Ramadan Night 16

Yet there is among men
Such a one as disputes
About Allah, without knowledge,
Without guidance, and without
A book of Enlightenment
S.22 A.8

It was my goal to write primarily about my interpretation of these passages, examining my attitudes and behaviors in the context of this holy book.  This small passage jumped off the page at me however, and it relates to the actions of others, others who purposely misconstrue my faith. I honestly don't think I have heard anyone in the media criticizing Islam that had taken care to read the Koran with an open heart, listening to the words of God with an open mind.  I have also noted recently, that such critics could not have spent any significant time in Muslim communities, or with typical Muslim families.  They lack the knowledge of the Book, have ignored the guidance therein, and have sought isolated verses to support their manufactured version of the faith.  I know this well, as I had done the same to the Old and New Testament when I first became disillusioned with Christianity. I can also say that I never admitted to myself that the problem was within my own heart, not in the wisdom of the books I derided.

I learned early on that it is so much easier to question something than it is to defend it. When you explain or support a structured and detailed doctrine, you outline singular concepts that are not free of the text, but embedded in a larger context, a larger theme.  The more specifically you detail it, the easier it is to pick it apart - ever wonder why politicians say very little unless forced to?  Simply pulling pieces out from here and there and reassembling them for a selfish purpose is an artificial craft, one practiced commonly in our culture today.  

Hate is a murky lens, that permanently distorts the iris - like a camera that seeks only ugliness and deceit, it becomes unfamiliar with beauty and loathsome of the truth. No man should pick up any book with a blatant disregard for its purpose and intent, substituting instead a foul motive for its true substance.  To do so is a fraudulent action, compounded many times over when applied to a holy book, a book that provides truth, guidance, and comfort for millions, even billions of people.  It is an act of vain jealousy, the adolescent bravado of a lonely creature longing for attention, no matter how he wrests it away. He creates a false context filled with hate and malevolence, then pins it to his chest like a medal, smug in his chicanery.  He has a hole in his heart, and he would  murder the world to fill it.

I can't imagine how it escapes intelligent men that religion and faith are not tools of hatred and violence, witnessed by the billions of practitioners who quietly live dignified and peaceful lives.  The minority of those who manipulate their faith, is just that - an infinitesimal lot who would  and have used any larger mandate or ideology to murder the truth, to murder man's faith in each other. They also distort the pride and affiliation of geography, culture, and race to initiate their damage, their aversion to community and fellowship. They act in the name of unity, yet never bring themselves back to a core - they are constant and malicious marauders, knowing neither home nor family. 

I pity these hate mongers, and am deeply ashamed that I too had practiced this disgusting art; fortunate though that I had no audience, no minds and hearts to corrupt. I will not reflect on such things again this month, as they detract me from my goal, and are not worthy of my attention.