Spiritual Meditations

Morality Is Not The Monopoly Of Any Faith: No Set Of Beliefs Is Inherently Inferior Or Superior To Another.

The belief in a god is generally quite low in all the major European countries

(NEW DELHI) - These differences have been sharpened after 9/11, with more and more people in the West now seeing Islam and Muslims as being behind the rise in extremist violence in much of the world.

Muslims, for their part, see themselves as victims of a rising Islamophobia. Interestingly, the trend towards atheism and agnosticism is far less marked in the United States than in Europe.

Well below five per cent of Americans assert they do not believe in any god. Indeed, some Evangelical Christians in America think they have more in common with Muslims than the ‘godless Europeans’.

One reason it is so difficult for many Muslims to become assimilated into the societies they have chosen to live in is the huge cultural differences they encounter. Generally coming from deeply conservative backgrounds, they are shocked with the free and easy lifestyle they encounter.

Rather than encouraging their children to integrate, they seek to insulate them from Western values, thus causing a state of mild schizophrenia in second- generation immigrants. Some of these young people become quickly radicalised, and seek clarity in the black-and-white world of religious extremism.

Unfortunately, too many of them lack the education to realise that ultimately, no set of beliefs or values is inherently inferior or superior to another.

Morality, as we have seen, is not the monopoly of any faith: an atheist can be more ethical than a religious person.

At the end of the day, what matters is that humans behave with consideration and decency, and avoid imposing their beliefs on others.

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Courtesy: newageislam.com