Religion and Theology

As the Night set in over Afghanistan on October 7th 2001, the night was suddenly ablaze with display of light and sound. Ironically it was a Black Sunday for the people of Afghanistan. The U.S conducted air raids on Afghanistan. Afghanistan was already in rubble. Were these attacks justified These raids were telecast on TV channels. Many innocent children witnessed these intense episodes of blood shed. For every terrorist killed, many innocent lives were wiped out. These killings created more terrorists. What is this war and violence all about This is about space, not a war of good over evil or culture. Living without space can prove to be claustrophobic and so it blew up into a war.
These raids totally pulverized Afghanistan further. All the arterial roads were closed and with winter setting in, it was difficult for people to get food. Though food packets were air dropped, people were in constant fear of being blown up by land mines.

In the past twenty years wars between Soviet Union and America have given rise to a
group of maimed and disfigured people mostly in their forties. Young orphans stripped of their innocence strutted around with guns in their hands. These were young hands that never held teddies. Young men beat and raped women without any feelings of guilt.

Now North alliance  Talibans enemy is trying to gain supremacy over Kabul and faced with complete defeat and soldiers were switching sides.

Are these acts of communal violence justified There is no excuse. These acts cannot be justified even if it is in retribution.

The international coalition against terror is a group of rich countries that hold weapons of mass destruction  Chemical, Biological and Nuclear. Most wars have been fought by these countries. They have upheld violence and war. They have supported dictators.

Arundhathi Roy is an intense writer. Her detailed descriptions of war makes you sit up and think. She speaks of these acts of violence from a social and cultural perspective.

What is this war all about Is it about establishing peace Peace at what cost Can peace be achieved with more violence and fighting It only leads to communal violence and hatred. This communal violence is a result of misinterpretation of Religion and the real issue gets sidelined.  Cant these terrorist attacks be detected before it happens With all the high tech gadgets and the intelligence on the job it is impossible to track each and every email, every phone call, letter or plan.

During wars fear, suspicion and rumors terrify people. News of death and violence create panic leading to more acts of violence. Ultimately it leads to monoculture and dictatorship. Use of religion to gain power is dangerous.

The US air dropped food like rice which could not be cooked without fire. Was The US Government attempting to use this misery to boost its image The author wonders.

According to the book, there seems to be some underlying causes than what it appears to be. What is the root cause of all this blood shed and terrorism The author wonders if it was power and oil. Or was it good over evil Or was it all about religion

At the end of the book War is Peace, the author Arundathi Roy questions how long can we be mute spectators

Is it not time for us to voice our opinions she wonders. Is the beauty and joy of nature lost She wonders.