COMMENT | The latest horrifying episode of religious terrorism in France has, unfortunately, put Malaysia in the international limelight with the former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, adding fuel to the religious fires and hatred.

Many that have followed Mahathir’s career during the past 70 years will not be surprised by his extremist response.

Unfortunately too, we have not seen the last of such fire and brimstone practitioners. They follow a well-trodden pattern going back thousands of years.

Perhaps the only way to get out of this cycle of religious violence and terrorism is for the leaders of religious institutions to also teach about the history of the estimated 6,000 religions of the world, the differences, commonalities and patterns, and associations with cultural and political features.

Using scientific evidence, logic and rationality, such courses can help put into proper perspective the so-called universal truths and answers peddled by the religious books and scriptures of the Abrahamic religions as well as…