Isn’t it funny how we can relate to terms of hate when it comes to skin colour, language, ‘race’. We call that racism, and few British people like being labelled racist.
However the same people that shout “I am not racist, but…” show the same level of hate but focused upon people with other religions.
They will be at pains to explain how religion is not race
Right now the hate is often spouted against people which follow the Islamic faith. But historically it has been the Jewish, the Hindi, the sikh, Hindu, oh and yes Christian faiths that have been the focus of religious hate and discrimination.
Try being a Christian in the Roman Empire.
There however is no tidy, glib term to call someone out for religious discrimination. Yes you can call them discriminatory, you can call them bigoted, you can call then oppressive or haters, but their is no term that covers it as well as racist does for those with intolerance based upon race (mainly skin colour).
So why is it?
Why is there no truly common, collective term? Simple reason is division.
To fight a war you need to demonise your enemy, you need to dehumanise them and discredit their belief.
You need to show the power behind you is not just right and just, but that theirs is purely cruel and without moral foundation.
All wars in some way are backed up by religion and belief. All national armies have religious officials in uniform, whether padre, or chaplain as in the British army, a Padre holds the rank of Major, so they are free to communicate with all ranks. The British army has Muslim Padres as well as Christian, Sikh and other main religions.
Even soldiers of the Nazi ‘Third Reich’ had Gott mit uns on their belts, – God with us.
The Communist Russian Army focused more upon political officers, Commissars, they saw communism as their new religion,their empires faith, yet still they had unofficial religious leaders within units.
Religious hate is the absolute strongest motivating factor in making people fight each other. You can threaten their wealth, threaten their freedoms and it will take a long time for them to rise, but threaten their beliefs, then you will likely get a strong and very targeted reaction often immediately.
The people in Britain shouting their religious intolerance won’t have read the Koran, won’t even really have read the bible they are defending (I know I tried with both over the years and got bored, so gave up), they will tell you they are atheist and yet also Christian. They will only attend a church for an odd funeral or wedding. Yet they will be a self professed “expert” of Islam, and will tell you it is a religion based upon violence and hate. They will describe all the negatives that they believe because the press and sadly propaganda machine, or even such enlightened religious accademic leaders such as Tommeh many names Robinson.
I personally have no true knowledge of Islam, however, I know the vast majority of Muslims I have taken the time to know are genuine, respectful, friendly and affable people, as are the majority of Christians.
I personally have no formal religious beliefs, and any spirituality I hold is purely based upon my personal experiences and thoughts.
The idea that only Muslims carry out suicidal attacks against people again is often used as a way of discrediting the religion, however the Japanese Kamikaze pilots were not Islamic, the Forlorn hope of the British 18the Century Army were not Islamic, they were soldiers who went into the first wave of often impossible battles, partly for the prospect of promotion or recognition, but also as soldiers blessed by god.
The British battle honours are often displayed in churches, and all battles prior and often including WW2 and even currently were preceded by religious sermons.
So really why do we judge religions, or nations by the actions of a few.
I do not hate anyone for their religion, nor for the region they were born. Its their actions that influence me. I despise what I have seem the IDF carrying out, and can only with some cruel irony, liken it to the behaviour of the Waffen SS in Warsaw.
I despise expansionism, by any state or nation, that starts with displacement then quickly leads to murder and sadly as is now completely evident genocide.
So right now I hate what zionist Israel under Netanyahu is perpetuating, their genocide of the Palestinian civilians, but I do not hate the Jewish people, I do not hate the people of Israel, but those complicit in their crimes against Humanity do have my ire and their actions, motives and cruelty, I do despise.
So do no be proud of not being a racist, when to all true purposes you are just as bad, and are only not labelled by design of those who control us all.
Jonesy.
Jonesy, simply a human 