[HANASHIR:11278] Peace songs.

[Judah Cohen <jcohen...>]

Sholom,  

    My point here has little to do with individual leaders, political or
religious, who often do overstep boundaries and say things that are
controversial if not inscindiary.  You are absolutely correct that the
leaders of this mosque created discord with their remarks, regardless of
whether the remarks took place during or after their times there.  I am also
not interested, in the context of this discussion, in how suicide bombings
are defined by the Arab nations.  That is an important topic, but for
another list.
    I am interested to know what Islam has to say about peace in its music.
If you feel that anything Muslims write about peace is tainted (and perhaps
subverted) by the public positions and actions of many Muslim leaders and
extremists, then I have no reason to discourage you from believing that.
Nothing written about peace, as far as I'm concerned, is completely free
from political posturing.  But I would hope that you would allow me to think
about the Muslim population as a vast and diverse group of people, who carry
on their own forms of expression and who don't all think alike.  And if
there are some who sing of peace, even in the face of opposition, why should
it be wrong to find those people and use those songs?  From my point of
view, it could only do good, especially as a way to build useful bridges of
understanding rather than walls of ignorance and hatred.  We all know the
hatred, because it's been blaring at us in the papers and media every day.
Might it be better for us to try--with vigilance--to do something positive
in our own communities, rather than reproduce the violence and distrust
marring the Middle East?

Judah.

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