Knowledge can increase compassion and kindness (Religions and violence)

You might remember the articles I wrote about our Universal Human Rights, which I wrote mainly for this reason: These days violence, intolerance, racism, discrimination seems to increase again. More and more people need to flee their homes and/or their countries, in the hope to find safety and peace elsewhere on our big world. When even leaders have forgotten our Universal Human Rights, I feel it’s time and very important to remind us all again of our Universal Human Rights.

In my opinion, it is not only the responsibility of leaders (political, financial, corporate, etc.) to educate themselves, but also our responsibility too…you and me, as neighbors living on our globe together. The saying “knowledge is power” can be used in a good way. Educating yourself about the views of your neighbor, will lead to more understanding, tolerance and even though you might not agree with other views, I strongly believe this will increase compassion and kindness towards each other.

John Astria of Mensensamenleving.me writes/creates highly educational articles and he gave me permission to translate a couple of them. Thank you again, dear John! Find out HERE (click), why I think you should visit this Beautiful Soul.

The original article in Dutch “Zijn Godsdiensten de oorzaak van alle geweld en kunnen we ze maar beter afschaffen?” and within the sources John used, you can find HERE (click).

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Are religions the cause of all violence and are we better off abolishing them?

People sometimes say that religions are violent fairy tales, responsible for all violence and all those wars and attacks wouldn’t have occurred / occur if the religions would be abolished.

Apart from the fact that this would not be legally possible, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which endorses every democracy, guarantees freedom of religion, pose following considerations:

• Were world war I and II religious wars? No
• Was the Western war against Iraq a religious war? No
• Was the bloody termination of the protests at Tiananmen Square in China a religious affair? No
• Is this list of wars in which the United States has been involved since 1950 a list of religious wars? No
• Are the United States involved in these wars because of religious motives? And would all of these wars even exist if we abolished religions? No

• Was the Russian civil war (1917-1921) a religious war? No

Do Muslim-terrorists have religious motives?

First of all, it is true that attacks are committed by Christians, Buddhists, Jews, however also by the extreme right, the extreme left and by states. The Europol figures of attacks in Europe show that more than 98% of the terrorist acts in Europe are committed by left, right, separatists and single-issue-terrorists. Less than 2% of the attacks in Europe are the work of Muslim terrorists. In fact, 98% of the terror in Europe have nothing to do with religion.

Moreover, terrorism is completely contrary to Islam, according to this religion is terrorism a crime against society.

In addition, Professor Pape studied the 315 suicide attacks that were committed worldwide between 1980 and 2003. He concluded that, worldwide, most suicide attacks were not committed by Muslims, but the overwhelming majority was committed by the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka, a secular Marxist group that mainly recruits from Hindus. It was also the Tamil Tigers, who invented the suicide vest, later copied by Palestinian perpetrators of suicide bombings.

Even the attacks addressed by the press as being Islamic attacks, according to this professor, appear to be carried out by non-religious groups for two thirds. The professor argues that suicide terrorism is not a matter for individual fanatics, but that these attacks reflect a political strategy and serve a political purpose. Groups who did consider occupied countries and territories as their own country demand concessions regarding national self-determination.

Their terrorist acts are an “extreme strategy for national liberation” and thus an expression of an extreme struggle for nationalism. According to this professor, 95% of the attacks worldwide have this intention. Suicide terrorism therefore has little or nothing to do with any religion whatsoever.

The professor states that not all occupations of countries lead to suicide terrorism. These attacks take place mainly when the occupying power adheres to a different religion than the land that is occupied. Because of this difference in religion, terrorist leaders succeed in demonizing the occupier from a distorted interpretation of their faith.

Less than 2% of the attacks in Europe in the last 4 years were the work of Muslims. This does not minimize the threat emanating from this terror, but places it in the context.

All models, religious and non-religious, have their share of terrorists.

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Sharing is allowed, if referenced to John and his website: mensenensamenleving.me
The first article I translated in this series you can find HERE (click).