Global Tensions
Global Tensions: Donald Trump threatened Iran on Easter Sunday using harsh and vulgar language. His politics often mix religion with racial hostility. Pakistani scholar Ahmad Javaid said bigots often use violence or abuse to push their views. Open-minded people rarely do. Groups like Hindutva and Zionism use abuse and violence to enforce their beliefs. They often clash over religion.
Religious Rhetoric
Javaid said open-mindedness does not depend on religion. On the same day, the Pope advised Trump and his followers not to wage war in Christianity’s name. Pete Hegseth had invoked Christian faith to support military action in Iran. Marco Rubio also urged European leaders to drop democratic pretenses and support colonial-style control of the Global South.
Historical Tensions
Rubio called this effort “protecting the Christian West.” Trump’s MAGA movement aims to “Make the West Great Again.” It includes extremists, from Charlie Kirk to the Ku Klux Klan. MAGA supporters also fight among themselves.
History shows this tension. In Mississippi Burning, KKK members lynched three men—two Jews and a Black man. The KKK hates Jews and Blacks, while MAGA supporters idolize Columbus as a Christian hero. Trump recently installed a Columbus statue near the White House. He also declared Columbus Day a federal holiday. He called Columbus the “original American hero.”
Symbolic Revival
Trump wants to restore traditional American symbols. This counters efforts to remove or explain controversial monuments. The new statue copies one toppled in Baltimore in 2020 during protests after George Floyd’s murder. Trump also appealed to Italian-American heritage. He linked Columbus to Spain’s Reconquista in 1492, when Jews were expelled or forced to convert. Columbus hoped his voyages would fund a crusade to Jerusalem. Today, Christian Zionists celebrate this history.
Revolution Ideas
Iran has challenges, including patriarchal traditions, but it is not strictly sectarian. The 1979 revolution combined Marxist ideas with Shia Islamic thought. Ali Shariati shaped the revolution and inspired millions. Scholars compare his ideas to Gustavo Gutiérrez’s liberation theology in Latin America.
Cultural Integration
Iran also embraces past invaders. Alexander the Great and Changez Khan adopted local customs to rule, and Iran accepted them. In contrast, Hindutva ideology in India criticizes the Mughals. Leaders like Nehru praised the multicultural influence the Mughals left behind.
Iran integrates its past into its identity. Some other countries erase or vilify theirs for political reasons.
Published in Dawn, 7th April 2026
