|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Khuda Ke Liye Nahi Insaan Ke Liye
(This blog is inspired by our dear friend Ekantapadhika’s thoughtful blog titled “Khuda Ke Liye” which raises some pertinent questions and partly by the various discussions I read on dear Lissome’s GB from time to time. )
Problems arise when we use religion to govern society or we use social outlook to interpret religion. Either way it is a recipe for disaster. Problems in Hinduism have surfaced whenever they tried to apply religion to define social behaviour. The problem with Islam too is same but is far deeper rooted. Most social reformers or thinkers too make the same mistake. Religious truths are absolute, they do not change with time and space but society and its rules do.
The problem with most liberals is that they mix up social reforms with religion. The moment you try to do that you take a step backward. Its pointless trying to state that Islam needs reforms. How can you change the very thoughts of the Prophet? Who are you to do that? How can you criticise a Prophet of God? Naturally it would invite wrath of the believers. One may of course preach his own new religion but for that you need a true man of God. A man whose character and actions speak of his Truth. Not a Rushdie or a Taslima. What business do these men and women have to find faults in Koran or the Prophet? Is there own personal life a reflection of a faultless character? Tell me how many of us would stand still and smile if someone was to come and cast aspersions on our parents? If you are a Kabir, the world will listen and worship you. If not then do your bit quietly.
Having said that I must also say that religion cannot and should not be used to govern society. The mullahs, the padres, the pundits have no business to interfere in the governing norms of society. These norms change from place to place and from time to time. No fixed yardstick can ever be applied to behaviour patterns of the society. The place of mullahs and pundits is to help the individual realise the divinity, to lift him spiritually and not to tell him when and how to choose his wife! For the sake of very man to whom they preach, let him decide what to wear and what not to wear. Let him decide whom to have food with and whom not to. Where is the need to interpret every social movement as a religious movement? Be it family planning or the celebration of Valentines Day. How can a social movement or change help or hurt a religious Truth? If a religion is so fragile then it will die its natural death on its own. Religion is for man. Man is not for religion. How is my ability to produce children going to affect my religion or my God? Why should a Mullah or a Pundit cry hoarse every time there is a social change?
A terrorist is a criminal irrespective of his religious leanings. We err in classifying them by religion and they gain mileage out of it. So you find the same community which criticises one sect of terrorists, sympathising with the other. Ills of the society cannot be heaped on the religion. The moment you blame it on the religion of the perpetrators of the crime, its natural for the targeted community to feel wronged and rightly so.
I see no reason as to why some Muslims should be defensive about their religion. Allah needs no defenders. He is All-Powerful. He is All-Knowing. If the terrorists attack in the name of Islam it is but natural for the public to vent their ire on the followers. And there is not just one group doing that but a multitude of them. Rather than be defensive the community needs to become active and prevent attackers from doing it in the name of Islam. Don’t look outside. Look inside. Tell you must if you want to tell the world that there is more to Islam than Osama Bin Laden but do tell it them too who are willing to go to any undesirable extent in his name. Do not expect the world to take it all in the right manner. If there are mails doing rounds about the incorrect interpretations of Islam why are there no mails doing rounds about the correct interpretation? Muslims as a community need to carry out introspection and not Islam the religion. Not one and the same thing. They too are making the same mistake essentially as the propaganda machines. When they are criticised, the criticism is often directed to certain sections of their community and not towards Islam the religion. By distorting it as a criticism against Islam, they too are trying to look for a safe escape mechanism and gather sympathy. Kashmir is an example. So convenient it is. Blame it on religion and you find all the reasons to draw daggers out. Why take all the trouble? Kill and be killed. So simple !!
Why should the Pak movie be titled ‘Khuda ke liye..’?? That’s the first mistake. What has Khuda got to do with it? First we create the issues, we mess them up and then expect Khuda to give us all the solutions. What can one do for Khuda ke liye? Its not khuda ke liye but insaan ke liye? Khuda ko kisi ki zaroorat nahi? There is no problem in the interpretation of Islam. Religion will never bend down to the demands of the society. The eternal truths do not change by definition. Why is that there has never been a Hindu Muslim riot in the place where I belong to but a few hundred miles away there are riots at the drop of a hat. The problem lies in attitude of the society and its leaders. Not in the interpretation of Koran.
A Hindu in TN behaves differently than a Hindu in say UP. So you even find some in TN committing hara-kiri for trivial reasons but not so in UP. It is no surprise that LTTE produces so many suicide squad members. The same Hindu when he goes to West behaves differently. Why so? Thus we see that despite the same religion, the attitudes differ and the social setups differ. What has religion got to do with it? It’s the people and their attitude that determines the interpretation. Just as Afghanistan is not representative of Islam all over the world so is Turkey. If Turkey has started talking about reinterpreting portions of Hadith then please take it as a social reform and not as religious reform. It’s the society in Turkey that is strong enough vis a vis other such nations.
In one of the blog debates I found people stating that Islam too needs to evolve like Hinduism. Its not the religion but the society that needs to evolve. If would do us a lot of good if we forget our religion and work like atheists for the sake of evolving our society first. Indeed, the way things are, its better to have atheists rather than followers of any religion. All these "Hindu" zealots go miles to raise slogans for their Ram, go and demolish Masjids. Ask them to go and fight at Siachin Glacier and they wet their pants. All pseudo religious nincompoops. A Marathi kicks out a Bihari from his land and calls himself a Hindu ! Should we blame Hinduism for all of it? All these are specimens of a degenerated society. Hinduism was always evolved; it’s the society that disgraces it time and again. Despite that it still stands strong. So is the case with Islam or any other religion.
The present lot of politicians is another sick lot who will go to any extent to satisfy its vulgar appetite for power. Majority of communal problems can be easily traced to their nefarious designs. Tell me one evil which doesn’t trace its roots to them. We have to live and hope in spite of them. The leaders we have are a reflection of the society we live in. After all it’s the majority’s vote that counts.
We find it everywhere. Mixing of social reforms with religion. All religious organisations must be debarred from taking up social reforms. Why should they? It’s not within their purview. Religion has no business to come and dictate terms to the society. If social service is their prime aim then why can’t a Christian Missionary and a Hindu Missionary join hands with a Muslim organisation and work for the masses? But they wont for their interests lie elsewhere and not truly in the welfare of society. It would do good for the society to stay clear of these organisations.
If moderates, liberals, reformers, et al want to bring reforms to the society, then they must target the root of its ills. Education is the key. Make all segments of society capable of standing on their own and make their own judgments. A liberal education setup is a must. The State must endeavour to ensure that for all segments of the society. All this system of missionary, minority and majority schools has done more harm than good. The educational system must be de-linked from religious organisations. What we need is a truly open education system.
Do not dare to touch religion. Let your soul make your own religion. Let your soul choose your own religion. Preach your own religion, if you may, but do not criticise others’. The moment you do that, you invite trouble. Its not Islam or Hinduism or Christianity that needs reforms. It’s the society that needs reforms. If the pillars of social harmony are strong, religious differentiation can never cause any trouble.
|
|
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
21 Comment(s)
