It is one week
after the Alshabaab claimed responsibility for killing innocent shoppers at the
Westgate Mall in Nairobi. Many analysts have tried to understand the mind of
such individuals who would kill indiscriminately children, women, elderly, in
total disregard for life and its sanctity. It appears that whenever such a
thing happens we come together to mourn with those who have been left by their
loved ones, cry with those who may have lost a limb, contribute in our small
ways to help in settling medical bills or otherwise, then sooner than later go
back to our daily lives until another terrible thing happens.
We can burn the
last oil trying to understand why an individual would degenerate to such a
level to kill or maim their fellow human beings just for a perverted religious
idea. While I stand to be corrected it
is my submission that such individuals are not driven by any religious ideology
or philosophy but just pure HATRED – HATRED PERIOD, whether self hate or just
hatred for human life.
Among the many religions we identify with
today, whether Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism or many others, they all
have sets of beliefs, narratives, traditions, symbols and or sacred histories
that seek to give meaning to life, thus deriving authority on morality, ethics,
lifestyles and their individual understanding of cosmos and the human nature.
If any religion
were to propagate the ideologies proclaimed by these terrorists would like us
to belief they present would be self defeatist, something that no religion
would propagate and at the same time expect to recruit more members. After all
this terrorist phenomenon of individuals blowing themselves have for centuries
had its real name – suicide. While suicide is not a new thing, situations where
someone for their own reasons wishes to die and goes ahead to kill other
innocent people have no comparison and drive other than hate. For example, over
the centuries Christianity has placed emphasis in belief by putting forth
Creeds that define correct belief and identified heresies, while Judaism and
Islam have sophisticated systems of law to guide behavior while at the same
time allowing freedom of conviction and intellectual expressions, on the other
hand, Hinduism and Buddhism place focus in practices of ritual and
transformation.
For
those who walked into the Westgate Mall ten days ago were of diverse
backgrounds whether religious, political, social or otherwise to conduct
businesses of varying degrees, this is how a civilized society ought to live.
People with sick minds will always find a justification for their actions.
While am not here to offer an apologetic for Islam I refuse to be convinced
that these people were acting for Islam. But the fact that Islamic faith have
been used time and again as a disguise for these terrorists acts calls for
action from their leadership and a conversation among the Kenyan populace that
goes beyond periodic rhetoric of this are foreigners trying to drive a wedge
amongst us. These are people who recruit the young among us through perverted
messages that go beyond any right thinking society that have respect for and
value for human life.
As a Christian there is no doubt in my mind that religious ideas are
not simply misleading products of human mind. There is something real and true
about my faith. It is hard
for me to separate my individual live from the society I live in. some might
argue that religion is the human
activity which speaks about social reality while using words about gods. People
might seem to believe in and speak about God but in essence talking about about
their own society without necessarily realizing it. The belief in God cannot
exist independently of humankind, but even for the atheist I can as well say,
society existed before you were born and exists after you die, it has given you
the ideas and language to think and speak with, it protects you and makes you
feel worthy of life, as human beings we may project all these ideas onto a
god-figure but the ideas themselves are true and necessary if society is to be
held together as a moral community. Among many ideas include the belief that
life is sacred and ought to be respected. Next time you feel like blowing
yourself for sheer hatred of life please take a walk to the desert or just
throw yourself in the ocean.
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