For when they shall say,
Peace and safety;
then sudden destruction cometh upon them,
1 Thessalonians 5:3
"MANAMA, Bahrain — Throughout the Arab world, a new discussion on how to live peacefully side by side with the followers of all religions has begun to take shape.This discourse is inspired partly by the dramatic call of an Iranian Ayatollah for religious coexistence with Baha'is, but has since taken on a life of its own, becoming a heartfelt discussion about the situation of religious freedom in Arab lands.
"Man was created 'free,' and from the Islamic perspective, 'freedom' is not a mere right, but rather a duty accountable by law," wrote 'Abdu'l-Hamid Al-Ansari, an expert on Islamic law in Qatar, writing in the Kuwaiti newspaper Aljarida on 26 May.
"Islam grants 'religious freedom' to those who are at variance with it in belief and worship [as stated in the Qur'an]: 'To each among you have we prescribed a law and a system.'
"Hence," wrote Dr. Al-Ansari, a former dean in Islamic studies and law at the University of Qatar, "what will remain of the meaning of 'freedom' if we prevent the followers of other religions from practicing their
 |
| Ayatollah Abdol-Hamid Masoumi-Tehrani |
Professor Suheil Bushrui, an authority on religious and interfaith issues in the Arab world, said the region "is an area where there are without any doubt tremendous forces of fanaticism, but at the same time there is an opening of the mind, and a tremendous desire to create a new way of thinking.
"Part of this new thinking is that violence is not what religion teaches, and there is an increasing discussion that emphasizes that freedom of worship and freedom of religion are guaranteed by the Qur'an itself," said Professor Bushrui,...
This discussion is reflected in a growing number of news articles and commentaries on the theme of religious coexistence that have been published in recent weeks throughout the Arab world.
A number of Arab commentators have indicated they were inspired by the actions of Ayatollah Abdol-Hamid Masoumi-Tehrani, an Iranian cleric who recently created a calligraphic work of Baha'i holy verses and sent it as a gift to the Baha'is of the world, along with a statement on the need for coexistence with Baha'is, who face intense persecution in Iran.
In Iraq, one of the most senior Shia clerics, Ayatollah Seyed Hosein Sadr, recently gave a long interview outlining a similar vision of religious coexistence and freedom of belief.
"I do not believe in dichotomy in God's message, just as I do not subscribe to dichotomy or conflict between God and mankind," said Ayatollah Sadr on 14 May in an interview published by Din Online. "I believe that such presumption stems from erroneous understanding by religious fanatics and radicals....
"Religion should not be used to suppress mankind, or to force him or her, or cause pressure or duress; religion is meant to guide mankind to a more noble life, and to imbue feelings of joy and good fortune, to offer meaning and value to life," said Ayatollah Sadr." BahaiWorldNewsService
Comments:
I wonder if this trend will pick up steam as a backlash to the bloodletting by ISIS in Iraq & bloodshed in the Syrian civil war? Will the Muslim world finally seek peace with the world around them?....Time will tell....