Front Pagefundamentalism
Commons and Difference
Submitted by reido on Sun, 12/30/2007 - 12:36. commons community fundamentalism unityThe recent murder of leadership in Pakistan is one more incident among many like it down through history that bears witness to a deeper problem. While most of the world is horrified by the taking of lives in the public domain where humanity would like to feel comfortable to walk about, somewhere there is a group of people who regards these events as heroic -- even as a public witness to their submission to the greater power of God.
Assassination of Benazir Bhutto will upset Pakistan
Submitted by K Prabhakar Rao on Thu, 12/27/2007 - 10:52. benazir bhutto errorsits fundamentalism Malik musharraf Pranab Mukharjee Pakistan has been undergoing great turmoil for the last few years (1). President Musharraf finally shed his uniform recently after great international pressure and assumed the role of civilian President. The emergency has been lifted that was a marshal law in fact. Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sheriff, both former Prime Ministers were in the arena of elections that are to be held shortly in January. Recently Nawaz Sheriff has been barred from contesting elections and as far elections are concerned his fate has been sealed to return to power. Benazir Bhutto who was prime minister twice was for all purposes were destined to become PMi again after the elections. In fact Musharraf came to some understanding of power sharing with her before he shed his uniform. Musharraf has pardoned her off the court cases against her. He made sure that after shedding uniform he was safe from any Government actions against him.
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Will Israel Go Alone Against Iran?
Submitted by K Prabhakar Rao on Tue, 11/13/2007 - 13:26. ahmad inejad elbaradei Fanaticism & Terrorism fascism fundamentalism iran israel nuclear weapons world war iiiRecently Iranian President Ahmed inejad has declared that Iran has reached a mile stone in its nuclear programme (1). What is the mile stone he meant? This was not spelled out and left others guessing. Iran has been actively pursuing its nuclear program in spite of opposition by world countries (Mostly west) spearheaded by America. It has stubbornly resisted all pressures till date. It is being claimed by west that the Iranian program is aimed at acquiring nuclear potential with the aim of building nuclear weapons. Iran however claims that the program is aimed at building know how for power plants (2). The impending nuclear potential by Iran is seen as the greatest threat to world peace and particularly to existence of Jewish State Israel in view of the statement made by the president Ahmed inejad that he would erase Israel from the world map by dropping the nuclear bomb on it once it acquires it (3). Israel being the closest ally of USA, Iran is being considered as the greatest threat to Israel. On the other hand relations between Iran and America are severely strained after the take over by fundamentalist Mullahs and dethroning of Shah Pehalwi in Iran in 1979. In fact Iran celebrates the American hostage crisis as some sort of victory with parades, shouting slogans, “Death to America” wielding weapons and goose stepping too. It displays erstwhile highly dangerous Nazi type tempo in its anti American parades that could bring disaster to their own country as it happened to Germany. History could repeat.
Faith in the Commons and Francis Fukuyama's Social Capital
Submitted by bill on Thu, 09/20/2007 - 16:29. cosmopolitanism faith commons Faith, Meaning & Purpose fundamentalism social capitalFaith is the currency of civilization. Without it, civilization breaks down into waring factions—where the faction is the least common denominator of faith. Faithfulness is what I pay to be part of family, an organization, or of society. And Faith is the return payment, or my stock value, as it were, in the society at large. While the same relationship works with my Self (not my ego, but my whole Jungian Self), this relationship between faithfulness and faith is best understood as it applies to society—or actually, the commons. It is within the commons, or society, that the interaction of faith and faithfulness works its synergistic magic to build community out of parts.
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Intolerance Towards Women
Submitted by K Prabhakar Rao on Fri, 08/17/2007 - 14:30. fundamentalism nasreen owaisi women's issuesHyderabad the 400 years old historical city and busy center for IT activities in India is also the nerve center and infamous for many communal troubles, riots and terrorist plots and actions (1). Now it has also credited itself with actions of intolerance towards women who were critical about religion. In the latest development, Tasleema Nasreen the famous woman Bengali writer of Lajja (Shame) fame has hit the head lines. She was persecuted in her country Bangladesh allegedly for hurting sentiments of Muslims and is now staying in Calcutta under the protection of the government. She was recently invited to a function at press club in Hyderabad by a group of journalists. Her presence in the city and at the function was sensed and realized by the activists of local strong fundamentalist party Majlis Ittehad ul Muslimeen (MIM) (although claims secular) that flexes its muscles on various occasions particularly on matters of Islam.
EURO ISLAM, A NEW THREAT TO EUROPE AND WORLD PEACE
Submitted by K Prabhakar Rao on Tue, 08/07/2007 - 17:16. al qaeda Fanaticism & Terrorism fundamentalism jihad Kafeel Ahmed wahhabismAfter emergence of Al Qaeda in the world and WTC 9/11, a new threat has emerged on the scene. It is Euro Islam. The charge of Osama bin laden released as written document before attack on USA, blames American hegemony and for maintaining military presence in Middle East and blamed it for the present ills plaguing the Islamic society. The consequent network of AlQaeda and its inspired terrorists has spread world wide with AlQaeda centers operating clandestinely in various countries.
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Sudan Hand in Glove With Terrorism
Submitted by K Prabhakar Rao on Sun, 05/27/2007 - 10:42. africa fundamentalism janjaweed sudan terrorismSudan a country on east coast of Africa, of late has emerged as the sponsor and abettor of international terrorism. "A number of international terrorist groups including AlQaeda, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Egyptian al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, the Palestine Islamic Jihad, and Hamas continued to use Sudan as a safe haven, primarily for conducting logistics and other support activities." Sudan, in northeast Africa, is the largest country on the continent, measuring about one-fourth the size of the United States. Its neighbors are Chad and the Central African Republic on the west, Egypt and Libya on the north, Ethiopia and Eritrea on the east, and Kenya, Uganda, and Democratic Republic of the Congo on the south. The Red Sea washes about 500 miles of the eastern coast. It is traversed from north to south by the Nile, all of whose great tributaries are partly or entirely within its borders.
Fundamentalism and the War on Terror
Submitted by bill on Wed, 03/07/2007 - 10:54. fundamentalism war on terrorWar is the struggle for power. Violence is the ultimate, if not the lowest form of the exercise of power, and considered the last resort by civilized people. In this sense, violence is the absence of civility, if not at the least, the temporary suspension of it. Most every resort to violence is clouded with complicated and convoluted claims and counter claims.
The current conflict that engages our world is not an economic struggle, though there are certainly economic issues and triggers. It is an ideological one. It is about meaning. And I would suggest, it is about paths to meaning that cannot—or at least will not—coexist on the same planet.
After September 11, 2001, historian Karen Armstrong added another preface to her yet one year old book on the history of fundamentalism, The Battle For God, which included these words.
Should Religions Try to Convert Others?
Submitted by K Prabhakar Rao on Mon, 02/12/2007 - 14:58. akbar asoka constantine conversion fundamentalism intolerance proselytism SankaracharyaEditor's Note: This article offers a concise history of proselytism, showing the good the bad and the ugly of humanity's zealous efforts to lead one another to religious salvation. In the great Commons of Faith, proselytism treads ever so closely to the overgrazing that destroys the commons for all. Please read this article if you believe that coercing others to your religion will "save" them.
The aspect of conversions by various religions has always been controversial in the world. Hatred between certain societies in the world has been the outcome of this phenomenon. Inspite of modernity and dawn of scientific age and growth of scientific education in all corners of the world, the desire to spread the religions across various societies has not been eliminated and is being pursued with vigor too. Out of the important religions that are being practiced in the world today, Christianity and Islam are the active religious groups that are proselyte and are trying to expand their faith. Christianity from the beginning was a missionary religion and Islam did not lag behind either. Buddhism too is a missionary religion while Hinduism and Sikhism did not pursue this policy in vigor and remained passive. In fact Sikhism did not take up missionary activities. Most of the scholars claim that Hinduism has no missionary zeal although in ancient times Hindu princes invaded Malayan peninsula and established Hindu kingdoms.
Infallibility/Inerrency Doctrine Is a Red Herring
Submitted by bill on Mon, 12/11/2006 - 19:01. fundamentalism Inerrency Infallibility religionWhat so you think? Is it time for religion to put up or shut up?
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