ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY: ISLANDS IN THE OCEAN?

KarabakhOpen
07-09-2007 14:42:06

The Resource Center of Stepanakert held a discussion entitled "Islam
and Christianity: Two islands in the ocean or a continent". The
discussion was mediated by the secretary general of the NKR foreign
ministry Janna Krikorova who said she is not an expert on religious
affairs but she has come in touch with lots of Christians and Muslims
and therefore she would rather call the discussion a talk.

"Religion is like a hospital: they come to it when they feel bad,
they forget about it when they feel good," Janna Krikorova thinks
these words refer to the Christendom of the European continent. Unlike
"calm Christianity", that is when the religion is marked by separate
holidays and dates, Islam usually creates "religious tension". In
fact, Islam shapes the way of life of Muslims, their consciousness,
their lifestyle, and it creates an area of religious tension, to a
greater degree for those who are surrounded with Muslims and are not
well-aware of Islamic traditions.

Generally, what stereotypes and associations occur among the people
of Karabakh regarding Islam and Muslims? The participants enumerated
Jihad, yashmak, genocide, fanaticism, terrorism, etc.

The mediator thinks these stereotypes occurred in the course of
the years when the Armenians lived surrounded by Muslims. "However,
there are no controversies between Koran and the Bible. In general,
there is no controversy between Islam and Christianity. In this case,
it is more correct to describe it as the confrontation of cultures,"
said Janna Krikorova.

Stereotypes occur because this way of life is strange to us, we cannot
perceive them due to our difference. However, Christianity and Islam
have a lot in common.

The mediator mentioned interesting facts from history, including from
Koran where, by the way, Jesus Christ is referred to as the Spirit of
God, and compared several facts from the Bible and Koran. She thinks
that from the philosophical point of view there are no controversies
between the religions as ideologies which convey the idea to the
world that there is God.

Different religions only complete one another. And in the philosophical
sense, a religion is a continent on which the same things are uttered
in different languages. However, the history of the development of
the world is not only the way to God. It is also politics, and the
politicians have politicized a number of religious issues, which
led and lead to "religious wars". Therefore, in the political sense
Islam and Christianity are nevertheless islands in the ocean. So,
Janna Krikorova thinks such issues should be distinguished in terms
of geopolitics, culture, philosophy.

The discussion was held in the framework of an International Alert
project, and leaders of NGOs, journalists, teachers participated in it.