Mahatma Gandhi Quotes

The British wanted to turn over control of India to Nehru's Congress Party and make India independent. However, there had been sectarian rioting and murder between Muslims and all the other religions of India—Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Christians. Wavell was not confident that Nehru and Congress could control the situation and huge massacres would result. Gandhi, who normally did everything to avoid violence, this time placed Indian independence first and demanded continuation of the complete transition process including the police and military powers. This is one of the very few occasions on which non-violence was not pre-eminent for Gandhi.

This is a particularly noteworthy quotation as Muslims are often accused of intolerance and here is a Muslim who argues that it is the responsibility of religious leaders to present religion in a tolerant manner.

Jinnah and other Muslim leaders had stirred up the Muslims to violence to put pressure on all the parties to accede to Jinnah's Muslim League's demand of an independent Muslim nation—Pakistan. Messervy was very sympathetic to the Muslim leadership as he had been feuding with and frustrated by the predominantly Hindu ruling Congress Party. After partition he accepted the mercenary position of Commander in Chief of the Pakistani Army. Then he was shocked and horrified at the slaughter of the terrorist attacks by the Muslims—about 4,000 Sikh men, women and children had been beaten and cut to death. The Sikhs had been targeted largely because Sikh leaders had recently announced that if there were a Partition, Sikhs would refuse to live in nation under Muslim control.

In September of 2005 a Danish Newspaper published some political cartoons showing the hypocrisy of some Muslims who use Islam to justify murder of innocents and terrorism. Months later, many in the Middle East protested vehemently and Muslim riots broke out and Danish boycotts ensued because the Prophet Muhammad's visage was depicted against Islamic tradition. Many Muslim leaders claimed that insulting religion was an “abuse” of freedom of speech including those from nations which regularly publish material that is virulent against Christians and Jews.

In 1946 the maneuvering and posturing of the United Nations delegates led him to remark: Viscount Cecil of Chelwood

Muslim clerics throughout the world had been relatively mild in their criticism of Islamic Extremists and Terrorists. Delic was one of those who urged stronger moral statements. Many of the Muslim clerics in the world actually were themselves holders of Wahhabi and other extremist views. However, many also opposed terrorism and felt that there was nothing in Islam that could justify the indiscriminate killing. However, a number of these were intimidated lest an extremist Muslim cleric issue a Fatwa calling for his death for heresy. Most of us did not then, and even today, do no really understand the extent and frequency of these threats in the Muslim world (and even in the West) and the very frequent assassination or serious wounding of those Muslims who publicly criticize the extremist terrorists. Delic had much more courage than most.

She is a leading American Arab who is a Syrian expatriate.

A privately produced anti-Muslim video was used by Muslim activists throughout the world to whip up violent protests of the United States, Many people were killed. The President was explaining to world leaders the Western view of the importance of protecting free speech, even that which is blasphemous or hateful. One problem of course is that the Islamic holy scripture, The Koran, requires that a blasphemer be put to death. The Jewish and Christian Old Testament proscribes the SAME punishment, and there have been American Christians who have called for a return to literal Mosaic Law. Also ultra-orthodox Jews in America and Israel. The difference of the West is that literal interpretation of the Bible has been given up and the various Biblical Death penalties (including disobedient children and adulterers) and much of the Muslim world has not. For most of the West, democracy has tempered literal religion. For the Islamic world, literal religion has inhibited and obstructed democracy.