The “cycle of hatred” that is referred to here is that which exists between a large portion of the Muslims and a significant portion of the West (mainly referring to most Caucasian-dominated nations). In this cycle, we find many Muslims holding very aggressive and belligerent opinions towards the West for various reasons, the sources of which are sometimes valid and partly logical, and at other times lacking substantial base. Some of these Muslims with a skewed perception even support the idea that acts of terrorism is a good thing, and something that Muslims, who in their minds are persecuted, ought to resort to.
Sometimes, some of such persons go further beyond to the point of engaging in such violent acts themselves. The West, as defined, reacts to this by developing paranoia against all Muslims and a sense of fear and suspicion followed by some harassment being imparted on other Muslims who do not belong to the category which poses a risk, and thereby alienates even these hitherto non-aggressive Muslims into holding negative view-points about the West for the undeserved aggravation that they suffer.
Often, the people of the West, with their limited knowledge about the different versions of Islam and its interpretations, end up showing expressions of racist hatred towards Muslims in general, and often some repressive measures are taken as part of an elaborate preventive program against the rise of terrorism. Such actions, in turn, breed more repulsion among Muslims against the West and the vicious cycle of hatred continues.
This cycle of hatred is indeed such a putrid disease that it sometimes blocks good faith and makes each side doubt the other. Trust and tolerance go missing in the whole process. For example, there are many Muslims who feel that the Europeans need not be given so much of gratitude and appreciation for sheltering so many refugees at the present time, despite their (Europe’s) own economic crisis, because such strongly opinionated Muslims feel that the crisis in Syria was caused or exacerbated by the US’s intervention, or lack of it, and that the Europeans also supported the Americans in the process.
There are several reasons for this negative mind-set against the West and most of them are historical and have roots in propaganda influencing how that history is presented and taught. A vast number of Muslims, especially in the Indian sub-continent, blame the British for the downfall of the Mughal empire and cessation of Muslim rule in India. They also blame the British for dividing the sub-continent into two countries where also they feel that Muslim predominated Pakistan was given less resources and benefits as compared to India.
They do not see that the Mughal rule was not a religious rule, but a political rule, where the rulers just happened to be Muslims. They do not see that considerable degree of secularism was practiced by almost all of the emperors of the Mughal dynasty and religious conversion was not enforced. They also fail to notice that the downfall of the empire was inevitable because it was decaying due to lack of leadership. They do not also take heed of the fact that many of these Mughal emperors engaged in many activities which were not necessarily Islamic either, including, maintaining a rather lascivious lifestyle, indulging in wine, and maintaining multiple wives and concubines.
In a similar way, the British are also blamed for the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Muslims in many parts of the world, and especially in the sub-continent, perceived the Ottoman Empire of the Turkish kings to be an Islamic kingdom or Caliphate. They do not understand that the Turkish kings conquered a big part of North Africa, almost the entire Arab region, and South and Central Asia, and even invaded into Persia and Iraq and even some portions of East and South-east Europe for expanding their own geographical size as a nation, and not for any higher cause of spreading Islam. That Islam spread in this region as a by-product of their rule is something that many Muslims do not comprehend.
The third major historic reason and partial misconception that sparks up the anti-Western hatred, is the history related to the Crusades. A large number of Muslims perceive the Crusades as a war that was waged against Muslims as a race, and they feel a deep resentment at having been attacked so many times across a period of three centuries by Christians, and a coalition of European countries, without analysing the historical realities and bases. They feel that the Christians were trying to wipe out the Muslims and many feel that perhaps Christians still aim to do that.
Most Muslims are unaware that the Crusades were initiated by Pope Urban at the end of the 11th Century, to counter the Seljuk Turks who had conquered the whole of the Middle East and who were annexing portions the Byzantine Empire every year.
They do not see that sometimes these Muslim rulers of the Jerusalem region, present-day Israel and Palestine, did highly objectionable things as well, such as burning down of some extremely holy and historically significant churches.
But many Muslims today do not understand that some such dastardly actions of some inconsiderate and obstinate Turkish kings and the constant lust for conquest by them, with the objective of expanding the Turkish empire, is what instigated the Byzantine kings, who claimed to be establishers of Christianity across much of Europe, to portray this encroachment by the Turks as a threat to the religion of Christianity and seek help of the Pope sparking the Pope to mobilise forces across all of Europe against the Turks.
This was indeed a fight against the Turkish kings who happened to be Muslims, rather than a war against Islam.
It is this partial misconception of history that makes most Muslims also despise the UN, and most Western countries, for the creation of the state of Israel within what they feel was a totally Muslim dominated Palestine. This lack of full knowledge of history makes many Muslims feel more of a moral support for the Muslims of Palestine, and unfortunately the constant aggressive attitude of the Israelis and the extent of the brutality of their army, on the far less-equipped Palestinians, makes Muslims grow a hatred towards America in particular, and in general towards Western nations, for continuing to support Israel.
The concluding part of this piece will be published tomorrow.
