Let religions help world peace

According to news reports, top Iranian spiritual leader asked British Muslims to quit the army saying that their involvement in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars is forbidden by Islam. He believes that Islam and politics are intermixed because religion can not be ignorant of social issues.  Ayatollah  Moezi, the Director of the Islamic Center in England is reported to have said “Muslims are not allowed to go and kill Muslims”

There are 40 nations where Muslims constitute majority of population, but only 9 nations accept Islam as the foundation for their states, while 12 nations consider Islam as the State religion. 19 Muslim majority nations embraced secularism or state neutrality in the matters of faith. It is clear that all Muslims do not subscribe to the theory that Islam and politics are intermixed.  State and religion are separate issues for the vast majority of nations and it is rightfully so.

The second argument that “Muslims are not allowed to go and kill Muslims” is also far from reality. There are many wars among the Islamic nations. The Iran-Iraqi war, Iraqi annexation of Kuwait, Syrian intervention in Lebanon and Sudanese civil war are but examples of Muslims fighting Muslims and killing each other.

Religion can add to the identity of nation or individuals but religion is not everything and equating Islam with politics as professed by eminent Islamic clergy is the root cause for many direct and indirect global conflicts.

Let us pray that the influential religious personalities first understand that religion can not be imposed and can not be the basis for hatred among various communities practicing different faiths. Those Muslim clergy need to change their attitude for the betterment of people living in Islamic nations as well as preserving peace and communal harmony across the globe.