In the wake of the shootings at the offices of Charlie Hebdo, including a Muslim police officer, the world was united, hashtags and signs of "Je Suis Charlie" in virtually every language. The way it spread, was similar to the cry in the film "Spartacus", when the slaves are captured near the end of the film, a Roman officer asks "Which of you is the slave called Spartacus?" Before Spartacus gets a chance to reply, first one, then another and another shouts "I am Spartacus."
So, along with so many others in the world, I shout out:
The sight on the news of people in silent accord at vigils across the world silently raising their hand holding a pen, a pencil or a paintbrush must have engraved itself on every person that saw the coverage.
I do not profess to know the Qu'ran in any way, shape or form. I do not profess to know the Bible as well as some others. I do know that I believe in my heart that one thing is true, and it is the one thing that Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Shintos and any other religion in this world should agree on. There is only ONE God, it matters not whether you call him/her Allah, God, or any other name.
Any god that calls for the death of any human being, unless that human has committed a crime that society says they should lose their life, cannot be called a good God. Shakespeare provides two quotations that show the unity of the human race, in my opinion.
"A rose, by any other name would smell as sweet" - God, by any other name is still God.
"Prick us, do we not bleed" - Aren't we the same as you?
It matters not, whether you are Asian, Caucasian, Negroid or Arab, if you need a doctor to save your life, or the life of one you hold dear, what race or creed the doctor is. It matters as little to the doctor, they will follow your wishes for treatment, even if it conflicts with their beliefs.
Put a Muslim child of under 5 in a room with a Christian or Jewish child of the same age, even if their parents do not speak the same language, they will play together. Alright, it may have a little bit of disagreement along the way, but they will play.
What is it that changes? Why do some people think that to take lives in the name of their God is acceptable? Why do these people not realise that some of the rules handed down to them by their ancestors may have been OK at the time of writing, but today they are not.
What I mean is, along the lines of "Do not let a witch live" in the Old Testament of the Bible. Did the people of the time when those words were written mean that every female that turns on a TV set by using a remote control should be killed? No, we should follow the laws laid down by our ancestors to a point, that point is when we realise that it has been outmoded by technology or society.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban have decreed that females cannot learn. Do they realise that the first person to teach any person is female? Unless she died in childbirth, the first person to teach children is their mother. If a mother is fit to teach, surely she is allowed to learn?
Isaac Asimov, the science-fiction writer, once formulated "The Three Laws of Robotics" as a tool to introduce a dilemma into a story. These three laws have been debated by philosophers and scientists alike and have generally been accepted for use in real robots if they ever get advanced enough. I believe these laws can be re-written to become the "Three Laws of Humanity"
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1.
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A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction,
allow a human being to come to harm.
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A human may not injure a human being or, through inaction,
allow a human being to come to harm.
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2.
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A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except
where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
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A human must obey the orders given it by other humans, except
where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
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3.
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A robot must protect its own existence as long as such
protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
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A human must protect its own existence as long as such
protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
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My version is the one on the right, obviously. With these laws, stealing, killing and any of the other crimes that society has committed against it are dealt with. The second law will stop generals sending their troops into battle, while the third allows them to be used in defence.
I can only hope that those most in need of realising their ways are hurting them more than the rest of us read this blog. I hope they realise that the actions of a few have hardened the hearts of the rest of society against them, instead of making a statement for Islam, they have made a statement against those radical elements within Islam.
Please note, peaceful Muslims, such as officer Ahmed Merabet, slain by the attackers of the Charlie Hebdo offices are against the actions of the extremists. The majority of Muslims want no part of these acts of terrorism and so, I encourage any readers of this to remember that these people are NOT the terrorists and take no action against them.
The time has come to make peace, for after all, everyone who has typed #JeSuisCharlie or it's equivalent this week wants nothing but friendship and peace.
Please change. Give Peace a Chance!
