Religion and the state

This refers to the article, ‘Religion and the state’ (June 23) by Owen Bennett-Jones. The writer says that, “Less violent attempts to inject more religiosity into politics have not yet produced stable outcomes. But that perhaps is a western obsession.” From a western perspective, scientific approach or evaluation plays a significant role in state policies towards peoples’ welfare. In this regard, even religious moral values have not been exempted from evaluation.
On the other hand, especially Muslims are reluctant to apply the scientific approach to every sphere of life – especially when it comes to religious values. This ‘no debate’ approach vis-à-vis religious values prompts the right to violence to protect their identity. While the west took centuries of bloody wars and is still grappling with how to apply the scientific approach inclusively, it is, to me, a very irrational approach to expect the right, especially Muslims, to embrace the evaluation concept overnight.
Inam Ullah Marwat
Lahore