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Islam is "a very evil and a wicked religion". Not a statement of a Togadia, the hated figure among the seculars in India. Not a statement made in any `un-modern' or `old- fashioned' nation, like India. But in America, regarded as the post-modern nation. It is a considered remark of an American, which he stood by despite all criticism. Still more. He is a revered Christian religious scholar, Rev Franklin Graham. Rev Graham is a religious scholar respected by the US government. He is the son of the `famed' Billy Graham, the Christian evangelist who attempts to globalise his faith. He has been invited to speak at the sacred Good Friday services at the Pentagon, the US Defence establishment.
Two things need notice. First the Defence establishment of (secular) America observes church services for Good Friday, a pure religious ritual. An aside. Imagine the Indian Army or Navy or Air Force doing a puja and inviting a Shankaracharya to address them. Second, it deliberately invites a known anti-Islamic evangelist.
When the Muslims in the US expressed `concern' at the Pentagon inviting Rev Graham, the Pentagon spokesman dismissed it saying `one religion regardless of the religion, does not have the veto right over another religion'. That is Islamic view against Rev Graham cannot veto the right of Pentagon to listen to the Reverend's sermon. It said clearly that it has "no plan or discussion to un-invite", that is, withdraw the invitation to, Rev Graham. "He is a recognised religious leader", said the Pentagon. The plan is not limited to not just invite Graham. But to avoid future problems, said the Pentagon, so that there can be no objection about the Pentagon inviting such `recognised' religious leaders to sermonise the Pentagon officials in future.
What is Pentagon? Says the Washington Times, which carried the report about Rev Graham's proposed service at the Pentagon, "Christians of various denominations are about 98 percent of incoming troops who declare a religious preference, according to a 1999 study". So is it a conscript Christian army? No more a professional one.
Pentagon invitation to Rev Graham is not an accident, part of a pattern. The Bush government has appointed Daniel Pipes as an official adviser to the US. What Rev Graham is in Church, Daniel Pipes is in the media, holding the same view on Islam. The US has changed once and for all, after September 11, 2001. It is now a believing America, not an agnostic or atheistic America. In short, it is the Christian, that too a Baptist, America. The entire American establishment is now hooked to Bible and Church. President Bush starts the day with the Bible. So is the Attorney General Ashcroft. The Attorney General even holds Bible classes in the office.
But a believing America, that is, a Christian America, will only become a counterpart of the believing Islamic nation. It is unlike a believing India, that is a Hindu India. For a nation that believes in the Christian religion, which does not believe that other religions can also offer salvation, is as bad as the Islam it seeks to fight. Or as good, not better. It is unlike Hindu India, which believes that what Hinduism does to ferry a Hindu to heaven can be equally well accomplished by Christianity and Islam. A religion like Hinduism, therefore a nation like Hindu India is unknown to The Abrahamic faiths. An aside. Of course, the Indian seculars will raise hell reading this.
Now, on with the main story, the fault of these two Palestine cousins is that they claim the exclusive wisdom to salvation and so only their followers can reach heaven. Consequence, others should change their faith. As Swami Dayananda Saraswati put it, herein lies the potential for violence in both.
Any way it is now Rev Graham's America.
Graham's America must realise that if Islam is potentially violent, is
Christianity any different. Both are just cousins, not just in beliefs
but also in methods. This is what history tells. Will Rev Graham's America
realise it?
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