I recently finished reading a newly published book by religious scholar Lee C. Camp titled, “Who is My Enemy? Questions American Christians Must Face about Islam — and Themselves.” I’m not Christian, but I wanted to read this book because I’ve been attending interfaith sessions with the Gainesville Mennonite Church and have learned a lot about Christianity.
Camp examines both Christian and Islamic views on war, terrorism and peacemaking. He uses a technique called “double vision” whereby we seek to understand rather than be understood. This technique allows us to look at things from another perspective, namely the perspective of our “enemies.”
He elaborates on the notion that the teachings of Jesus are apolitical, such as, “love thy enemy” or “turn the other cheek,” whereas the teachings of Mohammed are political. He argues that, ultimately, both individuals preached a political message: one that addressed questions regarding the practices and expectations that govern their life together.
He also finds similarities in the Christian just war tradition and Islamic notion of only going to war for defensive reasons. The latter view maintains that justice sometimes requires armed force and war; for the purpose of establishing justice and peace, war is permitted, if not required. The former, according to Camp, argues that war should not be entered hastily but as a last resort when nonviolent methods have failed. The goal is not war-making itself but an establishment of a relative peace. Appropriate treatment must be given to those defeated in war.
We need to confront our own prejudices and respond to different religious groups faithfully. Our generation needs to continually be tolerant of others but critical as well to improve the world we live in.
If we never want to talk with the so-called “enemy” or learn their point of view, how can we change the way things are in the world? We should not condone violence or hatred in any form, but we need to understand why certain groups of people may act in ways that seem so bizarre to us.
Read the book and learn, keep an open mind and understand why arguments such as “Christianity is superior to Islam,” or “Muslims are warmongers” or “all religions basically say the same thing and are peaceable,” need to be addressed. Generally, these preconceived notions are wrong and need a fresh look.
Nora Zaki
Arabic and political science junior at UF
