The Preaching of Hate

[The Accountant, OBE, KC]

This is relevant to all religions, politics and philosophies so maybe I should have posted this in General Discussion. It is a talk by A Muslim scholar,  Dr Yasir Qadhi, about the every day preaching of hate - whether by Muslims, Zionists, far-right or far-left organisations, Twitter mobs, transgender extremists, Brexit supporters etc etc - any position that preaches hate and dehumanises someone simply for holding a different opinion to you. It does not require you to be religious, as the non-religious are also capable of casual, irrational hate based on their beliefs.

This talk is at a mosque in the USA and is specifically in response to and in condemnation of the murder of a Sri Lankan factory manager in Pakistan. The speaker, Dr Yasir Qadhi is of Pakistan origin and emphasises that in his recent visit to Pakistan before the lynching, he had asked senior clerics why they have not shown leadership and spoken out against the hate and violence and tried to educate the people and the response of the clerics was that they themselves are afraid of the mobs if they speak out. Dr Qadhi warned the clerics that something horrific would happen if they did not take action and show leadership.

https://youtu.be/_f3lZ3CD2lM

Some of you may have come across this horrible story of the lynching of a non-Muslim Sri Lankan by a mob in Pakistan, who accused him of blasphemy for allegedly tearing down a religious poster and stickers that contained Quranic verses and the name of the Prophet Muhammad. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/59501368

The Pakistan police currently have arrested over 50 people for the murder  https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2021/12/13/18-more-held-in-murder-of-sri-lanka-national-police/

The crowd chanted slogans linked to the extremist Islamist Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party, which was “unbanned” by the government just a few weeks ago. According to our Observer, a human rights professional in Pakistan, the party’s rise has been linked to more cases of blasphemy-related violence.

Several videos shared on social media show the shocking scene: a crowd of hundreds of people descend on a man known as Priyantha Kumara (his real name was Diyawadanage Priyantha). Images that the FRANCE 24 Observers team has chosen not to publish show the crowd brutally beating Kumara, whose clothes have been removed. They drag him by the legs as people in the crowd film with their phones, and even take selfies. The crowd finished by setting his body on fire in the middle of the street.
https://tinyurl.com/2w4j7wv6

We worry in the West about the pile-ons by Twitter mobs and cancel culture that mean political leaders keep quiet about transgender issues. I can therefore imagine the fear of a real life mob.

Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan, and though no-one has ever been executed for it, dozens have been killed by mobs after being accused. Where political leaders have attempted to reform blasphemy laws they have faced violence and the Governor of Pakistan's Punjab province, Salman Taseer, was even murdered by his own bodyguard. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12111831

[Udayana]

Given that there are plenty of people claiming to follow any one religion or another, preaching hate, maybe as much or more than those who don't follow a religion - one has to wonder whether religion is of any use at all except, possibly, on a personal, individual, basis.

People may be "searching for God", but they certainly haven't found one!   

[The Accountant, OBE, KC]

I know what you mean. My observation is that as religion recedes some other belief takes its place that seems to have similar toxic permutations to religion - so I would want religion to stick around as a check on other non-religious beliefs and vice versa.

For example the current cancel culture method of social control finds it difficult to cancel many of the religious - at least when they come up against Muslims it seems. My friend started a women's basketball team and was advised by another woman friend who had started her own women's team to make sure she incorporated Muslim into the team's name even if the club did nothing remotely religious. Based on past experience, apparently when a transwoman tried to join the Muslim women's basketball team and threatened legal action when denied a place, it turned out that Muslim trumped transgender     

[bluehillside Retd.]

VG,

This is relevant to…etc

Yasir Qadhi is “a Pakistani-American preacher and imam”. He’s a man of faith. The murdering thugs he condemns for killing Priyantha Kumara/Diyawadanage Priyantha were also men of faith. By privileging his own faith over guessing, Yasir Qadhi also validates the defence the thugs rely on for their behaviour: “but that’s my faith.”

Why should any faith claim be treated as more authoritative than any other faith claim when “faith” is the rationale in both cases?

If Dr Qadhi were suddenly to say something like “actually faith is a really bad justification for anything” on the other hand he’d have firmer ground on which to build his argument. 

[The Accountant, OBE, KC]

VG,

Yasir Qadhi is “a Pakistani-American preacher and imam”. He’s a man of faith. The murdering thugs he condemns for killing Priyantha Kumara/Diyawadanage Priyantha were also men of faith. By privileging his own faith over guessing, Yasir Qadhi also validates the defence the thugs rely on for their behaviour: “but that’s my faith.”

Why should any faith claim be treated as more authoritative than any other faith claim when “faith” is the rationale in both cases?

If Dr Qadhi were suddenly to say something like “actually faith is a really bad justification for anything” on the other hand he’d have firmer ground on which to build his argument.

You listened to his talk and came up with that? Which particular part of the talk led you to conclude that he is privileging his faith? What is your definition of privileging faith?

His talk used moral reasoning to recommend a course of action based on the consequences he has observed, for example one of his points is he is advocating the principle of obeying the rule of law.

How are your moral beliefs different from guessing, or do you believe in an objective morality?