Sayyed Fadlullah : When will we be able to differentiate between those who are trying to punish us as part of their hatred to Islam and between those whom we might have some marginal political or cultural differences with?

Asked in his weekly seminar the following question: In their war against Islam certain Western circles claim that the Islamic texts impel Muslims to hate the others. : How does Islam view the issue of love and hatred? And how do you view what the others are plotting against Islam?

The Religious Authority, Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah, said:

Islam views man as an entity in which emotions are integrated with the mind, and this gives man an advantage that distinguishes him from other creations.

But despite the fact that mind is the fundamental judge of emotions, it does not mean that Islam has a negative attitude towards emotions.

On the contrary, it considers that the relations with other are strengthened by the emotional element. On this basis, we criticize the religious calls that spread hatred among people in the name of religion.

This is because religion, as it is asserted in the Holy Hadith, is nothing but love, which is the basis of the relation with the other and with all human beings.

Hatred on the other hand, is the exception, which undermines this general role. Yet even hatred could be justified when one feels that he has to take a stand against those who oppress him. This does not mean he is taking it personally, since he is taking a stand from the evil itself while he might sympathize with those who practice it. The Prophet(p.) who represented love to all mankind used to feel sorry for his enemies as well as the ignorant among his people who practiced all kinds of aggression again him. He used to call God to forgive them for they were ignorant of the implications of their deeds. He did not let hatred govern the relations with them. And that is why he forgave them, when he gained the upper hand after opening Mecca.

Thus, we do not feel that there is any justification for the ongoing war against Islam and Muslim in several Western circles. Their claim that Muslims are not able to integrate in Western societies, which makes them resort to violence is untrue and based on a deep hatred that leads them to interpret certain social phenomena in a political manner that aims in the first place at fighting Islam itself claiming that its concepts spread the culture of violence and impel Muslims to constantly clash with the others.

It is this hatred that has spread in certain Western political and even cultural circles that have led to violence and radicalism in certain Muslim circles. Those Muslims feel that they are hated and live a state of frustration and despair, which would lead them to protest in ways that might turn to turmoil. But the way to address this problem is by addressing its causes- and not by circumventing the problem in a way that appropriates the right of Muslims to understand Quran and interpret it.

We want the Western states to safeguard their security, and we want the Muslims to help promote law and order wherever they are, since they have promised to do so when these countries allowed them to live there, but we reject that the laws that supposedly aim at fighting terrorism would be used to try Islam itself, thus considering all Muslims guilty until proven innocent. We have also noticed that the Israelis have went along with this trend, suggesting to the Europeans that Israel too is confronting the Islamic civilization, and that it is ready to try Islamic concepts through the trail of certain individuals, thus turning it into a war against Islam and against the Quran.

We are afraid that this blind policy will lead to catastrophic and devastating consequences. We also warn the Muslims that the war on Islam has become an integral part of the political and security strategies of several Western countries. It has also become a part of their cultural policies, since we have begun to hear a political- cultural orchestra that plays the tune of revenge against Islam and treats Muslims as savages.

But what is really more dangerous is that we are preoccupied with our internal sectarian and political differences.

The big question is: When will we be able to differentiate between those who are trying to punish us as part of their hatred to Islam and between those whom we might have some marginal political or cultural differences with?