Cover Story
When Heroes Dissappoint !
‘ Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world ’ proclaimed a bold banner in an article in a respectable international research publication . Apparently , in the twenty first century there has been a renewed spurt of interest in Islam and its teachings .
A look back into history will confirm that this is the second wave since the initial rapid growth of Islam started in the seventh century led by a marauding Arab military force that spread to North Africa , Europe and Asia . Islam ’ s spread followed established trade routes .
The same article went on to decry the alarming decline of Christianity in most European and North American countries who seem to be drifting into a secular lifestyle and most people when asked confessed to be nominal Christians at best .
Religion , which was the linchpin of the European civilization and the evolution of Europe into a dominant world power is in freefall . The story of Christianity and it ’ s spread is practically the story of the Western political and economic global dominance .
What makes this new interest in Islam particularly interesting and perplexing is the fact that the world has seen an emergence of a fundamentalist group of Muslims that has subjugated its followers into an oppressive theocratic submission .
There has been an explosion of amorphous groups of Islamic militants who are mainly classified as terrorists but who have managed to infiltrate many countries to the chagrin of women whose freedoms have dramatically been rolled back .
Many former progressive Muslim countries have been turned into perpetual war zones . One cannot think of Iran , Iraq , Syria , Afghanistan , Lebanon , Pakistan , Yemen , Palestine and closer home Somalia without thinking of constant wars .
In the same breath , one cannot think of those countries without the Islamic State , Al-Qaida , Mujahedeen , Taliban , Houthis , Hamas and Al-Shabaab coming to mind . Is the new spread of Islam tied to violence as was the first wave ?
International media is awash with stories of Islamic oppression and Saudi Arabia , the seat of Islam is virtually a prison where human rights are exercised at the whim of the royal family and women are seen not heard .
So , what would explain the real and voluntary universal attraction to a religion that seems bent of taking away personal freedoms and is by all standards very demanding to practice . Sharia code , five daily prayers , fasting and abstention from alcohol .
If Christianity is declining in Europe , what is replacing it as the moral compass that has guided the region over millennia . Is there a shift to rationalism and individualism which would explain the accompanying social collapse and family disintegration .
At the head of all major religions is a central figure that created the movement . In the case of Islam , it is Muhammed , called the righteous and for Christians , it is Jesus called the Nazarene , called himself the son of man and after his death called the Messiah .
These are the heroes of the movements they founded and depending on the interpretation of their teachings by the many charismatic followers that took it upon themselves to spread the word , their movements can be in ascent or decline .
The message of the prophet Mohammad was deceptively simple and the central theme was a monotheistic god and that all should live in total submission to the one God , do good deeds in life especially charity and destruction of all idols . He gave Islam the Quran .
Mohammed was already a hero amongst his kinsmen even before his commission by God . He was already regarded as the best among his peers , a man never known to have told a lie and renowned for his just and equitable ways of mediation .
The message of Jesus was equally simple extolling his followers to love God totally and obey his commandments and to love one another asking people to do unto each other as they would have them do unto them . A New Testament was written for him .
Jesus was not only a hero but also a celebrity in today ’ s parlance . He was a mesmerizing orator and a miracle worker .
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