Current Events — HabitableZone

Current Events » in reply to Perhaps part of the problem...

Not having visited a mosque recently...
Mary Anne — (archived)

...I couldn't say what specifically is being preached by individual imams. Yet it seems to me that there would be more violence if there were more preaching of violence. Adherents of Islam have exceeded one billion, yet the sectarian violence connected to Islam doesn't begin to reflect that number.

Imams preach to their own congregations. If we look at our communities and observe our own Muslim neighbors, most of us will see peaceful, generous, law-abiding people who may dress differently than their neighbors. (Then again, maybe they dress the same. Besides, growing up with nuns and living near the Amish, different clothes aren't a big deal for me.) The imams of these congregations are not encouraging violence or hate.

There have been a few examples, as you say, of prominent Muslim clergy speaking out. One of them has been Sistani, in Iraq, who has basically told people to knock off the sectarian violence even though he himself is under the gun. Not many imams command the kind of respect and attention that he does, however.

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