religions. 5. What is your response to the book? What reflections or critiques do you have? The book in general expresses the views of radical writers who have not shown religious biases but have presented facts and data which they could leave for readers to analyze and ponder on. The writers presented balanced information which challenges readers to look at Muslim from a different perspective other than what has always been presented through the media. I believe that the writers saw how Muslims have been popularized as terrorists so that whenever a terrorist attack is committed, every finger automatically points at the Muslim communities. On the other hand, it is possible that such terrorist attacks could be political tactics which are simply being used to foster whatever political, geographical, economical or even political agenda the real perpetrators may have. I think that the accusation that it was the former president George Bush who staged the September 11 attack is quite possible. I think the motivation might not simply be political but it is a technique used to gain more approval or power. However, there should be a convincing reason for the attack and the Muslims, as they have been often portrayed as violent and extreme, became the easy pone for whoever is really behind the attack. As to critiquing the book, I think it is a good thing that there are writers who want to seek the truth and thereby consider all sides of the story. If I were the writer, I could have not written the book better. I think it is already as good as it is because it reflects the ideal characteristics of writers, not being biased but objective, being open-minded and able to investigate deeper the claims that are presented to them. The writers presented their information fairly well and they obviously investigated very well their information, considering different angles and sources that could possible make clear their own claims. Their presentation was not deceptive but it has shown clearly matters about the different religions as the world should see and not single-sided as is often the case with the press. 6. Questions: a. Do you think the ideas you have presented in the book especially when it comes to the portrayal of Christians as possible perpetrators against the Muslims as an expression of their faith, be easily accepted? b. There are only 3 Christian terrorist acts committed against Muslims which were mentioned in the book. Do you think there could have been more hostilities which were simply unrecorded because of the lack of exposure when it comes to other religions terrorizing the commonly perceived terrorists, the Muslims? c. What else could be done to educate more people about Islam and terrorism, that in fairness to the majority, it is only a minority of extremists who actually commit terrorist activities? Read More