What I meant when I said that “The response to everything is not love and light” was that some things have to be resisted. Colonialism and exploitation come in that category. For example, the Zionist threat to Palestine and continued Occupation of the West Bank is not going to be resolved through “love and light” (Palestinians can try that but it doesn’t work).
Hindutva and the attempt to write Muslims out of India’s narrative must be resisted. Mr. Modi must be defeated in 2019 and a sane political dispensation must be brought in. I know that many mahagathbandans are in the works to try to achieve this outcome. As someone who can’t vote in India, all I can do is hope they succeed.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) believed in showing compassion. But even he sometimes had to take military action against his enemies. Imam Ali and Imam Hussain also fought physically for what they believed in. Imam Hussain was martyred in the event. The proper response to Yazid was not “love and light”.
Kabir, for all I know a Congress government might be better than Modi. You might be right. You have every right to participate in the conversation of ideas in India and advocate for whatever Indian political party you want. Just the way Non Pakistanis have the right to participate in the flow and development of ideas in Pakistan.
Maybe Palestine deserves her own article. I have asked many Palestinians about the Hong Kong model for resisting harsh English occupation. Hong Kong decided to become richer, more powerful, more successful, wiser, and more influential than England and gradually greatly influence England through the powerful Hong Kong lobby. England’s occupation of Hong Kong was very harsh and Hong Kong had every right to resist English occupation, which they did.
Most Palestinians responded to this idea with a lot of anger. But some Palestinians liked it. They told me that it would be hard to persuade Palestinians to adopt this strategy of resistance against harsh Israeli occupation. I still don’t understand why. Are Palestinian minds colonized by post modernism?
Muhammad (pbuh) was a deeply loving human being. Even when he fought, I think he fought with love and respect for his enemies.
Ali, Hassan and Hussain were incredibly loving saints; they detested violence and tried over hard to avoid it. I think they were lost in their inner meditation, inner Samadhi; and didn’t understand that others were not like them, They didn’t understand negative human qualities since they lacked experience in negative human qualities. This may have caused their naivete. I think the world would be immeasurably better off had they fought. They could have fought while deeply loving and respecting those they were fighting.
Had Ali, Hassan, Hussain fought . . . they could have pulled the Muawiyah and Yazid virus weeds from their roots early on. Billions of muslims and nonmuslims have suffered ever since because they didn’t. This is why fighting is sometimes love in action.
The proper response to Muawiyah and Yazid was love and light. Maybe Ali, Hassan, Hussain should have prayed to Allah for Muawiyah’s and Yazid’s spiritual evolution and advancement, and prevented them from harming global society. By doing this they would have helped Muawiyah and Yazid by preventing them from harming themselves and saving them from the consequences of their sins.
Muawiyah and Yazid didn’t just harm others; they harmed themselves too. This is why we should have compassion for Muawiyah and Yazid. They killed millions of muslims and millions of nonmuslims. I shudder to imagine the punishment Allah has meted them in Jahannam and wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
Only citizens of particular countries have the right to vote in those countries. As a non-Indian, I cannot vote for Congress. As a Non-Pakistani, you cannot vote for PPP (for example). That is as it should be. It is up to the citizens of a country to decide how their country is to be run. Outsiders can only respectfully participate in the conversation if they are asked.
Yazid murdered Imam Hussain–the grandson of my Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). Sorry I find it very difficult to feel any compassion for him
The larger point was that sometimes military action is necessary. To me, that doesn’t come under “love and light”. Sorry but to me this notion sounds very vague and hippie-like.
reason, moderation, accountability.
reason, moderation, accountability are dharma. Dharma is love in action. Isn’t all action, all thought, only permutations and manifestations of love?
When did Ali, Fatima, Hassan or Hussein ever do anything that wasn’t inspired by love?
What I meant when I said that “The response to everything is not love and light” was that some things have to be resisted. Colonialism and exploitation come in that category. For example, the Zionist threat to Palestine and continued Occupation of the West Bank is not going to be resolved through “love and light” (Palestinians can try that but it doesn’t work).
Hindutva and the attempt to write Muslims out of India’s narrative must be resisted. Mr. Modi must be defeated in 2019 and a sane political dispensation must be brought in. I know that many mahagathbandans are in the works to try to achieve this outcome. As someone who can’t vote in India, all I can do is hope they succeed.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) believed in showing compassion. But even he sometimes had to take military action against his enemies. Imam Ali and Imam Hussain also fought physically for what they believed in. Imam Hussain was martyred in the event. The proper response to Yazid was not “love and light”.
Kabir, for all I know a Congress government might be better than Modi. You might be right. You have every right to participate in the conversation of ideas in India and advocate for whatever Indian political party you want. Just the way Non Pakistanis have the right to participate in the flow and development of ideas in Pakistan.
Maybe Palestine deserves her own article. I have asked many Palestinians about the Hong Kong model for resisting harsh English occupation. Hong Kong decided to become richer, more powerful, more successful, wiser, and more influential than England and gradually greatly influence England through the powerful Hong Kong lobby. England’s occupation of Hong Kong was very harsh and Hong Kong had every right to resist English occupation, which they did.
Most Palestinians responded to this idea with a lot of anger. But some Palestinians liked it. They told me that it would be hard to persuade Palestinians to adopt this strategy of resistance against harsh Israeli occupation. I still don’t understand why. Are Palestinian minds colonized by post modernism?
Muhammad (pbuh) was a deeply loving human being. Even when he fought, I think he fought with love and respect for his enemies.
Ali, Hassan and Hussain were incredibly loving saints; they detested violence and tried over hard to avoid it. I think they were lost in their inner meditation, inner Samadhi; and didn’t understand that others were not like them, They didn’t understand negative human qualities since they lacked experience in negative human qualities. This may have caused their naivete. I think the world would be immeasurably better off had they fought. They could have fought while deeply loving and respecting those they were fighting.
Had Ali, Hassan, Hussain fought . . . they could have pulled the Muawiyah and Yazid virus weeds from their roots early on. Billions of muslims and nonmuslims have suffered ever since because they didn’t. This is why fighting is sometimes love in action.
The proper response to Muawiyah and Yazid was love and light. Maybe Ali, Hassan, Hussain should have prayed to Allah for Muawiyah’s and Yazid’s spiritual evolution and advancement, and prevented them from harming global society. By doing this they would have helped Muawiyah and Yazid by preventing them from harming themselves and saving them from the consequences of their sins.
Muawiyah and Yazid didn’t just harm others; they harmed themselves too. This is why we should have compassion for Muawiyah and Yazid. They killed millions of muslims and millions of nonmuslims. I shudder to imagine the punishment Allah has meted them in Jahannam and wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
Only citizens of particular countries have the right to vote in those countries. As a non-Indian, I cannot vote for Congress. As a Non-Pakistani, you cannot vote for PPP (for example). That is as it should be. It is up to the citizens of a country to decide how their country is to be run. Outsiders can only respectfully participate in the conversation if they are asked.
Yazid murdered Imam Hussain–the grandson of my Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). Sorry I find it very difficult to feel any compassion for him
The larger point was that sometimes military action is necessary. To me, that doesn’t come under “love and light”. Sorry but to me this notion sounds very vague and hippie-like.