Source: HPI
NEW DELHI, March 10, 2010: Prof. Arvind Sharma of McGill University, eminent professor of Religious Studies with expertise in comparative religions and civilizations, delivered a lecture entitled “World Religions After September 11, Philosophical Perspectives”. The venue for the talk was New Delhi’s prestigious India International Center, in collaboration with Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute.
Prof. Sharma said, “The implications of September 11 on the religions of the world have been negative. Events like September 11 and 26/11 have not just portrayed a negative image of Islam but have adversely affected the views about the religions of the world in general. There are a number of books that have come up which deal with this subject and talk about the bad or dark side of religions. However it would be good to understand that because of these events, religion cannot be labeled as something bad or an evil. Religion is like a force. It is a force like fire which can be used to cook a meal or burn a house.”
Professor Sharma drew the attention of the audience to a verse from the holy Quran which states, “God says I created various communities and the two sexes so that they can know each other.” The speaker asked the audience if they could see f pluralism in this quotation.
Professor Sharma also pondered if the September 11 event could be called as crime or a war. He defined crime “committed within a state, when the forces of the state are set in motion to correct the happening;” and war, “waged against two states.” But in this case Al Qaeda is a loose organization, unlike a state. He went on to say, “The state has a sort of monopoly on engaging in physical coercion. However this kind of coercion was being used and engaged in by the terrorist outfits, unnerving the states”
Deliberating on the Gandhian principle of non-violence and connecting it with the world in the aftermath of 9/11, Professor Sharma said, “When you use violence to fight against injustice, no matter how big your cause, by using violence you become unjust in the pursuit of justice.” He went on to say that one of the solutions he could offer for promoting better understanding of various religions by the people of the world was to introduce study of comparative religions in the schools and colleges all over the world.