Just A Thought ~ LESSONS OF HISTORY

"When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our own selfpreservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness."

~ Joseph Campbell, American Writer on Mythology, 1904 - 1987 ~

Truly, we can understand ourselves and make sense of life only in context, because we simply do not exist by ourselves. Sure, we will die, but then, so will everyone else, as has everyone else before us; what we cannot change we just have to accept and come to terms with; and life, limited though it is, is still worth living, especially if we do something to benefit others.

Islam reached what is now Pakistan in the 8th century, but it wasn't until the early 11th century that Muslims invaded the subcontinent of India on a large scale.

At that time, most Indians were either Hindus or Buddhists, although Buddhism was already in decline, having grown rich and decadent through royal support; it was strong in the land of its birth for a thousand years, and reached its peak over 500 years earlier. A resurgent Hinduism had subverted Buddhism and was in the process of swallowing it.

India was ruled by many kings and princes who couldn’t or wouldn’t agree, and did not unite to face the Muslim invaders; as a result, they were easily defeated and slaughtered. The invaders built pyramids of heads. Some conquerors made it a rule to annually slaughter 100,000 Indians; Tamerlane once accomplished this in a single day! There was no U.N. in those days to raise a feeble and divided protest.

Buddhists came in for particularly hateful treatment, perhaps because they recognize and worship no God. Their monasteries and educational establishments were destroyed, the monks put to the sword, and Buddhism was driven out of India. Nalanda University ~ the oldest university in the world ~ had a student-body of 10,000 monks at that time; not many escaped. Most of India fell under Muslim rule for 700 years, until the British took power there, deposing the last Mughal Emperor in 1857.

While the Muslims were starting to invade India, Christian Europe began to launch Crusades to liberate 'The Holy Land' ~ and especially Jerusalem ~ from the Muslims, who had conquered and taken it from the Byzantines in the 7th/8th centuries. Instigated by the Popes, who promised remission of sins for participating in these 'Holy Wars', people left homes and families on these great 'adventures', dreaming of loot and pillage; religion was just an excuse.

Passing through Germany and Central Europe, Crusader armies slaughtered any Jews they encountered, as they'd been taught that Jews were the enemies of God, having killed Jesus; they left a trail of blood and misery all the way to Jerusalem, which they captured in 1099, and went on such a killing-spree that the streets ran ankle-deep in blood; almost no-one escaped the massacre; and all in the name of Jesus, the 'Prince of Peace'.

A name that many people associate with this period is Richard the First of England, known as 'The Lion Heart'. But he was a barbarian, and mass-slaughtered Muslims who fell into his hands. His Muslim counterpart, on the other hand, was much more chivalrous and cultured than him. We know him as Saladin. He recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders, and drove them back to the coast, where they held on in fortified castles.

These Crusades lasted 200 years, until, running out of manpower, and realizing they would never achieve their objective, the marauders returned to Europe. Rivers of blood had been uselessly shed, so many people killed, so much hatred engendered, so much misunderstanding.

But the Crusades didn’t really end, and were merely postponed; they have been resumed in our time. G.W. Bush unwisely used the term after September 11th to stir up patriotic feelings. It revived ancient memories of conflict between Christians and Muslims.

Most of us are familiar with the Arabic word 'Jihad', so it’s appropriate to say a little about this, as there is a real danger of it happening on a much-wider scale than has been seen before. I'm talking of religious or 'holy war.' Mohammed claimed to have received the Koran from an angel in installments, but there is no way to either prove or disprove this; probably it was really his own work. He didn't always abide by his own teachings, however, and in fact, led his followers into battle on several occasions, setting the example of waging jihad on those who wouldn't accept his teachings.

A Middle-Eastern friend once explained to me that: "Muslims interpret Jihad as ’holy war', enjoined upon them to kill enemies of Islam. But if only if they would read between the Koran’s lines, they would easily realize that Jihad means a struggle within oneself, not a war against others."

My friend went on: "Jihad is the struggle that a person must carry on within himself, against his personal self, in an attempt to find the everlasting peace within and reach the longlost state of Oneness."

A world of difference between the two interpretations, and we know which prevails. Tamerlane ~ mentioned above ~ wasn’t a Muslim, but a savage marauder who swept into India to loot and pillage. He also ravaged many Muslim countries, slaughtering as he went, and became known as 'The Scourge of God'. His religion, however, is open to dispute. He subscribed to the shamanism of his ancestors, but leaned towards Islam and had Muslim advisers, and so we may conclude that he was not against Islam as such; he was just a blood-thirsty monster.

The question: "Why do they hate us so much?" has often been asked since 9/11. Well, certainly, unwavering U.S. support of Israel has a lot to do with it, but envy and frustrated desire also play a part. The American life-style and Western consumergoods are greatly admired by many Muslims, even while they condemn and revile the decadence of the West, a lot of which is just 'holy show.' When I was in Peshawar in 1998, I was invited to watch a porno movie in a private cinema; I declined, but was surprised that in an area where the Taliban had lots of support, there would be such things.

There’s still a lot of goodwill in the Muslim world towards the West, and the U.S. would do well to heed to it and cultivate it instead of further alienating people who can be persuaded to kill and die for their beliefs.

The U.S. is now the only super-power, and likes to play 'world-policeman', so it behooves it to act as impartially as possible, and display justice instead of favoritism and manipulation; it is in its own interest, which can otherwise only decline; it does not live in isolation, but needs whatever goodwill it can get.

Is it too late to rectify the situation? Complete rectification, yes, but if efforts are made, there is still time to win back moderate Muslim support.

Muslims have or had a great sense of honor, and respect courage and integrity where shown. The West needs to show such things, and not let people down, as the U.S. did after the Gulf War in 1991, when George Bush Sr. urged the Kurds of Northern Iraq to rise up against Saddam Hussein, implying total support. When the Kurds acted upon his urging, however, Saddam had them slaughtered, and the U.S. sat back and did nothing to help. Who can admire and respect that sort of thing?