Each one will develop within its own values system
When tragic events happen that shake the whole world, immediately the advocators from different sides are trying to get the benefit from them. The crime committed by Islamic fundamentalists in French “Charlie Hebdo” weekly was just such an event. Islam opponents argue that this very religion generates terror, while the opponents in Europe assure that the “spoiled” and “godless” Europeans “deserved it,” why they were ridiculing religious sanctities. Pro-Russians say that the terrorism is organized by the American intelligence services, while the anti-Russians are confident that Putin is standing behind all of this. Certainly, there is no lack of marasmic versions. Тhe ANC was almost stating that the entire responsibility for terrorism lies on “Sargsyan’s regime,” while Eduard Sharmazanov hints that the handwriting of some irresponsible forces of Armenia is felt in these events.
In fact, all these “generalizations” are baseless. Muslim is as much associated with terrorism as the Christianity and Judaism, or, let’s say, the communism, Zionism and liberalism. Islam representatives’ strictly condemning words against terrorists are not just for nothing. “Religious radical groups who are followers of Takfir ideology give more offense to the Prophet Muhammad than the western caricaturists to him,” said “Hezbollah” gang leader Hassan Nasrallah, who, as it is well known is not Mother Teresa, but in all cases, he wants to be demarcated from the criminals. Anders Breivik, as it is known, was a Christian, a Protestant, but it occurs to no one to claim that this very religion or religious community has given birth to this terrorist who had taken the lives of 77 people.
Simply, we need to take into account one fundamental difference. If a journalist of a newspaper expresses disrespectful, let’s say, about the Apostle Paul or John the Baptist, it will be perceived by the Christians as a personal opinion of the newspaper reporter, which though is reprehensible, but will stay “on the level” of individual and personal point of view. But if the reporter of the same newspaper so expresses about the prophet Muhammad, it will be perceived by Muslims as an insult addressed to the entire Islamic world. Because the person, the individual as such does not exist in the ideology of this world. This is neither an advantage nor a disadvantage. Just different systems.
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Egypt, Syria and Iraq will never be France or Germany. The introduction of Western values, whose genuine or, which is more likely, “hypocritical” attempts are made, is doomed. But, on the other hand, France and Germany will never again change facial features because their strength is in democracy, freedom of expression and cultural diversity. The “Charlie Hebdo” terrorist act is not able to make France an authoritarian country where the state censorship is functioning. Likewise, the Breivik crime nowise deviated Norway from its chosen path. As in the case of individuals, so as in the case of the “West” and the “East”, the attempts of “educating” one another are useless, simply it is necessary to find ways of coexistence.
Let’s recall how much Armenia has been changed after “October 27”. It proves one thing. Unlike France or Norway, we have not yet exceeded the “point of return”.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
