At some point Jews, Christians, Muslims and others will learn to co-exist. The alternative is endless war. Conflict on religious grounds is futile as it does not benefit the God of Abraham. Those who spew indiscriminate hate are foolish as hatred has no spiritual value.
Another reason why the conflicts must end is that within all religious and cultural groupings there are internal variances. For centuries European Christians mass murdered each other, this includes World War One and Two. Pogroms against European Jews were cyclic. In the end many Jews fled Spain and Portugal along with Arab Berbers to North Africa. The Shia Sunni conflict In the Middle East is reminiscent of historic Catholic and Protestant conflict in Europe which remains active in Ireland.
What is important is how these conflicts begin and who ultimately benefits. Jewish, Christian and Islamic military history verifies that when it comes to war, little is truthfully done for the sake of God.
Political leaders seek to establish empire and legacy while most soldiers kill for money or prospect. Few fight for justice. Example, why do Mexicans and East Europeans who have no qualms with Arabs fight American wars in the Middle East? They want green cards to access the USA. Black and poor white Americans receive scholarships in exchange for military service. This is not the conduct of religious patriots; this is the action of mercenaries. This is why more American soldiers commit suicide than have died in active serve in Afghanistan. The fighters do not believe in the cause.
A way out of this quagmire is for religious and cultural communities to agree to the ideals of a federalized representative constitutional democracy with assured minority rights. This would manage some of the global sectarian and tribal conflicts.
Western nations have always chosen self-interest ahead of genuine democratic process. Egypt is a typical example, while the world believes that Zionist Israel was attacked by Arabs in 1967, Israeli Defence Force (IDF) documents suggest that the IDF terrorised Palestinian villages knowing that an Arab defence would ensure. The alleged Arab invasion was in reality a planned pre-emptive IDF military strike which worked entirely in the interest of the Zionist. With its army smashed by the Zionist backed United States military, Egypt signed a peace deal. To maintain the deal, the USA pays the Egyptian military billions in annual protection fees. The democratic election in Egypt from which President Morsi arose, threatened this arrangement. Thus, democracy in Egypt was subverted to protect Zionism which is unable to financially or militarily protect itself without the billions received from taxpayers in the West.
Russia and China are no different. The occupation of Tibet, the banning of Ramadaan and the repression of ethnic Muslim minorities in China are public knowledge. Russian brutalities in the Caucuses and historic ethnic cleansing of Muslim regions are examples. India occupies Kashmir where rape and murder by the Indian military is common.
Do militant Zionists represent Judaism, does western imperialism represent Christianity, and do Arab extremists represent Islam? I do not think so. While religious communities fight, they remain distracted. Our mutual enemies who worship the Gods of materialism continue to commit crimes and grow stronger.
In the words of the wise the first duty of any human is to think for him or herself. Let us live our lives with grace and mercy and let God be the judge.
Cllr Yagyah Adams
Cape Muslim Congress.