Friday, January 05, 2007

A bullet in the head

Further proof that religion is dangerous. Call for peace in Gaza and you will end up with a bullet in the head. 

Unidentified gunmen shot dead a Muslim cleric after he delivered a sermon in the Gaza Strip on Friday calling for an end to fierce factional fighting between Hamas and Fatah, hospital officials and local residents said.

Source: Cleric gunned down in Gaza after plea for calm | Top News | Reuters.com

It does not matter if you are a man of god or an international aid worker. There is a certain type of death wish associated with religious fanaticism and the lust for power. It corrupts. It turns religious people into self righteous monsters. But I digress.

I've been calling for religious moderates to speak out against extremism. This cleric did just that. They don't give the cleric's name. He was a bit player unaffiliated with either faction. To me he is a hero. He took a stand for peace and died for it. I want to know his name.

To the un-named cleric - thank you.

 

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1 comment:

Lexcen said...

According to Sam Harris, a "religious moderate" is someone who doesn't take their religion seriously. It seems we can't put our hopes (as atheists) on religious moderates as they are the breeding ground for fundamentalists (fanatics)- see Sam Harris, The End of Faith.