Once again there has been a lot of hype in the media over the past few months about Islam and Muslims, that I find myself needing to voice my opinion on the matter.
All forms of negative rhetoric in general; be it against a specific religion, race, colour, social class or gender is a crime against humanity. We were all created equal in the eyes of God. So why can’t we all be equal in each other’s eyes? Why do we have such a deep need to judge? Why can’t we live and let live and when the time comes let God be the judge of all?
Rather than tear people down and focus on what makes us different, we should be talking about what is it that connects and unites us. Never has the saying “United we stand, divided we fall” hold so much truth as it does today. The world today is increasingly becoming one large melting pot of different races, nationalities and religions. No longer can we define ourselves by our borders or other superficial differences. What unites us as people, as humanity, is so much greater than any of the beliefs, which are now attached to certain groups, which have been imposed on us over the centuries by governments and societies.
We have to rise above the bigotry and propaganda and behave in a more humane manner. We share common moral values and principles which must be honoured and respected if we are to experience any kind of peace on this earth. I looked up the meaning of humane for the sake of this article and this is what came up: compassion, brotherly love, kindness, kind-heartedness, consideration, understanding, sympathy, tolerance, goodness, leniency, mercy, tenderness, benevolence, charity, generosity.
Every single one of us possesses these qualities. Let us concentrate on turning each one of these attributes into actions by implementing them in our daily lives so that we may successfully connect with one another and become global citizens rather than divided people. Implementing these values will make it much easier for us, for humanity to stand together for equality, freedom and justice for all.
When you look at it from this perspective it really sounds very simple and easy. How many of you are prepared to put this theory into practice? Let it be part of your New Year’s resolution. I’m ready to make the commitment. Are you?