Islam's Response to Contemporary Issues — Page 46
46 islam’s response to contemporary issues growing influence of materialism and the emphasis of society as a whole shifting from spiritual to carnal and sensual pleasures, one may be led to believe that religion should be discarded and ignored as an unimportant factor. I regret to disagree with such a conclusion because unless we reform religious attitudes, internally and externally, religion will continue to play a very strong negative role, rather than a beneficial positive role, in our efforts to achieve global peace. Religion, which should have played a leading role in establishing peace, removing misunderstanding between adherents of different sects and religions, cultivating decency, and promoting the principle of live and let live, has unfortunately, in the contemporary times, played a very minor and insignificant role, if any at all, in the promotion of peace anywhere in the world. Yet in creating disorder and bloodshed and in causing misery and immense suffering, it still is a very potent and dynamic force, which should not be under-estimated at all. No global peace can be visualised without addressing this vital problem and redressing its faults. Internally, religious sentiments can be strongly excited and activated to spread misery and suffering amongst a section of its adherents which, unfortunately, happens to belong to a minority sect within that religion. The entire Muslim history is full of such ugly and despicable episodes where Islam, the religion of peace, was itself employed to shatter the peace of innocent believers, who, of course, believed in Islam but not in the way and style, as others would have them. In fact, a study of Islamic history proves beyond a shadow of doubt that Islam has been misemployed for the persecution of Muslims themselves. The ‘holy wars’ that the Muslims fought against the Crusaders are far