{"id":50356,"date":"2014-12-01T12:00:29","date_gmt":"2014-12-01T12:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=50356"},"modified":"2018-10-13T11:41:17","modified_gmt":"2018-10-13T10:41:17","slug":"civilization-clashes-occident-orient","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2014\/12\/civilization-clashes-occident-orient\/","title":{"rendered":"Civilization Clashes Occident-Orient?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kuala Lumpur: IAIS-<\/em>International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies, IIUM-<\/em>International Islamic University<\/em> of Malaysia<\/em><\/p>\n

Yes, Islam and Christianity are on old Buddhist lands; with Muslim-Buddhist clashes in Sri Lanka, Myanmar.<\/p>\n

Occident<\/em> is the big space of the three Abrahamic religions Judaism-Christianity-Islam, with the secularisms of the first two, excluding each other. Indonesia-Philippines are in the Occident.<\/p>\n

Orient<\/em> is a big space spanned by Buddhism, which does not exclude others, not even violent state power; hence more complex. There are pure Buddhist countries<\/em>: Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam; and mixed Buddhist countries<\/em>, with other non-exclusive world views: in China with Daoism-Confucianism, in Japan with Kami shinto-Confucianism, and in Korea with Confucianism and Christianity.<\/p>\n

The world religioscape<\/em> started with Naturism<\/em>, invoking Nature’s blessings–sun, water, soil, fertility; offered by Mother Earth<\/em>. The worst treated civilization of all, not even called “civilization”.<\/p>\n

Then came 3000+ years ago Father Sky<\/em> in the Abrahamic religions<\/em>; the Father-Mother mix in Hinduism<\/em>; and the advanced Naturism of Daoism<\/em> in China and Kami shinto<\/em> in Japan, and Confucianism<\/em> as social Naturism in both, and Korea. Hinduism<\/em> was challenged by Buddhism over caste<\/em> and was driven out; Judaism as tribal<\/em> by Christianity driving out Judaism.<\/p>\n

Occident vs Orient can be seen as Abrahamism vs Buddhism+<\/em> with very different world views. Nature<\/em>: Herrschaft vs Partnerschaft<\/em>. Self<\/em>: individual Egos vs relations between them, knots vs nets, I-culture vs we-culture. Society<\/em>: vertical-competitive vs horizontal-cooperative (sangha<\/em>). World<\/em>: globalism, Center vs Periphery vs Evil vs localism, each part a center. Time<\/em>: limited from creation to the end vs from infinity to infinity. Transpersonal<\/em>: one God-Satan-soul-Paradise-Hell, exclusive vs none of the above, inclusive of others. Episteme<\/em>: atomistic-deductive, no contradiction vs holistic-dialectic like in Daoism, holism contradictions, yin\/yang<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0 Reality is like that.<\/p>\n

Christianity and Islam, driven by “the only true faiths for the whole world” went as missionaries West and South, conquering Naturism; And East: Islam with Sultanates, Christianity with colonies-companies.<\/p>\n

But Hinduism-Buddhism went East before them<\/em>. Buddha, 563-483, lived half a millennium before Christ and a millennium before Mohammed 622 hegira<\/em>. Ashoka sent Buddhist missionaries to Sri Lanka -250, then went East to Myanmar-Thailand-Malaya-Indonesia-Laos-Cambodia-Vietnam, China +100 on the Silk Road, Japan +532, mainly peacefully<\/em>. The epic Mahawamsa<\/em> is a narrative about much of this, with triumphalism.<\/p>\n

Islam moved East<\/em>: the desert-tundra way, the sea lane from Yemen: (from Spain to) Persia 750, Central Asia, Delhi Sultanate 1192-Aceh 1496-Pattani 1516-1902 Sultanates-the Philippines 1390 with Sulu 1405-Maguindanao 1490 Sultanates, Malaya, Indonesia; mainly peacefully<\/em>[i]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Christianity moved East<\/em>; first Portugal-England conquering the East China-East Africa Silk Lane 1500 for their Kings, then as Anglo-French++ conquests: much of India 1805, Sri Lanka 1815, Burma 1852-75, Vietnam 1859-85; attacking China, Opium Wars, burning the Imperial Palace 1860; “opening” Japan 1853, boycotting-fighting-nuclearizing 1941-1945. Few Christian converts, but often settled at the top of colonies and still there. The Philippines became Catholic, colonized by Spain 1521-USA 1898; all this mainly by war<\/em>. Hardly stable.<\/p>\n

Islam has today four clashes<\/em>. Two borders<\/em>: the Thai conquest of Pattani Sultanate in 1785 recognized in the 1909 Anglo-Siamese Treaty; China Xinjiang with Muslim Uighurs, next to Muslim Kazakhstan. Two migrations<\/em>: from Bangladesh to Myanmar, and Malaysia to Sri Lanka; all four in the UK Empire, partly moved by the UK as the key responsible.<\/p>\n

There was migration from Buddhist lands, China!, and conversion. But attacks only from State shinto–a construction making Emperors similar to Kings–Japan: North, Russia; West, China; South, Muslim lands 1941-45; East, Pearl Harbor–as self-defense, and aggression.<\/p>\n

The conflict? Buddhist historical rights<\/em> vs Muslim human rights<\/em>.<\/p>\n

No religious conversion to the other, no secular neither-nor, no half-Buddhist\/half Muslim compromise, no both-and amalgam: Buddhism with State power is also exclusive[ii]<\/a>. How about political solutions?<\/p>\n

Southern Thailand<\/em>, Western China<\/em>: Muslim autonomy in federations<\/em>. China is already, but Thailand is a unitary state. Or independence<\/em>: a Pattani Sultanate Darussalam<\/em> of three Thai and a Malay province. Or as a region within ASEAN-Association of Southeast Asian Nations with open borders<\/em>: the Basques in Spain-France may be moving toward that in EU. So may China-Kazakhstan within SCO.<\/p>\n

Sri Lanka-Myanmar<\/em>: Ethnocide-“slow genocide” of Muslims. A Muslim province in East Sri Lanka; Rakhine state for Rohingya in Myanmar? Conquest by migration? But Mahawamsa is now a doctrine in Sri Lanka as Promised land<\/em> by the Buddha, for a Chosen people<\/em>, the Buddhists.<\/p>\n

Here Human Rights<\/em> enter. Article 18, Universal Declaration:<\/p>\n

“Everybody has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion–and in public or private, to manifest his religion–“.<\/em><\/p>\n

This overrules Mahawamsa “convert to Buddhism” or “get back to where you came from”. But the UN Human Rights Committee went further 21 Nov 2014: the persecuted 1.3 million Rohingya should be allowed “access to full citizenship on an equal basis”. If not, Chapter VI sanctions?<\/p>\n

Hopefully respecting the good Buddhism, and language of the host.<\/p>\n

In Sri Lanka the Buddhist extremist group Bodu Bala Sena is supported by the government of Mahinda Rajapaksa, now raising stupas<\/em> in all nine provinces to commemorate those who died in the genocidal fight against the Tamils. INYT<\/em> (16 Oct 2014) editorializes strongly against the islamophobic alliance between him, Thein Sein of Myanmar and Modi of India favoring an anti-Muslim Hindu-Buddhist Peace Zone. Buddhist Seeds of Peace<\/em> points accusing fingers at Buddhist violence.<\/p>\n

And the reaction to all of this from “Buddhist lands”? Daoism-Buddhism, China, is doing what Japan failed to do, moving all over in all compass directions–but peacefully. Hopefully staying that way.<\/p>\n

NOTES:<\/strong><\/p>\n

[i]<\/a>. Except Tamerlane, Timur (1320-30s-1405), but it is hard to see him as Muslim if he wanted to restore the Mongol Empire even if he used Muslim symbols. Anyhow, it was short-lasting.<\/p>\n

[ii]<\/a>. There may be some possibility between Sufism as soft Islam and Daoism, see Tushihiko Izutsu, Sufism and Taoism<\/em>, University of California Press, 1983.<\/p>\n

_____________________________<\/p>\n

Johan Galtung, a professor of peace studies, dr hc mult, is rector of the TRANSCEND Peace University-TPU<\/a>. He is author of over 150 books on peace and related issues, including \u2018<\/em>50 Years-100 Peace and Conflict Perspectives<\/a>,\u2019 published by the TRANSCEND University Press-TUP<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The conflict? Buddhist historical rights vs Muslim human rights. No religious conversion to the other, no secular neither-nor, no half-Buddhist\/half Muslim compromise, no both-and amalgam: Buddhism with State power is also exclusive . How about political solutions?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50356\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}