I AM writing in response to Paul Carter’s letter published in last week’s Wiltshire Times.
While I agree with him we Muslims should be able to laugh at jokes or at least learn to ignore them I do take offence at holding religions responsible for wars.
I am disappointed at the Wiltshire Times for making an irrelevant Facebook post a front page news item which wasn’t worth mentioning anywhere in the newspaper.
Wars are planned behind closed doors by politicians from all faith backgrounds motivated by self interest, and political ambitions and often influenced by big business including the arms industry. Our record of selling arms to diabolical regimes is criminal.
My studies of all faiths has shown me, all teach about justice, peace, mercy and forgiveness. We humans are vulnerable and have a disposition to react in anger and selfishly. Both anger and selfish desire cause us to be fearful of the other. Such people don’t understand the message of religions.
I went on a march in London when Tony Blair was deciding to invade Iraq. I saw people from different races, different religions, atheist, secular and of different abilities. People of faith don’t want wars. Unjust, angry, and selfish individuals and nations want wars.
Paul Carter should stop and think that the arms industry and selling of arms to terrible regimes around the world is one reason wars have become a necessity for the so called First world. It earns them a revenue. We in Britain and in other First world countries thrive on the violence caused around the world.
I agree human beings outside the governmental machinery can cause terrible atrocities. Our response to these shouldn’t be a wholesale revenge (known in political circle as collateral damage). It should be measured and only those who commit crimes should be punished. Our response to 9/11 wasn’t based on religion. It was based on a reaction and not on a measured response. A measured response wouldn’t have made our world more dangerous.
The problem with this world is that we don’t put as much energy into making peace as we do in making wars. We don’t work as hard to be just to all and above all we don’t learn lessons from the past and make good our mistakes made in the past. Both the issue of Kashmir and Palestine, to give only two examples in passing, are mistakes made by Britain and people from both regions are suffering to this day.
Farzana Saker
Bradford on Avon