Since the Orlando shooting, there has been a lot of talk about the word "terrorism". Are we quick to label someone of Middle Eastern descent a terrorist while calling their white counterpart a loner whose mental health is questionable? And what about the term "Radical Islam"? Whether the attack stemmed from a Radical Islamic agenda or from the intolerance of homosexuals, it still stemmed from a place of hatred and intolerance. Both of which are agents used to divide people. No matter how we label what spurred this attack, "Radical Islam" or homophobia, we have to be careful of the implications of what those labels imply. I want to focus on the "Radical Islam" side of this.
It seems to me that given our current situation aboard in the Middle East, Islam has been in the forefront of many people's minds as the impetus for why our enemies are targeting us the way they do. Most of these enemies are extremists, but somehow that demonizes the majority. I want to recall of few examples of extremists to remind us all that whole religious group isn't bad. It's those select few individuals that taint the religion in the minds of others and cast a dark light on the whole.
In 2006 to 2008, Hindu radicals in India targeted Muslims and their places of worship. They tortured and murdered these individuals and destroyed their temples. These Hindu radicals also target other minority such as Christians, even targeting pregnant women.
In 2012 during the Sri Lankan civil, two Buddhist monks formed what they called the Buddhist Power Force. Although considered one the most passive religions, these Buddhist monks used the Power Force to target Muslims and Christians who they believed might upset the balance in their country.
Christianity, where do I start? Many acts of violence have been committed in the name of God. From the KKK, to the Westboro Baptist church, to the Crusades, there have been many atrocities commited by extremists who use religion to veil their pursuits as righteous.
All of this to say, if we demonize and isolate certain groups of people due to the actions of a few, then we will get nowhere in ending hatred and intolerance.
