Religion and politics

Religion in a multi-faith society should be left aside. Many atrocities were carried out in the name of religion. In recent history, there were many incidents. Yugoslavia was broken up because of religious tensions between Muslims and Christians.

Lebanon has so far failed to elect a president because of political disagreement between political factions whose background is religious. The president in this country should be a Maronite Christian. Politicians because of their different faiths have different alliances even outside their country. The Shiites are allied with Iran and Syria. The Sunnis are allied to Saudi Arabia and the United States. India can be a good model about religious tolerance when it comes to politics as it had a Muslim president, although Muslims don’t make the majority of Indians.

Religion can be a card used to sway the voters. In the USA, Obama has been attacked by his opponents because of suspicion about his religious background and the Muslim religion of his stepfather. Religion can serve just a moral code but it shouldn’t be used as a weapon to discriminate against opponents of other faiths.

Politicians in power as in Iran use mosques to make their points. The Iranian president has made many of his controversial political speeches on Friday prayers. But in the eyes of many Iranians, despite religious devotion, he doesn’t make a good president. It can be a disaster for Iran because of his uncompromising attitudes. George Bush is unpopular although he’s religiously devout.

People expect from politicians integrity and competence. Secular political system can be a compromise for countries on the brink for break-up because of tensions between religious factions. Religion alone isn’t enough for better governance. What matters is tolerance on all levels, including political and religious tendencies.