Religious Fanatics

Every sport needs them. Every band loves them. Politicians would kill to have some of them. Fanatics, or fans as they are commonly called, seem to be the yardstick of peoples' success- the more you have the more successful you are. They are instrumental in pushing people to the very top. But today I am not talking about the soccer hooligans or Rock lovers, I am talking about the more radical and seemingly dangerous ones- the religious fanatics.

Our history tells us that nothing has drawn more swords and resulted in bloodbaths than religious fanaticism. And all the major religions have their fair share of such men and women. The reports regarding the Madressas in the Middle East and Pakistan are as discomforting as the evidence of hatred amongst Israelis towards Palestine. The 'over-zealous' nature of Hindu hardliners is commensurate with the forceful conversions by 'missionaries' in India. Such facts cannot help but make us wonder as to the mindset of such people. There has to be something that is grotesquely wrong in such hate-mongers who believe themselves to be the torchbearers of their faith. It becomes our responsibility as rational peace-loving individuals to weed out religious fanaticism.

An insight into the mind of a fanatic reveals that he/she has an undaunted faith in his/her religion. This is really commendable in this day and age. However, the problem lies in their assumption that anyone who does not conform to their religious views is an infidel. Certain clerics of, who want to achieve their own objectives, plant the seeds of hatred in the impressionable young minds since childhood. By their late teens, these men and women become lean, mean killing machines. Just a promise of heaven for them and hell for their victims is enough for them to fire bullets or wear explosives and blow themselves up without any regard for their fellow man.

It is inevitable that we seek a solution for this menace. We need to know that the war is not against fanatics- it is against fanaticism. The peace-loving and tolerant people have to realize that just ignoring these movements as mere mishaps and anomalies will not cut it. Each person has to make an effort on his/her part to understand the other religions as well. And listening to CNN or FOX will not suffice. Significant and unbiased individual research is what is needed most. Then and only then can the idea of universal religious tolerance gain fruition. I know it seems to be a very daunting and almost impossible task. But if we don't try we won't ever know if it is really that hard or not.