Compassion is the key in Islam and Buddhism and Judaism and Christianity. They are profoundly similar.
Karen ArmstrongRead
Even before 9/11 I was gripped by a sense of dread: our lack of criticism about what we were doing in the Middle East - the slagging off of a whole religious tradition.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses concern about uncritical attitudes towards foreign policy and its implications on cultural understanding.
Karen Armstrong reflects on her feelings of anxiety regarding the Western response to events in the Middle East, particularly emphasizing the dangers of broad-brush criticisms of an entire religious tradition. Her statement calls for a more nuanced understanding and critique of geopolitical actions, urging us to be aware of the potential for misunderstanding and the resulting societal tensions that arise when critical thinking is absent.
Themes
CriticismMiddle EastUnderstandingReligionForeign Policy
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech on cultural awareness, this quote serves to remind the audience of the importance of critical thinking regarding foreign relations.
More from Karen Armstrong
All quotes →Yet a personal God can become a grave liability. He can be a mere idol carved in our own image, a projection of our limited needs, fears and desires. We can assume that he loves what we love and hates what we hate, endorsing our prejudices instead of compelling us to transcend them.
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When violence becomes imbedded in a region, then this affects everything. It affects your dreams, your fantasies and relationships, and your religion becomes violent, too.
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Far from being the father of jihad, [Prophet] Mohammad was a peacemaker, who risked his life and nearly lost the loyalty of his closest companions because he was determined to effect a reconciliation with Mecca
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Yes, all fundamentalists feel that in a secular society, God has been relegated to the margin, to the periphery and they are all in different ways seeking to drag him out of that peripheral position, back to center stage.
Karen ArmstrongRead
Religion is a search for transcendence. But transcendence isn't necessarily sited in an external god, which can be a very unspiritual, unreligious concept.
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