Educating and creating understanding (Christine Porcaro, Week 13, Substantive)

During our class discussion on religion about 2 weeks ago, someone brought up the point that maybe by educating people about different types of religion and culture that there wouldn't be as much blind hatred and more cooperation among people. The point was also brought up that there have been may ways in which people can learn about different religions and cultures but the people that usually choose to take advantage of these opportunities aren't the ones that need the educating. When reading "An Anthropological Excursion into the Muslim World", I kept replaying the class discussion that we had. I know that this reading was assigned for the terrorism week but I feel since religion and terrorism seem to be very much intertwined I still feel that it is appropriate. In the reading the author says "I would redouble my efforts to help non-Muslims and Muslims alike appreciate the true features of Islam and thereby forge a bond between them. Without that common understanding, the entire world would sink deeper into conflict." When I read that, I thought of what Professor Pervez said when she was talking about Osama bin Laden . She said that he was a very well educated man. Knowing this, it is hard to think that he doesn't have an understanding of our culture. He understands it and hates it. I would like to think that that educating people would create a mutual understanding but sometimes educating people created an understanding but the hatred still exists. There is also a chance that the hatred could just increase with increased understanding. So in the end it could just be a question of is blind, ignorant hatred better than educated, informed hatred.
I feel that I learned a lot from this article because it presented Islam and its complexities. People in the US so readily think Islam and terrorism are synonymous. I love being able to read about different cultures because I feel that having a better understanding makes my opinions less ignorant. With saying this however, I feel that a lot of people that should read this, probably wouldn't. And as I said above, further understanding doesn't always lead to a person gaining compassion for anothers cuture. I do not feel however that this should stop us from trying to educate each other. I do feel that terrorism and the Unites States' retaliation to terrorism is fueled a lot through ignorance. I do not claim to know a lot about the Middle East but I would put money on the fact that our President doesn't know a whole lot either. I do not think that increased understanding will eradicate all problems in the world, such as terrorism, but I believe that understanding something that seems odd and foreign will make it seem, in the end, more personal and close to home.