Session 23 - Who are You to Decide

This week’s reading talks about religious conflicts, the role they play in IR and whether such conflicts could lead to wars. Presently, the US is waging war against Islamic terrorists while Islamic terrorists are waging war against non-Muslims as well as Muslims they believe are not Muslim-enough. Intolerance when it comes to religion is so widespread that it has turned the world into a scary place. To extremists, anyone with a different religious ideology from theirs is not human and therefore must not be treated with the respect and dignity every human deserves. While both Christianity and Islam preach peace, the former was the reason behind all the heinous crimes committed all over the world (17^th to 20^th Century) and the latter is the reason why most of us are scared to step out of our houses, turn on the TV, call ourselves Muslim and the list goes on. Many believe it is their duty to propagate their religion; so much so that it is justifiable to kill if need be. Freedom of speech may never be considered a basic human right in a country like Pakistan but that comes as no surprise as neither is the freedom to live and to choose the way one lives. What we fail to understand is that religion is a personal matter and that my relationship with God is none of your business and vice versa. Whether I believe in god or not, whether I believe in one god or 5 gods, whether I remember Jesus in my time of need or Allah, that is entirely within my discretion and not subject to discussion. To me, your religion is as real as it is tangible and your attempts to change that are in vain. The decision to see what you ‘see’ can only be made by me. So let me be, live and let live. It’s a principle everyone, every where should adopt.