Jahangir Gol: The Politicization of Religion is the Greatest Threat to Global Peace

The brutal and inhumane attack on innocent journalists and cartoonists of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo — which occurred after events like the Peshawar massacre, the killing of innocent Yazidis by the Islamic State (ISIS), and the kidnapping of 172 women by Boko Haram in Nigeria — has created a sense of warning and fear of religious fanaticism. In our world, the fear of religious fanaticism is not new. The new aspect of these events is their occurrence in a new form of barbarism and savagery. Jahangir Gol cites Isaiah Berlin, who, considering the violent history of 'the crooked stick of humanity,' once said that the best thing one could wish for humanity, considering a 'shared moral horizon,' is a 'minimally decent society.' But is it even possible today to achieve this minimal wish of Isaiah Berlin? In a time when global hatred and the denial of others have become the dominant politics, is there any way to build a diverse world and shape intercultural dialogue? Why must the departure from tolerance and patience occur in a multicultural world and during a time of global mixing? Why should this rift arise in the global village, causing fundamentalist groups to start shouting at each other and killing one another? We all seek to be freed from the despair caused by globalization and the coming together of cultures — the very thing that has led to the rise of global fundamentalism and terrorism. However, none of us can accept the way of responding that occurred a few days ago in Paris. Fanatics and fundamentalists have always engaged in ostracizing each other and fighting among themselves. Whenever fundamentalism seeks to implement sectarianism through force and violence, it invariably leads to terrorism. When people come to believe that they possess absolute truth, they will reach a point where they deny the existence of others. After that, they can no longer distinguish good from evil and shape their way of life among different values. Achieving a common ground is only possible if we engage with each other in a civilized manner and share sufficiently. It is unnecessary to remind that while some Jews, Muslims, Christians, and Hindus may be terrorists, no religion in the world, especially Islam, teaches terrorism or encourages the killing of innocent people. As Karen Horney, a German psychologist, said, 'You cannot expect to kick people and have them love you.' Gol states that the greatest threat to the peace and tranquility of our world is the politicization and ideological corruption of religion. When all forms of fundamentalism, both in their approach and in their thinking, seek violence, fundamentalists should not expect to be recognized or even tolerated by others. In our time, when this barbarism has taken shape before our eyes — a barbarism that was born in the turbulence of the Arab Spring and crystallized in the years following September 11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq — there is no need to remind of the endless confrontation between Israel and Palestine here; we cannot return to the politics of oppressive rulers whose slogans were no different from those of fundamentalists: 'To rule over others unconditionally.' In our time, confronting this barbarism and savagery means saying 'no' to fanaticism unconditionally; expressing this 'no' is not through the means of oppressors or 'angels of vengeance,' both of which are reprehensible to us, but through meaningful dialogue with all believers opposed to fanaticism. Civilization is the cry of humanity against barbarism.