Butthead’s Beat: ‘Extremists’ in anyone’s religion

WHEN you hear, see or read about “Islamic (or Muslim) extremists”, ask yourself which of the two words springs to mind first:

Now, be honest with yourself. Do you think “Islamic (Muslim)” first? Or is it merely “extremist”?

Then stretch your mind to its nether reaches and ask yourself whether your thought process is “rational”.

Before you turn the page or stop reading this, realise that some are actually talking about “World War III” after last weekend’s horrific acts of “extremism” in Paris.

What does this have to do with the little old ‘Salt Coast’ you might ask?

Well, the timing was an absolute fluke, of course, but well known local businessman Yacoob Moosa is about to launch a very thought-provoking book: HEY! Who Am I Really?

I had the privilege of a sneak preview. What springs to mind is that the atrocities that took place in Paris – ‘rationally’ – really don’t have anything to do with Islam… or any other respectable religion, for that matter. The perpetrators were just ‘extremists’ and Muslims – like Yacoob – are just as horrified as any other sane, rational or God (Allah)-fearing people around the world.

The fact that international media, politicians and ‘irrational’ people have chosen to attach ‘Islam’ to these ‘extremists’ is very unfortunate indeed. The extremists have hijacked “Islam”, perhaps to provoke “World War III.” In truth, an ‘extremist’ is an ‘extremist’, is an ‘extremist’ regardless of religion, colour, sex, politics or creed.

Yacoob, for example, might well have drawn his inspiration from Islamic teachings, but any rational thinking person will be able to identify with much of the book’s content, regardless of one’s particular religion or belief… atheists et al.

The warm, sometimes funny, but always questioning discussions around the table between Dad, Ma, Baji and Ahmed might well be the same as Pa, Ma, Ouma en Boetie living next door.

The everyday family discusses 50 questions, obviously all stemming from the book’s title: HEY! Who Am I Really. It’s well written, but easy to read. Not quite a page turner, but Yacoob admitted that his intention was for people to digest the content in small chunks and actually make up their own minds about the possible meaning of the universal riddles of life in general.

However, with Paris fresh in mind, Yacoob’s overall message is highly relevant now…. that our ‘outer’ selves might all be different, but we are all so much alike on the ‘inside’. We share a common origin and purpose – God is Allah and vice versa – and we all ‘seek’ the same things. Good people need to prevail and not the ‘extremists’ who hijack a religion for their own dogmatic, selfish goals.

HEY! Who Am I Really is published by Reach Publishers and will be launched at the Port Shepstone Civic Centre on November 25. The author will be available for signings.
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