Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Ideology & violence

The article “The battle will be won or lost in the mosques” (July 13) says that liberal Muslims are increasingly worried over how certain theological issues have not been clarified and can be used to justify extremism. It is very obvious that if a particular writing is prone to different interpretations, there are bound to be conflicts.

When a Muslim takes the writing word for word without understanding the spirit, it creates further conflicts. Liberal Muslims are afraid to come out in the open and give the correct interpretation of the teachings for fear of fundamentalists. The entire scenario, therefore, is highly volatile.

Dhiraj Dangoria,
Hyderabad

The recent happenings have generated a debate on whether Islam as an ideology is responsible for extremism. I think no ideology operates in its own sphere. It may provide a channel but is not a source of violence in itself. Whether it is Osama bin Laden or Kafeel Ahmed, the source of antagonism is neo-colonialism of the west. They use Islam to justify their actions.

Did not some extremists channel their anger against the British using Hinduism? Many British officers were killed in the name of religion. Had we had the Internet then, there would have been more violence. So it is wrong to be prejudiced against a religious community.

Dheeraj Pandey,
Ghaziabad

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