we can't all be smart now, can we?

the days have been soaked in misery. i dont suppose there's any other way to phrase it really. august has been a tired month, weary and desolate, and such conditions arent ideal for optimism. isolation is definitely a choice, but how far can we isolate ourselves from all that we know? to tear ourselves from something that is both our world and dna, moulding and profiling us externally and from within. how much of our own fabric can we unravel?

i exaggerate of course, stretching descriptions and truth. but then again, exaggeration is the only pleasure left that we're allowed to savour.

i do realise that if i persist with these quasi- depressive posts, i'd be doing myself no favours. rather than turn this green monstrosity into a... monstrosity (work with me here), i shall attempt to instead write a quasi- intellectual post. to anyone who could possibly claim to even know me, they would know that i rate a quality essay as one that has an informed historical perspective to things. alas, the potent cocktail of national service and lack of time has greatly pilfered me of the ability to give the following essay any historical weightage. i of course, would be talking about the attack on religion in our day and age. or something like that.

after the catastrophic events of 9/11 in New York and the slew of bombings that affected both european and south east asian theatres, many have said that Islam is 'under attack'. religious fundamentalists use this claim as a rallying point to gravitate neutrals to their cause, further fuelling their misguided aims and to present an acceptable pretext for their unfortunate operations. neutrals would have inevitably realised that there is some element of truth in that statement, looking at the brouhaha that accompanied the prophet Muhammad caricature saga in europe, and what has increasingly become mass slaughter in Iraq. we have to understand that the complex perception of the masses cannot compute nor comprehend the nuances or circumstances of such situations, rather what they see is that their fellow muslims are being killed-- and the killers are the Western imperialists or 'white men' who are immediately and rather naively linked to christianity. the less informed have even suggested that the current war on terror is nothing more than the modern sequel of the crusades. the US obviously didnt help matters, but that of course is an issue for another day.

cutting the long story short, we can and should understand the way the majority of muslims are rationalizing the problem at hand. however for the purpose of initiating an intellectual discussion, i urge that we look beyond that and extrapolate what are and have been implicit benefits. although Islam is in a way 'under attack', this period of time also sees the globalization of Islam, or the evolution of Islam as a religion that permeates the mechanics of the modern world. in every tv station across the world, documentaries are being made regarding Islam so as to allow individuals of other faiths to understand the religion better and to realize that the masked hoodlums they see holding the AK- 47s on Al- Jazeera are not the actual spokespersons of the religion. this has inevitably led to the increase in awareness of the religion, not only for those of other faiths but also for muslims across the globe, as they reflect upon their beliefs and appreciate the realities of their religion. now through the mass media, even the most isolated farmers in corn fields of Iowa would have heard of Islam (something that would not have been as probable even despite the fact that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the US) or even through the picture of a certain Bin Laden that has become the latest fashion accessory on every dartboard in every bar in the US. intellectuals are delving deeper than ever into the study of Islam to solve the enigma of Islamist extremism, and this has also reaped benefits by paving the way for a modern and academic analysis of Islam.

beyond that, these incidents have forced the global community of muslims to rejuvenate the religion, to adapt it without distorting the core and fundamental pillars of the religion, to suit the increasingly globalized world. islamist extremism has forced Islam to make itself relevant, and this would undoubtedly benefit the religion and its legion of followers in the long run. they have also presented muslims with the challenge to live their religion and to display its beauty on the world stage. we have to propel ourselves above the chaos and and ultimately; be muslims. Islam and politics have always been intertwined, and extremism has always been a constant companion to both elements, thus it becomes not a matter of eradicating extremism but one of quelling it.

we also have to realise that this purported 'attack' is not simply exclusive to Islam alone. playing in the backdrop is the 'attack' on christianity. not by bombs or arms, but by ideas, philosophies and interestingly-- fiction. bestsellers like Harry Potter and The Da Vinci Code have threatened churches across the globe, enticing their followers with a fictional world that contradicts their religious beliefs ( this could of course be exclusive only to roman catholics, gotta check on that). churches have gone on the offensive, launching campaigns on a massive scale to urge their flock to spurn such works. though realistically these works would hardly even cause a dent in the whole scheme of things (god does work in mysterious ways), it is important for churches to establish their position against what one can perceive as the dilemmas of the 21st century.

other religions like sikhism and hinduism too are grappling with the challenges that are-- if we gear ourselves to accept such ineluctable realities-- a natural corollary of globalisation and modernisation. sikhs and hindus are forced to find an equilibrium between the colliding forces of religion and modernisation, to ensure relevance in this rapidly secular and unforgiving world. youths may find traditional beliefs outdated and incompatible with modern lifestlyes (largely influenced by the west of course) and may align themselves towards the latter and compromise their religious beliefs. the challenge thus becomes, how do they adapt themselves to the times?

although such problems may seem chronic at the moment, and may threaten to cleave the world's major religions right down the middle, they simultaneously force the same religions to be reflexive. indeed in the long run, hindsight may reveal that we are merely experiencing the essential trigger to a more peaceful future.

well i do realise that the quality is rather poor and the depth leaves much to be desired, but well i'm tired and i'm in camp, so deal with it!