Social Commentary: On Religion

While reading an article on young, American Muslim cleric Yasir Qadhi in this Saturday's (3/20) NY Times Magazine, I found one particular story about Mr. Qadhi and some of his fellow clerics most telling. It relates how Mr. Qadhi, who practices a particularly conservative style of Islam known as Salafiya (from the Arabic word salaf or ancestor), was on a recent retreat with other clerics from the AlMaghrib Institute (a sort of Islamic seminary). It was a winter retreat to Ontario and would involve various activities, including dog sledding. This created a quandary for some of his companions. In conservative Islam, like Salafiya, there is a movement toward a literal interpretation (as seen through the clerics) of the Koran, particularly as it was practiced during the early days (7th Century) of Islam. Not unlike MANY other religions, practitioners hope to see their return to prominence through rejection of modern influences. In Salafiya, dogs are seen as unclean and are to be treated as such; i.e. they are not be touched! I remember a friend once telling me how heartbroken he was when his son, who had converted to Islam, made him place the family dog, who the son had grown up with, in a cage until the son departed.

Well, what's a good Salif to do? Their 36 year old leader had the answer. "As long as you don't touch them, it's all right" Mr. Qadhi decreed. The story was told to demonstrate the efforts being made by Mr. Qadhi and the AlMaghrib Institute to find a workable lifestyle that blends their religious convictions with living in a modern, Western world.

On the surface, it seems a noble goal. But if you look at it as a whole, it shows the hypocrisy inherent in the practice of virtually ALL religions. When we are confronted with the modern reality of religious dogma that was created for a world that was VERY different 1,000 to 2,000 years ago, conflicts of interest arise that, obviously, need a so-called "modern" fix. And it is certainly not restricted to Islam. Perhaps the best way to demonstrate this is through a experience I had while making a documentary in China. Another producer and I had been invited to spend 10 days there creating a video about the history of, and new opportunities in, Shandong Province, China. It certainly was the opportunity of a lifetime and we squeezed as much as we could in our 10 days. We traveled all over the province, working 12-14 hour days. This left us little time for "touristy" types of activities like sightseeing and shopping. In fact, we really had only one day "free" to do whatever we wished. That day happened to be a Saturday. Great. No big deal for me. Well, it was for my co-producer. He was an Orthodox Jew. NO SHOPPING on the Sabbath!! NO PROBLEM! We would window shop together and he would pick out exactly what he wanted. He would them give ME the money to go in and buy it!

For me, these create the WTF?! moments I often rail about. Think of the hypocrisy! If you are going to dogsled, being with the dogs, understanding them, and handling them is as much a part of the experience as the sledding itself!! It is not reasonable, rational, logical, or even ethical to ask these animals to do what they do for you (like drag you around on a sled) without giving them the respect they deserve. Besides, could a pat on the head and a heart felt "good boy, Fido" really be that ungodly?

And buy your own damned shit! Don't tell me that, just because you didn't put the money directly in the sellers hands, you didn't just BUY something. You still put the money in someone's hands -mine. And this makes you more connected to your beliefs? That's a crock! It's all part of the same hypocrisy that makes ultra-Orthodox Jews, prevented from leaving the confines of their homes on the Sabbath, extend the portals of their houses by creating elaborate webs of string attaching their doorsteps to other locations. This allows them, as they interpret Jewish law, to expand their house into the community itself and, therefore, do what they need to accomplish on the Sabbath. What a bunch of bunkum. If you NEED to be somewhere, then BE there!

Incidents like these, as well as MANY other factors, have turned me away from ANY organized religion. Boy, whoever said that religion is the opiate of the masses, was dead on! They are just as corrupt as the large corporations we have grown to hate for their avarice and shameless dishonesty. I, for one, will have none of it. Certainly, this is sacrilege for this Catholic school educated, Sicilian boy. Many, including members of my own family, will say, "But Frankie, you've got to believe in something". And I'll respond by saying, "But I do. I believe in peace, love, happiness and ME!"

photo: The dome of St. Paul's Cathedral, St. Paul, Minnesota