Within the current dialog on racism, it is vital to grasp how the God of Abraham, Isaac and Ismail prescribes discrimination. Yes, God discriminates and the disparity is verified in the Torah, Bible and Quran. However unlike the median people have a tendency to use, which are generally emotions based on partial life experience, Abrahamic epistemology advocates monotheistic righteousness.
Righteousness is defined by a belief and actions that inspire justice, ethics, honesty and integrity etc. The antonym or opposite of righteousness is wickedness, evil, malice, hatred, injustice and so on.
This implies that, though prayer, charity and so on is vital; these efforts may fall short if a person lacks righteousness. Example, religious or political leader that inspires conflict for narrow agendas that do not conform to criterion approved by God are wicked. Similarly, for centuries slave owners in Cape Town who practiced brutality also spent time praying and giving alms. Over time slavers and their progeny became wealthy and valued members of society while devoid of righteousness. Equally those liable for Apartheid atrocities also spent time in prayer, believing that God was on their side.
For millennia humans insist on dictating terms to God and practice parts of divine teaching subject to what we regard as apt. Amassing wealth is typically most important, in contrast, in the Torah, Bible and Quran, when God judges, the righteous go to heaven and wicked to hell. Ironically though we are all guilty of turpitude regret of sins and a return to righteousness remains possible until our last breath.
Thus regardless of nation, tribe, clan, skin colour, culture or other criterion, the standard Abrahamic criterion remains righteousness. The Quran clarifies that an Arab is no better than a non-Arab; by the criterion of God, a white is no better than a black person, only righteousness decides. Thus those who think that belief is the only obligation and that evil actions do not matter, is going to be troubled.
Having said that, besides racism, there are other equally perilous activities that also confront society?
For example recently on visiting the international arrivals at Cape Town airport the first and biggest insignia boldly states that “Cape Town is the wine capital of the world”. Ironically alcohol and drug use is the main reason why Cape Town has some of the highest murder, rape, violent assaults, accident, and foetal alcohol syndrome and child abuse statistics in the world.
The deliberate disconnection between alcohol abuse; alcohol advertising and sales and the careful agenda to keep the poor subjugated with cheap intoxicants is flouted at many levels of governance.
While racism is legislated as illegal, abusing drugs and alcohol is considered as socially acceptable. The message sent to society is that it is okay to drive intoxicated as the fallout is negligible.
As racist are hunted down so must society hunt down those who cause overall social chaos and suffering because of their inability to manage themselves responsibly. This includes drug, alcohol addicts also men who impregnate women and then are unable or unwilling to pay maintenance etc.
One social ill cannot be more vital than another. Since racism is a failure of character and evil, so is substance abuse and murder etc.
Since God is the final judge and politicians pursue issues of racism who will lead the societal rebirth and confront the many other evils that exist?
Cllr Yagyah Adams
Cape Muslim Congress