Religion and War

I agree that a trace of religion could be seen in some wars in the history, but I would discuss whether religion was the cause of these wars or it was used as a tool to call people in a war which was in fact for the sack of those who even didn’t believe in that religion. Of course, I don’t deny that there has been wars dictated by clergymen, but again there has been some other factors that were the main cause.

I would like to make a quotation from Ali Shariati:”In history, deception (clergymen fooling people by religion), force (army, weapon), and wealth (money) have always formed the triangle of power.” It is obvious then where the religion would stand! But which religion?

Swimming Suits For Moslem Women!

As part of the Islamic culture moslem women cover themselves when swimming among men. In recent years, some lady swimming suits have been designed that are convenient and in accord with Islamic standards. These suits are even used in swimming games. Turkey among some other moslem countries are among the first to use them. In Iran, recently they were approved by cleric organization to be used by Iranian women in international swimming competitions.

Where shall we Begin (IV)

In Algeria in the 1950s, in order to divide and fractionalize the people and in turn to inflict a great disaster in North Africa, the colonial powers propagated the progressive views of thinkers such as Rousseau, Voltaire, and Morris Dubare, which are scientific and emphasize nationalism. The central thesis of nationalism that each nation should have its own state was used to divide the Arabs and Berbers, who had until then been united by their belief in Islam- thus they became victims of French colonialism.

Where shall we Begin (III) By: Dr. Ali Shariati

At his time, Bacon was an enlightened parson. In his era and society, science was but abstract ideas and analysis, justification, and substantiation of religious texts and clerical postulations. Under such circumstances, by liberating science, reason, and the masses from the restriction (of the church), Bacon served humanity greatly.

Where shall we Begin (II) By: Dr. Ali Shariati

Clearly then, it is the enlightened soul who should begin. Now we should turn to the question of “for what purpose?” This question deserves an independent inquiry. Here, I will look only at one interpretation of it and let the audience, which is familiar with this topic, ponders about it on its own. Although not a prophet, an enlightened soul should play the role of the prophet for his society. He should preach the call for awareness, freedom and salvation to the deaf and unhearing ears of the people, inflame the fire of a new faith in their hearts, and show them the social direction in their stagnant society. This is not a job for the scientists, because they have a clear-cut responsibility: understanding the status quo and discovering and employing the forces of nature and of man for the betterment of the material life of the people.