Monday, May 21, 2007

Learning to Hate from an Interesting Source

It is interesting that hatred between various religious sects in Iraq has gotten worse since the US arrived in 2003. Interestingly enough, western influence seems to have caused similar problems in India.

I am in Chicago this week, attending a computer conference. On this trip, I have had the good fortune of meeting two Indian men--one who is a Muslim, and one who belongs to the Hindu religion. Their similarity of social perspective is very striking.

I met Zaqardi while flying from Salt Lake City to Chicago. I asked him if there is a great deal of animosity and bloodshed between Muslims and Hindu followers in India. he said that it was not as bad as people in the west think it is. Interestingly, though, he pointed out that animosity does flare up regularly around elections, when--rather than accentuate their own strengths--the various candidates begin speaking epithets against their opponents in order to gain votes. I wonder where they learned that from?

Today at lunch, I had a fascinating conversation with Devdatt. I asked him the same questions. He agreed that the problems between Islam and Hindu are very exaggerated in the western press, but that there was a time when little if any animosity existed between the two great faiths. From his perspective, it was when the Brits came to India to exercise their benevolence, that a hatred between Muslim and Hindu was struck. Hmmm. Didn't they do that in Iraq once, as well?

We pause now for this message: Ron Paul is right.

I suggested to Devdatt that America and the west would do better off if we would mind our own business. He agreed so readily that he could not contain his laughter, which had the effect of dislodging a portion of his partially-chewed sandwich from his mouth. He also agreed that if America would stop tilting at every windmill in the world, the world would actually be better off simply observing and learning from America's example.

P.S. -- Vote for Ron Paul!

3 comments:

Cliffs Blogger Profile said...

"America and the west would do better off if we would mind our own business"

I think this sentiment goes for prayer in school.

Lets keep religion private and family. Anything else is prothesizing and propaganda if not brainwashing.

Charles D said...

When you destroy the seat of power in a country and do not act quickly to replace it with an indigenous democracy, you create a power vacuum and often a violent struggle for power. Had we followed Ron Paul's advice in Iraq, or even the advice of General Jay Garner who was going to hold elections 90 days after the fall of Baghdad (before they fired him), we would not be in this awful situation.

Frank Staheli said...

I agree. I have written about Jay Garner in some of my previous articles. There have been too few Ron Pauls over the years--our foreign policy would be in much better shape if more people like Mr. Paul would stand up for their beliefs.