Islamists and Chinese nationalists are using violence in order to intimidate. By Joachim de Villiers and Lee Jay Walker

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The world appears to be going through a stage whereby blatant intimidation is being used in order to justify ignorance and hatred. Issues related to Chinese nationalism over a territorial dispute with Japan and Muslims killing mainly fellow Muslims over a minor video clip have both ushered in the forces of hatred. Of course the numbers involved in demonstrating in China, just like Muslims demonstrating in many parts of the world, are relatively small in real terms but the intimidation is overbearing and a threat to normal relations.
In many mainly Muslim nations the world is continuing to witness not only open intimidation but the killing of innocents. Just like the vast majority of terrorist attacks by various radical Sunni Islamist terrorist organizations the main victims are fellow Muslims. Where is the justice in killing and attacking individuals who are innocent of any wrongdoing? Is this religious and does this highlight peace?
Like usual the inconsistencies in both camps are astonishingly obvious. If Chinese nationalists are so concerned about the rights and wrongs of territory, then why are these nationalists focused on a small area which is disputed by China, Japan and Taiwan? After all, within the nation of China you have issues like Tibet and Xinjiang which are much bigger in terms of landmass, population, religious differences and cultural factors.
However, political leaders claim that these two areas belong to China and that the centralized state is developing both areas in order to modernize and help all the nationals of these two parts of the nation. This is disputed within both areas by certain ethnic and religious groups who fear being dominated by the Han Chinese. Of course the problem is very complex but how would China like it if nationalists in Japan began to attack cultural areas related to this nation over the Tibetan and Xinjiang issues?
Chinese civilization throughout a vast period of time was very powerful within Japan and even today the richness of Chinese culture is evident in many areas related to art, philosophy, architecture and other powerful areas. Therefore, ancient scholars from China enlightened many aspects of Japanese culture. This notably applies to religious and philosophical areas which helped the land of the rising sun. It wasn’t all one way because famous Japanese scholars and religious leaders travelled around China. In this sense, the nations of China and Japan have so much in common and today cultural exchanges and economic ties are powerful. However, the nationalist card in China and mass demonstrations alongside attacking things related to Japan will leave a lasting impression.
Turning to events in the Muslim world and also witnessing new demonstrations in mainly non-Muslim nations. Then attacking embassies, inciting hatred, parading “a bloodlust” and showing a religious fervor based on hate isn’t going to help. Also, if such a meaningless video clip is going to arouse such anger then in a sense they are showing that violence is a natural tool whereby religious fanatics can dictate by intimidation. Within America you will be able to buy many videos which show Catholic nuns being porn stars in countless numbers of pornographic role plays. Likewise, you also will have a lot of anti-Christian and other literature attacking major faiths. However, this is rightly or wrongly an aspect which exists within a minor area of Western culture whereby nothing is deemed sacred.
Today in the land of Mecca and Medina all apostates from Islam face the death penalty and not one single Christian church, Buddhist temple, Hindu temple and other non-Muslim places of worship are allowed. Likewise, a non-Muslim male could face the death penalty in Saudi Arabia if they desired to marry a Muslim woman – this is real hatred which is sanctioned by state institutions and the legal system of Saudi Arabia. However, non-Muslims are not attacking the embassies of Saudi Arabia and likewise why aren’t Muslims demonstrating against such injustice in Saudi Arabia whereby non-Muslims and the Shia are treated unequally? Or is it fine to just switch on and off so-called morality because it doesn’t suit the “victim card and agenda?”
In 2012 minorities Muslim groups within the mainly Muslim world have had many massacres directed towards them just for believing in the same religion differently. In Pakistan bus attacks have happened whereby all Shia Muslims were gunned down. Similarly, leading figures within the Sufi faith have been killed in Dagestan and Tatarstan in the Russian Federation by Salafists. At the same time Sufi Muslim shrines and religious monuments are being attacked in northern Mali, Libya, Somalia and other parts of the world by the same Sunni Islamist forces inciting so much hatred. Meanwhile in Syria many Alawites have been beheaded and Shia Muslims have been killed based on sectarianism. Iraq is no different because Sunni Islamist terrorist groups have been killing Shia Muslims for many years and if Sunni Muslims happen to be in the same vicinity then the same terrorist attacks will kill them.
However, where are the demonstrations against this brutal reality? Likewise, why aren’t Muslims showing the same passion towards honor killings and acid attacks which are all too common in some mainly Muslim nations?
Issues related to rape, child abuse, drugs and other terrible areas are global problems irrespective of ethnicity, religion or geography. Sadly, you have many stains against humanity in all societies irrespective of the continent and so forth. Therefore, the same demonstrations in the mainly Muslim world and Chinese nationalists in China should focus on cleaning up their own societies first instead of intimidating others by blind hatred.
The individuals involved in the petty and poorly made video clip (couldn’t call it a film) about Mohammed don’t represent the American government. They merely represent individuals who desire to make a quick buck and to ridicule people of another faith in order to fulfill personal inadequacies. Similar past issues related to areas of “cultural and religious sensitivity” have also sparked the deaths of innocents. This issue needs to be resolved because religious individuals have to stop holding their own faiths to ransom alongside inciting hatred towards others.
Currently the scenes being witnessed are a clear reminder that “mob rule” can be whipped up at the drop of the hat. This is doing a disservice to the Islamic faith and the people of China. Mohammed doesn’t need “people” to defend him if they believe that God will judge on the Day of Judgment (Yawm ad-Din). Likewise, the nation of China doesn’t need nationalists to do its bidding because this nation is powerful enough by itself to resolve issues with any nation.
Muslims in nations like France need more places to open mosques for worship and restrictions in Switzerland need to be challenged. Similarly, issues related to history between China and Japan needs to be resolved and Japan needs to understand the pain of Yasukuni shrine related to “war criminals” and other issues related to comfort women. No side is purely right or wrong – but intimidation is always wrong.
Normality is needed whereby real bridges and wrongs can be overcome through open dialogue and understanding “the other side.” Mob rule is not the way to highlight “injustice” or alleged wrongs. The United States, France and the United Kingdom also have to stop meddling in the Middle East and other parts of the world because “this colonial attitude” isn’t helping.
leejay@moderntokyotimes.com
http://moderntokyotimes.com

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