Muslim – Page 3 – Engaging Peace

[Note from Kathie Malley-Morrison: Today we welcome another contribution by our guest author, Dr. Majed Ashy.]

Book burning illustration — Book Burning by Hartmann Schedel, 1440-1514. Image in public domain; from Wikimedia Commons

Jones burned a book that requires every Muslim to believe, as part of the Islamic faith, that Jesus was the messenger of God and the Messiah, born to Mary as the result of virginal conception, a miraculous event that occurred by the decree of God. Muslims also learn that Jesus spoke while he was only a baby, restored sight to the blind, healed lepers, revived the dead, was resurrected and raised, and will return to earth near the day of judgment to bring justice and defeat the Antichrist.

Jones burned a book that says the following about the Old and New Testaments: “He has sent down to thee the Book containing the truth and fulfilling that which precedes it; and He has sent down the Torah (Law of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guidance to the people”—Qur’an, passage 3:3-4

Jones burned a book that says: “When the angels said, ‘O Mary, God gives thee glad tidings of a son through a word from Him; his name shall be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, honored in this world and in the next, and of those who are granted nearness to God… She said, ‘My Lord, how shall I have a son, when no man has touched me? He said, ‘Such is the way of God. He creates what He pleases.”—Qur’an, passage 3:38-48

Jesus teaches us: “There is a saying, ‘Love your friends and hate your enemies.’ But I say: Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way you will be acting as true sons of your Father in heaven.” (TLB, Matthew 5:43-48).

It is better to talk to each other and learn than to set the books to burn.

Majed Ashy, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at Merrimack College and research fellow in psychiatry at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School

Humiliation is clearly a means for showing disregard and contempt, and is perhaps particularly insidious because it can be done without any direct physical contact.

Countless experts on the Middle East have made note of centuries of humiliation by Christian invaders. Those invaders took land and resources by force, divided peoples up into arbitrarily created countries to weaken political and military resistance, and denigrated the most popular religion of the area.

Because of wide recognition of the destructive aftermath of humiliation, the Preamble of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights begins by stressing the importance of recognizing that:

“…the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,” and that “disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind….”

Acting ethically to promote human rights, peace, and reconciliation becomes particularly challenging in the face of inhumane acts perpetuated by other human beings. Certainly, the retaliation of Muslim militants against innocent people in a U.N. Mission in Afghanistan is horrifying, just as is the desecration of the Qu’ran by Terry Jones.

By now we should understand how violence begets violence in a constantly escalating spiral. We have not yet solved the threat of Star Wars or other forms of mass destruction that can wipe the human race from the planet.

We must develop new ways of dealing with insults to our beliefs and our rights–alternatives that don’t promote the spiral of retaliations. One such approach is the Compassionate Listening Project (see video below).

An outgrowth of years of reconciliation efforts with Israel and Palestine, the initiative is designed to teach peacemaking skills at every level of human interaction from the personal family to the global family. Members of this project are ready to talk to anyone, including terrorists, to promote peace.

Can we even imagine a world where compassion and listening replace humiliation and retaliation?

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology

What did Terry Jones burn? (Part 1)

Can compassion replace humiliation?