Center of Rationality!

Comment to the article 'Let’s reap the faith' by Fareed Zakaria:
  
The difficulty about any religion is that it seeks identity beyond the realm of rationality. While the quest for identity is a natural phenomenon about any sect, identity in a modern world of multiple identities can’t come through scriptures and other traditional ways. Islam or Hinduism or Christianity can’t be different in an open world where universalisation of values is the order. When someone is trying to justify or vilify the existence of an Islamic Center near the WTC memorial site in New York, both should understand that the validity of their stance depends upon the context of the situation. No one should doubt concerns about the role of Islamic fundamentalists in creating disorder around the world and hence about such a center. But the fact that the Islamic fundamentalism itself is not a segregated phenomenon but apart from other factors, probably a reaction out of hegemonic and discriminatory policies of the West led modern world necessitates the need for soul searching and reconciliatory steps on the part of Western countries. If the West wants Islam to come out of its 6th century mould, West too needs to come out of its Christian bias. As they say, until you do not change yourself, you can’t change others. On the part of the the moderate Muslims, they would do well to convince the US people that the center ought to be there because rationality and propriety demands that, and the center would be symbol of a modern inclusive world and not a sixth century theocratic religion.