Why should we learn about other religions?
We spread knowledge to stop senseless, xenophobic violence. "Education does not ensure
tolerance, but ignorance greatly raises the chance of intolerance," someone once said.
Ignorance is the root of intolerance, and intolerance is the root of hatred. In 2020 an
Australian male killed about 50 people in two mosques in New Zealand. Ordinary individuals
got out of bed that morning, washed their teeth, dressed, and went to their place of worship.
Men, women, and children who were unarmed and defenceless were killed for a reason that
the shooter probably didn't understand. He perceived what he was doing as some sort of
valiant attempt to defend Europe from an enemy. They were harmless folks who followed
their faith; they posed no threat to civilization. They only gathered to pray.
Religious education gives us the chance to have a discussion on the value of freedom,
religious expression, and people's right to pursue their beliefs, regardless of their affiliation
with a particular denomination or religion. It is simply untrue to argue that this attack—or any
other terrorist attack, for that matter—took place as a result of a religious conviction. People
commit crimes, act violently, and behave in the worst possible manner. This attack dispels
the misconception that religious fanaticism is a phenomena that is exclusive to or even
associated with a specific faith and demonstrates that horrible things occur as a result of
terrible conduct.
To say that there is a religious motivation for these attacks is simply not the case and
through education, we can share the reality that religious practice is an expression of belief
and not in any way a justification for any kind of violence. The gunman in this incident, an
Australian male in his twenties, did not carry out the terror attack for any good reason. It
simply serves to show how completely unjustified and unwarranted his actions were to
suggest that they were in any way a reaction to the rising number of immigrants, particularly
those with Islamic roots. Immigrants' presence in Europe contributes to globalization and
economic expansion. The pluralistic and accepting society that we in the west prefer to
portray to the rest of the world is what has led to it, not some plot by one set of people to
take over and dominate Europe.
Anti-Semitism, which rose to prominence during World War II, is still as prevalent today as
the anti-Islamic fever that appears to have engulfed some parts of society. Those who use
violence to inspire terror offer neither justification nor vindication. There are billions of
individuals throughout the world whose lives have significance and value because of religion,
whether they practice Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Humanism, Buddhism, Hinduism, or
another belief system. It's time we stopped viewing different religious practices as a potential
threat to the world and instead chose to appreciate the beauty and diversity that we are
blessed with.
“Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness. We
must meet the forces of hate with the power of love”- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.