[caption id="attachment_234176" align="alignright" width="300" caption="On Easter Day 2012. Thanks Jade for hosting us! (Jade Sandbulte)"][/caption] I was once asked by a friend, “What do you think about pluralism? Isn’t it against the mission of religions, especially yours, Islam? I mean how does this thing work? On one hand, people keep asking others to follow them because they think they are the best, but on the other hand, at the same time they think that they should embrace others no matter what religion they are.” Literally, I was so confused. But here is the thing. Two interpretations To me, pluralism is a word filled with conflict. Seriously, it has been creating disappointment and even condemnation among religious people, especially among Muslims in my country. One group thinks that it means seeing and thinking all religions are the same. They all are the damn same. That’s where the problem began. They can’t accept this. But the other group thinks differently. They accept pluralism as it means an understanding that embraces the diversity among human beings. People are created different so having different choices are the aftermath of that creation. Pluralism is actually not all about religions. Experts say it is the state of society that embraces all kinds of diversity in terms of tribes, groups, races, languages, cultures, traditions, any kind of social group and even thoughts. Experts argue that it’s all created differently, so we should just do nothing but embrace and appreciate it. Isn’t this world like a colorful carpet that all the colors contribute to the beauty of it? It is even encouraged by the Quran: O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted. (Surah al-Hujurat: 13) Meanwhile, religious pluralism is always debatable. This is the center of all recent polemical thought among the majority of Muslims. Lots of people interpret this as a thought that all religions are the same. I highly disagree with this point. Pluralism I think is the nature of this life. People are created different thus think and choose differently. This is natural. I agree with that, experts say, this is a worldview that says one’s religion is not the sole and exclusive source of truth, and thus the acknowledgement that at least some truths and true values exist in other religions (Wikipedia). So which one is the right one? I’d say Islam, because I am a Muslim. I feel comfortable with all the concepts, traditions, and guidance in this religion. I really enjoy the time when I pray, when I gather on Eid, and when I read the Quran. How much of a fool would I be if I were to say that other religions are perfectly right while I am a Muslim? Who is going to heaven? So what do I think about the other religions? I’d say that none of them instructs anyone to engage in any bad behaviors. They all are good and have truths and impressive values. They all teach love and encourage peace. Even though every religion has different rituals, the missions are all the same. Thus, all religions are the same in terms of their universal values. They all teach humility, patience, humanity, helpfulness, kindness, generosity, and all kinds of good values. Some individuals state that their religion asks them to hit and kill people; I’m afraid they are actually not religious. Is it not against Islam? Who says that? The prophet Muhammad never ever taught us to condemn those who didn’t believe in him. Didn’t he salute a dead Jew on his way to get buried? Wasn’t it him that kept feeding an old blind Zoroastrian lady who kept yelling at him? The prophet was even the one who guaranteed the safety of all Jews who lived in Medina back then. Wasn’t it him that kept behaving nicely to Khalid ibn Walid and Amr ibn Ash, who previously killed his uncle Hamzah. Because of the Prophet’s actions, these individuals converted to Islam. Don’t you guys believe that a prostitute would go to heaven because she just saved a life of a dog? What if somebody asks, are all non-Muslims going to heaven? I surely answer, heaven and hell are Gods. He is the one who has the right to determine. And, I don’t make a big deal out of it. I’d rather do something good for other people, the environment, and humanity, instead of for that freaking heaven-or-hell stuff. I don’t know, but it feels like so selfish if that’s what this life is all about. What about their Gods? Who knows that who or what they worship is the same as what we Muslims worship, with just different name(s)? We all worship God who is and will always be the only one who guides us. I’d rather think that there is no God but God, no matter what name you call Him. Can we say that other people are wrong or even lost? The answer is it is God’s business. How can you determine which one is lost or not? Who are you? You feel so close to God and you feel cool about it; I don’t give a damn! Blaming people for the religion they chose is lame. If you do something good to others, regardless of you do it for God or not, that’s worth a damn. [caption id="attachment_234177" align="alignright" width="300" caption="On Thanksgiving day at Dennis"]
![13575577661156772023](https://assets.kompasiana.com/statics/crawl/55763f080423bd7e088b4568.jpeg?t=o&v=770)