​​​​​​​Prof. Mohammed Habash: Religions exist to disseminate co-existence and fraternize 

The talk of the academic and Islamic thinker, Prof. Mohammad Habash, came during a special program, conducted with him by ANHA’s agency, yesterday evening, about the International Conference on Mesopotamian Religions and Beliefs, which was held between January 10 and 11 in the city of Qamishlo, and the issues that stand in the way of making religion A base for peaceful coexistence, and regimes' exploitation and politicization of religions.

important step

Regarding the International Conference on Mesopotamian Religions and Beliefs, Prof. Mohammad Habash said: "This conference is an important initiative in this era in which we suffer from a blockage on the horizon in the relationship between religious discourse and life."

He explained, "Unfortunately, religious discourse is the result of the reality of society. If you ask me what our diseases and challenges are, I will answer with one word, underdevelopment. We are backward in our political, religious and civilized discourse. Underdevelopment is the result of ages of reluctance to diligence and inability to think and catch up with our place in the ranks and civilized nations."

Habash added, "Religion can be the backbone of freedom, life and progress. We must introduce the required reforms. What is required is to look at the future as the sacred and not the past, so this conference was a good idea, which is to talk about Mesopotamia, this country is the fertile home of civilizations, all civilizations It originated from here, so we feel a historical responsibility. This particular region was the starting point of the Abrahamic religions in particular, and it is responsible for presenting a conciliatory and compassionate discourse that believes in others and strengthens the relationship between them.”

Habash pointed out that the relations of religions, “unfortunately, have been marked by strife, discord in recent decades, and these barbaric debates presented by the media, when every cleric degrades the other religion by offending the most sacred sanctities of others. We disbelieve in the values of our religions when we engage in this. We are looking for a discourse of brotherhood of religions, strengthening interreligious relations and building a unified culture, and this is what the conference intended.

Extremism is hidden under religious mantle

Regarding the spread of extremism in the recent period, Habash said: “The extremism that has appeared in recent decades, and in fact is not the birth of the last decades, but rather it is during history. It began since the dawn of Islam by those who were called Kharijites, and they are the ones who left the group and carried extremist perceptions, and there Another example: those who decided to kill Ali bin Abi Talib in order to support Islam, what crazy thinking is worse than this.

He added, "We are facing a problem, extremism is hidden under the religious mantle and hidden all the rites of Islam and then advances. All these movements had their slogan: There is no god but God, the Qur'an and the Messenger, but nonetheless they practiced violence and brutality. We need reform in religious discourse. Preachers who know the values ​​of Islam is in tolerance and mercy, to stand up to these and present a clear image of Islam.”

subversive projects

Concerning the exploitation of religion, Habash said: “Religion as values ​​that still exist, and it controls the popular imagination, the Arab, Islamic and Kurdish people are good people, and they can simply be led to the values ​​of Islam and they do not know that there is extremism, extremism and infidelity in the Islamic jurisprudence they study and love. Therefore, we need a discourse of awareness that should be bold and courageous.”

He added, "Now, I do not see that Islamic values ​​have been stolen. Folk and innate Islam still exists, but we are afraid of projects that penetrate into Islam and extract the strongest utterances of the jurists and return the society to practice it. Extremism results from dark projects that exploit the values ​​of religion such as ISIS." When it applied its religious ideals, it clashed with everything that was Islamic. Everything that Muslims sanctified was despised by the preaching trend. They killed scholars, sheikhs and memorizers of the Qur’an and blew up mosques.

Regarding the regimes creating a rift between religions, Habash said: "I do not think that a government is working to spread hatred between religions, but there are wrong decisions. I criticized the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque. I wish Hagia Sophia would be a center for dialogue and meeting of religions. Unfortunately, a decision was made." it was not wise and did not serve the Muslim-Christian fraternity.

He added, "Constitutions in the world always talk about the equality of man with man and forbid any kind of discrimination based on religion, race and color. This is found in all constitutions, but we suffer from tyranny that exceeds the constitution and denies it. Constitutions are good in theory, but in practice there is a problem."

Practicing vanity, and the educational curricula must be changed

The academic and Islamic thinker said: "Our biggest problem is that we are still practicing vanity. We have to restore our educational curricula. To talk about life. We are part of this world, and a nation among nations, not above nations, and the verses that infer that we are above nations are governed verses. In its circumstances, times have changed and we are a nation among nations, and we have no right to say that we are a nation above nations.

Habash added, "These religions have many commonalities. It is a matter of choice. In the Islamic and Christian heritage, and in all religions, there is something that promotes brotherhood and calls for war. Islam believes in and legislates difference."

Mohammad Habash sent a message to religious scholars: “To look at God Almighty and fear God. Every religious discourse that perpetuates hatred has nothing to do with God. Every religious discourse that perpetuates hatred between religions, sects, and individuals has nothing to do with faith. The discourse of faith is a relationship between the servant and the Lord. Therefore, every call to hatred has nothing to do with religion. Religions were created to fraternize and coexist.”

He added, "In every nation there is a path to God, God is one, but His names are many, the truth is one, but the paths to it are many, humanity is one, but people are many, love is one, but hearts are many, radiance is one, but religions are many. Let us understand how diverse the world is. We respect others so that they respect us." The other, we want to build our relationship with religions, ideas, sects, liberal, communist and secular currents. Why hate, if we find that we differ on 99 issues, and we find an issue of accord, we must go to accord.”

The academic and Islamic Thinker Prof. Mohammad Habash concluded his speech by saying: "I call upon the clergy and from different religions to remove this arrogant culture in which we view others as being darkness and clear delusion, and that we are the guidance and the straight path."

T/S

ANHA