MANILA: Arab News Editor in Chief Khaled A. Almaeena yesterday exhorted Filipino Muslims and other Muslims living as minorities in other countries “not to wallow in self-pity” and to strive for higher education instead of complaining of discrimination.
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In his speech, Almaeena stressed that higher education “is a must for everyone because education brings about religious tolerance.” He said dialogue and religious tolerance are all the more important as “global understanding is a must for peace.”
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He suggested people representing the Muslim world should really come out in the open and help show the true nature of Islam as a tolerant religion.
I know many people believe that Islam is an inherently intolerant religion.
Personally, I don't believe that any religion, other than mine, is inherently anything.
While it's true that the Koran and Muslim texts say some very intolerant things, I do not lose hope. The human mind is elastic, in a sense. It can find a way to reach a goal when it wants to. If Muslims want to be tolerant, they'll find a way to be tolerant, regardless of what a book says. They'll read it into the Koran, if they don't already.
