As it has been shown, religion plays an extremely important role in the way that a nation operates both domestically and internationally. Religion can be the glue that holds a nation together or the force that is keeping it apart. It is often the source for alliances between two nations, but can also be used to pose two nations against one another. Even in a nation such as the United States, where freedom of religion is practiced and cherished, it is hard to deny the importance of religion. Out of the 44 presidents that we have had, each one has been a Christian. In fact, no person of another religion has even come close to being the president. Furthermore, the United States was founded upon “Christian ideals” and phrases and actions such as “one nation under God” and taking an oath on the bible are used everyday in our society. However, some of the most interesting examples of religion in international politics come from when two different religions meet and interact for the betterment of the world; especially when these groups cross international boundaries. Three important examples demonstrate the power that mystery that surrounds the interaction between two different religions and the impact that their interactions can have on a nation or even the world at large. The first of these interactions discusses the nation of Bahrain and their relations with the Jewish people in their country. The second involves a small group of Catholics in Cape Verdean whom have decided to embrace their Jewish ancestry. The third and final example comes from President Barack Obama’s recent efforts to calm the tension between the United States and the Muslim world.
The story behind the Jewish people in the nation of Bahrain is an extremely interesting one. Bahrain is an extremely small Muslim nation, which is surrounded by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, Iran, and the U.A.E, which are all Muslim nations as well. In fact, the Jewish population in Bahrain consists of only thirty-six people. These people are “mostly descendants of merchants from Iraq and Iran whose families have lived in Bahrain for centuries, experts here said” (New York Times) and are older adults. However, unlike many of his fellow Muslim monarchs, the king of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, has outwardly shown support for the Jewish community. At one point in time, in the 1940s, the Jewish population in Bahrain consisted of nearly six hundred people. However, after Israel became a state in 1948, many of the Jews in Bahrain moved away to the newly formed Jewish country. The numbers have been dwindling ever since. Some of the major steps that Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa has taken in support of the Jewish community include appointing a Jewish woman as the ambassador to the United States and appointing Jewish business leaders to the Shura Council, which is the council that acts as an upper house in Parliament, among other things. However, these gestures towards the Jewish community stir up negative feelings in another community in Bahrain. A group of Shiite Muslims in Bahrain sees the actions of the Sunni King as an insult to them. “Shiites complain that the 36 Jews are treated better than they are, and that the king’s Jewish outreach is intended to make Bahrain appear to be a tolerant society, papering over the systemic discrimination they say they experience” (New York Times). This relationship creates a very interesting atmosphere in Bahrain. Personally, I believe that the support that the king of Bahrain has been showing to the Jewish community is outstanding. For a Muslim nation that is surrounded by other Muslim nations to go out on a limb to reach out to their Jewish community, no matter how small, is incredible. This is especially true due to the current climate in the Middle East with tensions soaring between Jews and Muslims due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Any step that can be taken towards a peace between Jews and Muslims in the Middle East I see as a huge positive.
Another interesting interaction between religions occurred in Cape Verdean, a small nation consisting of many islands, off the shore western shore of Africa. The majority of the people in Cape Verdean are a mix of black African and Portuguese descent, making them Creole. Also, over eighty-five percent of the population of Cape Verdean is Roman Catholic. Interestingly, a group of these Roman Catholics in Cape Verdean decided to embrace their Jewish roots by participating in a Jewish Serder in the basement of a Catholic church. Another motivation for their continued observance of this Jewish tradition stems from a murder of three Cape Verdeans by a man who was a white supremacist that was planning on killing Jews. “In light of the fact that both of our communities needed some healing after that tragedy, this even serves that purpose” (WBUR). I find this interaction of faiths to be extremely interesting for multiple reasons. Firstly, a society that is so strongly Catholic rarely ever strays to anything outside of their traditions because of the strict structure of the denomination. Therefore, to hear about a Seder being performed in the basement of a Catholic church by a society that has been Catholic and strictly Catholic for hundreds of years is fairly shocking. Another reason for my interest in the story comes from their reasoning behind their interest in the Jewish faith and traditions. Personally, I would have thought the connection would have been because of Christianity’s lineage to Judaism and not from each individual’s possible lineage to someone who is Jewish. It seems as if the people are more concerned with having Jewish ancestors rather than the close ties that the religions have to one another, which I find interesting.
One final example comes from the San Francisco Chronicle on April 7th. President Barack Obama recently took a trip to multiple Islamic countries in the Middle East and has been promoting an attitude of togetherness and peace between the United States and the Muslim community. This is a stance that has never been seen before from a President of the United States. President Obama is using his Muslim heritage as an important tool to reach out to the Muslim world. According to the article “he's the first president to talk about respect for the Muslim world”. However, one problem with President Obama tapping into his Muslim heritage to extended a peaceful hand towards the Muslims is that many of the people who accuse President Obama of being Muslim in the United States will see this as further proof. Although President Obama is a Christian, during his presidential campaign many right wing republicans accused Obama of being a Muslim and the fact that he is reaching back to his Muslim heritage will only further these claims. However, with all of that said, I believe that what President Obama is doing in these Islamic countries is amazing. For one thing, the fact that, so far, his gestures have been well received shows that the Muslim world at large is willing to cooperate and work with the United States. President Obama realized that one of the major problems with the Muslim community is that many of these people are feeling like they are being ignored and disrespected. The way that President Obama has handled this situation thus far has been far better than any other United States President to date.
No comments:
Post a Comment