It is not the language of Islam
AHMED Shafi has come up with a new sermon on atheists. “Atheists, you have become infidels (Murtad) and it is Wazib for us to kill (Qatal) you,” said the theocrat. He has also threatened atheists to leave the 'country of Allah' (In a recent video message, al-Qaeda Chief Zawahiri, sympathising with Shafi-led Hefajat-e-Islam (HI), termed this country a huge prison!). Can anyone in an open congregation call for killing other people for their beliefs or opinions? Is it not a criminal offence? In the name of religion, can such atrocious behaviour be justified? What he has said is not the language of Islam.
Bangladesh was born as a secular state based on linguistic nationalism. In a secular state, citizens are free to follow their beliefs and nobody is allowed to hurt anyone's belief. Emergence of Bangladesh established a unique example of solving the religion-nationalism dilemma, which has long perplexed South Asian countries particularly Pakistan and Nepal and, in recent times, India. In our country the notion of a theocratic state is still being nurtured and frequently stirred up by religious fanatics for their coterie interest. And to keep the religious zeal alive they often target people of other beliefs as well as non-believers.
The situation further worsens when these fanatics get patronisation from the polity who exploit religious sentiments to gain political mileage. In this particular case, we have seen how the major parties have been wooing Hefajat to win their favour. The situation has created an environment where conscientious people often fear to protest this kind of religious bigotry.
The government did not take any action against HI that created massive disturbance in their May 5 programme and caused huge of loss of state property and lives.
HI has given a 13-point charter which is a clear contradiction of our state principles. After that the patriarch Shafi Huzur churned out a "tamarind theory" showing utter disrespect for both men and women. He proposed to confine women at home only to serve their husbands and look after family chores.
Successive governments have tried to reform the Qawmi syllabus. Even, the Qawmi madrasas students have several times demanded reform of their syllabus but the 'owners', HI being a prominent one, protested vehemently against such moves.
Qawmi madrasas have got stuck at a point. Their ideas are pulling back the society. Organisations like HI are only thriving on this backwardness. What they are doing is in no way related to Islam. These attitudes are medieval and barbaric.
Renowned universities like Oxford and Cambridge were also religious teaching institutions. Over time they changed themselves and led social progress and brought renaissance in Europe. National Professor Abdur Razzaq once said that Islam brought a great change in the discourse of theology coming out of overemphasis on afterlife and focusing on world life as well. He also emphasised on the secularising effect of Islam in the Indian subcontinent, particularly Bangladesh. We should uphold that spirit.
The writer is Sr. Editorial Assistant, The Daily Star.
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