The Line that Binds us...

So Amanji and I were chatting about religion...He being Hindu punjabi and I Shia Muslim, so the discussion began with my mention of once being referred to as "nothing more than a Sulli..." and although when I first heard this, it kind of just went over my head, but I now realised that it has effected me more deeply than I had expected, how could my value as a woman be dismissed merely because I was a Muslim? How could it be that, despite the fact that I am funny and respectful and cultured and real and honest and educated and compassionate, I am not worthy of respect? Amanji said it was all in the mind, the narrow point of view, that allows them to stay safe in their dogmas, but that didn't make me feel better.

See the thing, I think I have always been blessed with a sense of ignorance as far as the intolerance that exists in the world is concerned. In truth I have never been one to really be hung up on where a person is from, what religion, caste or creed they were born into....Maybe that has to do with the fact that I am a cultural junkie, I love to hear, discover and connect with individuals from diverse backgrounds, and I have rarely if ever been force to make a judgement on an individual based purely on these these defining factors. For me, it's about whether what you say and do connects with my heart and mind. It would seem I have naively always believed people are people, and if you say I am Sikh, Jain, Morman, Bahi, Hindu....my first response would be :oh so you are different then me really? OK so then teach me something, educate me...

You see...being born a Shia Nizari Ismaili Muslim is the greatest gift I have been graced with, it has been a path that has taught me to be liberal and open minded towards others...it has given me a route to a spiritual realm that gives me solace and peace. The path I follow is an esoteric path and we are in a constant search for the hidden aspects of life (the soul's journey, spiritual enrichment, etc etc...)rather than the obvious, we are not dogmatic nor fanatical, we are not violent or political, we are not hateful and strongly believe that diversity is strength. Our spiritual leader the Aga Khan is constantly encouraging our jamat to be progressive and forward thinking, to keep a global perspective. And the key to all of this is, the belief that we must must, absolutely must use our intelligence as the vehicle for our search towards spiritual enlightenment.

And because of our modern outlook and perspective we have been outcast persecuted and we are misunderstood by much of the world including the Muslim Umma, but we do not retaliate against these misconception with anger or tyranny...we converse, we educate, we agree to exchange ideas, we set examples as to what our beliefs are and how we practice them within the global community, but should there be a danger of conflict or argument that may ignite from this exchange, we are taught to diffuse it by accepting that they are entitled to their opinion any I to mine....Mowla said to us....you can not fight ignorance unless they are willing and open to truly understanding and if they are not willing, walk away, just walk away there is no point in wasting their time and your time if their minds are shut.

I am so completely heart broken that the link that connects every single soul is so easily dusted over with fear and hate. It's beyond me how it is so difficult to accept that God is God, in whatever name you may call Him. I want some to explain to me...how can a Christian God, or Jewish God or Muslim God or a Hindu God or Sikh God or any God that you believe in, be so elitist, I mean from my understanding of God...He is the Creator...He is Merciful...He is Everlasting...He is Absolutely Forgiving...He is Beyond the Physical Realm...He Altruistically Loving...He is ALL Knowing...I mean this is a very bare definition of what I believe God to be...but doesn't this cover the basics of all the definitions of God in all religions?

SO WHAT THE HELL IS THE PROBLEM? I mean OK different religions knocking one another, so they can claim that they are superior, although redundant in my mind...I can understand...it is human nature to want to be the "CHOSEN" ones...it's a need for validation that what you believe or trust in is the "truth"and pure...But what I don't understand is the in fighting within the Ummas...Christians fighting Christian...Muslims annihilating their own...Hindus outcasting one another...

It hurts my heart when I think of the lack of understanding amongst our own communities...Our foundations are the same, we are from the same religious family tree, we just branched out, why is that so unacceptable? why is it so scary?

In our own personal families, do we not have members who have chosen different paths who have headed in various directions? Does that mean that they are still not rooted in our hearts? Are they no longer our family? So why are we unable to be that unconditional in our Divine families?

It is so fruststrating to me that we limit ourselves and our souls by not embracing our diversity, and refusing to accept that our differences can actually be our strengths and enable us to learn from one another...Don't get me wrong...I am not saying that we should dilute into one another...because these are our roots, our heritage, our history, this is where we came from and has given us our communities and a sense of belonging...

All I am suggesting is that maybe...just maybe we can attempt to be a little less judgemental and narrow minded, maybe we can see the line that binds us all rather than disparities that pull us apart. My view may seem naive but it is just a thought and hope to make our hearts a little bit lighter from the burden that animosity carries...

It's just up to us to decide how we want to live in our religions...It can be in love or in obstinance...

Politics and propaganda of fear and terror have dishonored our Faiths... (Another conversation for another day...)