Do Moslems really need sectarian strife? [Archives:2006/940/Opinion]

Hassan Al-Haifi
One cannot help but see that the Moslems of the world are in the most difficult of times, with almost little control over their destinies and hardly the faintest idea of what lies in store for them in the future. It is bad enough that Islam is being targeted for all practical purposes as an enemy, in all of its manifestations, but that Moslems are now being goaded to engage in sectarian strife and violence is simply unforgivable. This observer and many others are really wondering if as Moslems, we are truly being ourselves. When we consider the sectarian inclinations, most of which are trivial and secondary in nature, as more paramount in our thinking than the dictates of our religion, which call upon Moslems to stand together and keep in mind that they are really a universal nation. Accordingly, the pains of any Moslem are the pains of all and an aggression against any of the faithful is an attack on all. There is really no excuse for those of us, who believe that we should pay attention to our minor differences and work them out by the process of elimination! That not only defies Islamic ordinances of any sect, but is simply inhuman, not to mention being self-defeating. All those, who look at different sectarian persuasions as more worthy of confrontation than confronting their real enemies, who are spreading havoc in their countries, exploiting their scarce and badly needed resources and happily encouraging all inter-sectarian strife amongst Moslems, so they can be free to fulfill all their ugly designs for the people of, not just the Moslem World, but the entire helpless Third World as well.

We have never come to know of any inter-sectarian violence in our history and indeed have great moments when even sectarian differences would not prevent Moslems from coming together to face up to a barbaric invasion. No, what we are seeing and hearing today is far away from the teachings of the Holy Qur'an and the ordinances laid down by the greatest social reformer of all times, the Prophet Mohammed (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). No, Moslems, loyalty to Sunnism or Shiism is not what Islam is all about, especially when it comes at the expense of the badly needed Moslem unity that can help us face up to the real threats that are being brewed against us as a nation. It is not enough to say that this is being fed to us by “external forces””. That is naivety and simply an escape from responsibility for our own apathy when we hear of a new wave of sectarian clashes brimming here and there.

Needless to say