From CDHR
October 18, 2007
East-West Religious Conflict
By Ali Alyami
The rise of religious fervor in Muslim communities in most parts of the world is seen by many non-sectarian Muslims and non-Muslims as a threat to democratic values, world peace, rights for women and minorities, and economic stability. This dangerous trend is attributed to excessive use of religion as a political and oppressive tool by many autocratic Arab and Muslim regimes, especially in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and home to two of its most holy shrines. The intense, international debates to find and analyze the root causes of religious intolerance in Muslim countries and find solutions to looming religious conflicts point to Saudi-Wahhabi-Salafi religious teachings and the exportation of their religious ideology, Wahhabism.
Given historical events, the safest way to reduce the possibilities of religious conflict between Muslims and non-Muslims is to take religion out of the hands of dictatorial Muslim theocrats and replace it with the rule of civil laws and non-sectarian constitutions in which peoples’ rights and obligations are codified in legal terms. This requires drastic transformation of religious, political, educational, social and economic institutions in places like Saudi Arabia, whose preachers are among the strongest advocates of wars against the infidels. Religion is personal and must be left to the individual to decide for him/herself how, when, or where to worship.
Many non-sectarian and tolerant Muslims are advocating reformation of Islam and elimination of the Shariah as a legal code. People like Ayaan Hirsi Ali and others are predicting dire consequences if the West does not change its attitude toward Muslim ideologues, autocratic regimes and institutions that feed intolerance, extremism and terrorism. Many people in the West and elsewhere may do what Ms. Ali and other Muslims are advocating. Tragically, due to the suppression of freedom of the press, speech and debate in Arab and Muslim countries, most Muslims do not know that they and their holy shrines could be reduced to ashes because of what is being done in their name and religion.