Please! I did not say nor mean to imply that people in genuine need should
not be helped because of difference in religion. I only asked why
commonality in religion so seldom seems to engender charity among Muslim
nation. I meant it only as a rhetorical question and was not attempting to
lower the level of scholarly discourse in this list. Still, religion is a
powerful force relating to nations and their boundaries. No particular
group should be somehow exempt from having its actions examined in the light
of scholarly discourse.
Lowell G. McManus
Eagle Pass, Texas, USA
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ilan Kelman" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 8:51 AM
Subject: Re: [INT-BOUNDARIES] Maintaining the higher ground v. Stemming the
Tide
> If there were any real threat, why do the
> Maldivians have to look to Hindu India, Buddhist Sri Lanka, or Christian
> Australia for rescue? It begs the question: Why don't the
> Maldivians' brother Muslim nations (many of which are rich and severely
> under-populated) step up to help them?
In these discussions, I would hope that we could avoid statements that seem
to imply "Don't help them because they are a different religion from me" and
the factually inaccurate "All Muslims are the same, so of course Muslims
will help each other". Furthermore, India, Sri Lanka, and Australia are all
multicultural states with many religions amongst their population, even if
one particular religion or one particular sect forms the majority. Finally,
survival during past sea level fluctuations does not necessarily imply
definite survival during future sea level fluctuations. As per the
discussion already, including the scientific references given, there is a
clear and definite "real threat", keeping in mind that not all threats
manifest in the end. That is part of the challenge of this topic and of
making evacuation-related decisions.
I am not suggesting that the media reports or political statements are fully
accurate, but I hope that on this listserve, we could try to retain a
reasonable level of legal and scientific discourse in statements made.
Ilan
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