Daily Lessons from Life 13 Sep 2010- Church school torched in Indian Kashmir in Koran protest

"Church school torched in Indian Kashmir in Koran protest - Mon, Sep 13, 2010 AFP

SRINAGAR, India - An angry mob protesting against a group of Christians who tore up pages of the Koran in Washington torched a missionary school in Indian Kashmir on Monday, police said.

Hundreds of angry Muslims chanting anti-US and pro-Islamic slogans marched through the streets of Tangmarg village, 40 kilometres west of the main town Srinagar, before attacking the Tyndale Biscoe School.

No one was injured in the torching of the school, which was already shut due to unrest."

I am at a loss at the extreme emotional responses by SOME Muslims over this 'tore up pages of the Koran in Washington' and torched a missionary school in India Kashmir incident!!

What are I, and other peace loving, fellow human beings are to make of this 'passionate' defence of Islam's sacred book by this particular group of so-called followers and defenders of the dignity of Islam? This is not the first time some Muslims hijacked an expression by some people who, some anyway, genuinely believed they are just expressing themselves, and some deliberately provocative, and shown the most extreme reaction. A reaction that no rational human being can comprehend nor condone!

Lessons for me are:

1. is Islam so fragile that 'burning a few pages or even a few copies of Koran' will ruin the religion if the Muslims think about these incidents as some insensitive and intolerant people, an extreme minority in a foreign land expressing themselves under their own laws, trying to 'challenge' the faith? Surely NOT;

2. are the Muslims who reacted in such extreme manner the mainstream of the Islamic faith in India Kashmir, in this case? Surely NOT too!! There must be many more Muslims who looked at this torching of a missionary school a mindless act. Shameful in fact. It showed a group of so-called Muslims behaving in manner surely not condoned by the Islamic faith.

YET, in both countries, the one who tore up pages of Koran in the USA, and this minority that torched a missionary school in India Kashmir, GETS the HEADLINES!! While the silent majority gets NOTHING on the media!! Something got to change!!

3. while I know I am asking almost the impossible for true followers to come forward and CONDEMN these acts within their own religious groups. That both actions are NON-Christian and NON-Muslim! I ask for rationality to overcome emotion when discussing religions. It is hard to do for the radical and the fanatic since no feedback, no matter how skillfully related, that point out a moot point with the Muslim's response, will arouse emotion. Rationality has to fight to get inside the heads of the affected Muslims, and Christians, that this world is big enough for both religions to coexist in peace and harmony. Just like the earth is home to millions of different races and spices for a long long time!!