Mixing Religion and Politics

(Violations of human rights in the name of nationalism are called fascism; violations in the name of ethnicity are called tribalism; violations in the name of religion sometimes are called fundamentalism. Since not all fundamentalists trample the rights of others, however, we'll call those who do alchemists. They mix religion, politics and fear to produce death, destruction and despair. Below are media vignettes of or about 20th century alchemists at work.)

Death of a Daughter in Sarajevo

"On Sunday, a 52-year-old cab driver, Fuad Hasanbegovic, wept as he led two surgeons from Kosevo Hospital, where his 13-year-old daughter died of machine-gun wounds last month, to her grave in the cramped courtyard of Potok Mosque. What message, Mr. Hasanbegovic was asked, did he have for the Serbian forces who killed his daughter?

“'Only this,' he said, after a moment of reflection. 'That, please God, my daughter be one of the last victims of this war."'

—Correspondent John F. Bums, New York Times, April 6, 1993

Destroying Mosques in Bosnia

"Bosnian Serbs blew up two historic mosques in the northern Bosnian town of Banja Luka today. The ornately decorated Ferhad-Pasha Mosque, one of those destroyed, dated from 1583 and was considered one of the most beautiful in the Balkans. Also destroyed was the town's other principal mosque, Amaudija, which was built in 1587.

"In Belgrade, the Yugoslav president, Dobrica Cosic, issued a statement denouncing the bombings. It was thought to be the first time he has condemned an act attributed to Serbian fighters in Bosnia and Herzegovina ... By contrast, neither Mr. Cosic nor any other official in Belgrade offered any comment when five mosques were blown up in a single night last month in the town of Bijeljina. . . "

—Correspondent Stephen Kinzer, New York Times, May 8, 1993

Training to Kill in the U.S.A.

"The Federal Bureau of Investigation said today that a Palestinian accused of being a member of the Abu Nidal terrorist group said in a taped conversation that the group could train young people to 'slaughter' 3,000 Jews in the United States. The man was one of four who were indicted last week and accused of conspiring to kill Jews, buy weapons and smuggle money for the Abu Nidal organization ... The fourth man, Zein Isa, 61, is on death row in Missouri after being convicted of killing his daughter in 1989 ... In one taped conversation Mr. Isa said the group could kill 3,000 Jews if they mobilized and trained youths in the United States and Europe. . .'Let's teach them how to hit people and slaughter,' Mr. Isa was quoted as saying to an alleged co-conspirator. [FBI agent James] Van Rhein also quoted a coconspirator as suggesting ... in 1988 that they blow up the Israeli Embassy. "

—Associated Press item datelined Dayton, OH, April 5, 1993

A Failed Assassination in Egypt

"Gunmen fired on Egypt's Minister of Information outside his suburban home today, wounding his bodyguard and driver but failing in what was apparently an assassination attempt ... It was the most serious attack on a government official since Muslim militants assassinated Rifaat Mahgoub, the speaker of Parliament, in 1990.

"Three hours after the assault, 'Minister Mohammed Safwat El Sharif left the hospital and issued a strong statement blaming terrorists for the attack.' Terrorist is a term the government uses for Muslim militants. Mr. Sharif is in charge of Egypt's state controlled television and radio and the press. 'He symbolizes everything the militants hate about what they see as the infidel government media,' said Hala Mustapha, who has written a book on the movement. "

—New York Times, April 20, 1993

Shootouts in Algiers

"An unidentified gunman shot and killed a member of the government's top advisory committee yesterday, the second ranking figure to die in a wave of terror attacks on prominent targets, police said ... In an unrelated shootout, two Islamic militant gunmen were killed in a shootout with police at dawn in an Algiers suburb, police said.

—Washington Post, March 18, 1993

Believers Aren't Bomb-Throwers

"What is loosely called fundamentalism is indeed on the rise, the secular state under assault. But the phenomenon is hardly monolithic: Algeria's jailed Islamic dissenters are less intolerant than ruling fundamentalists in Iran and the Sudan. In any case, religion is not the enemy: few believers are bomb throwers. The real menace is the political manipulation of religious differences. "

—Editor Karl E. Meyer, New York Times,April 14, 1993

Fundamentalism and Judaism

"Like other religions ... Judaism has seen a rise in fundamentalism in recent years, from those in the yeshiva world who seek to distance themselves ever further from secular society to those Chasidim who are prepared to crown the ailing, 90-year-old Lubavitcher Rebbe as Moshiach, or Messiah.

"What is frightening about what we have come to call fundamentalism is not the fervor of one's religious beliefs but the conviction that absolute faith cannot abide any other belief, or no belief at all. Our religious leaders need to stress that one can be a Godfearing person and still have genuine tolerance for those who think differently. Until that time, too many religious people will be defined not by their faith or good deeds but by the David Koreshes and Sheikh Rahmans who pervert religion in the name of God. "

—Editor Gary Rosenblatt, Detroit Jewish News, March 12, 1993

One Hundred Deaths in India

"Fighting between Hindus and Muslims continued for a second day in the remote northeastern state of Manipur today, with the death toll rising to more than 100. Reports from the area told of villages and neighborhoods set on fire and hundreds of wounded ...

"Unlike northern India, which is often disrupted by violence between Hindus and Muslims, the northeast of India has seen relatively few such clashes. In the north, the clashes have been related to disputes like the destruction of a mosque in the town of Ayodhya. Clashes in the northeast, however, have been linked to disputes over land and local fears of being overwhelmed by an influx of Bengali Muslims."

—Correspondent Sarjoy Hazarika, New York Times, May 5, 1993

Letters from Yahweh Koresh

" ... The first letter was dictated to a cult member, who transcribed it, the sources said. A second letter, similar in tone, was sent out Saturday, FBI officials said today.' I am your God and you will bow under my feet,' said the first letter, addressed to 'Friends' and signed 'Yahweh Koresh.' Yahweh is the Old Testament name for God.

"Later, it said, 'Look and see you fools, you will not proceed much further ... I offer to you my wisdom. I offer to you my sealed secrets. How dare you turn away my invitations of mercy.' Much of the first letter appeared aimed at scaring the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms into submission. 'Do you want me to pull back the heavens and show you my anger?' it said, adding, 'Do not fear the fear of man—fear Me, for I have you in my snare. "'

—Correspondent Pierre Thomas, Washington Post, April 13, 1993

—RHC