Students Voice

“It is time for us to greet each other not only as a standard salutation but should be meant as a sincere prayer, recognition and respect of faith, and manifestation of a person’s religious identity. Say assalamu’alaikum (peace be with you) to Muslims. Say shalom (peace) to Christians. Say namo Buddhaya (I pay homage to the Buddha) or namaste (I bow to you) to followers of Buddhism. Say om swastiastu (May We be Under His Protection) to Hindus. And the same goes for the believers of other faiths.”

I admit that there are numerous positive aspects to a religion which teaches humanity, peace and justice (even when a significant portion of believers fail to practice them). We must adopt universal humanitarian values wherever the source may come from. For me, all religions are true according to their own ways. A religion will always be true and be the only truthful religion when examined from the standpoint of the said religion. But I refuse to tolerate circumstances when religion becomes a tyranny that pushes aside humanitarian values. Humans can be civilized even without religion, yet many who profess to be religious have ignored humanitarian values. May I never return to the confinement of religious fundamentalism and fanaticism which I had once experienced.