I Bring What I Love
Opening this Friday in New York and elsewhere over the summer, Youssou D’Nour: I BRING WHAT I LOVE, is a beautiful documentary about the power of one man’s voice to inspire change. Its message of compassion and love reverberates with the message of Karen Armstrong’s wish for a Charter for Compassion.
The film follows N’Dour, the highest selling African artist of all time and a devout Sufi Muslim, as he releases a deeply personal and religious album called Egypt in the hope of promoting a more tolerant and compassionate face of Islam. Almost instantly, his fellow Senegalese reject the album, and denounce his actions as blasphemous. The film follows N’Dour for over two years – in Africa, Europe, and America – to tell the story of how he faces these challenges and eventually wins over audiences both at home and abroad. ”People don’t have to associate Islam with fear and sadness. Why is that the only image of Islam in the media?” states D’Nour.
Through vibrant African beats, the film reveals the possibility of tolerance among religions and cultures, and shows how one man who lives by his convictions can create positive change through music. Youssou’s message is ultimately one of compassion and love inspired by his embrace of the Islamic faith.
D’Nour’s music is wonderful. His religion is not.
Not because all Muslims are violent, they clearly are not. But because the religion is by its nature intolerant. So is Christianity. The only reason Christians aren’t openly killing others in religious wars is they have learned to moderate their religion.
What’s important to note is that they have moderated by going *away* from the religion, not because it is somehow more tolerant. Activist Muslims are merely expressing what their religion is: intolerant of other points of view.
Maybe his fellow adherents’ reaction to this documentary will help D’Nour come to recognize that the beauty in his soul is his humanity, not his religion. Casting off the latter will allow the former to truly shine.
The only reasons Christians aren’t openly killing others is we have been taught by the Christ (Jesus) to turn the other cheek. When one studies the history of so-called religious wars it is clearly evident that religious beliefs were just another weapon being employed in order to steal and conquer and subjugate. These wars had to do with money, never God, just as they do today. Not everyone who says they are a Christian or a Muslim or Hindu or a member any other religion are total converts to the message.
Religion is a personal experience. One can know very little about a religion by scanning a text or talking to a few of its adherents and most certainly nothing can be learnt from media images of the religion. Religion, like all things, are best studied carefully with a mind free of preconceived ideas. It is not an experience gained from what other people say or do people but rather a relationship with something outside of this.
most christian believe that God is mercy to us everything we do in life, let love each other so that ends of the day we can enter the kingdom of heaven.