Majority of the Muslims all around the world are considered to be too much inclined towards religion; they are called fundamentalists, both in the positive as well in the negative sense. In the positive sense, a fundamentalist Muslim is one who offers five time prayer every day, fasts in the month of Ramadan, gives Zakat (charity), if possible goes for hajj (pilgrimage) etc. In the negative sense, a fundamentalist Muslim is one who is ready to kill the infidels and be killed, who wants to turn the whole world in to Dar ul- Islam (house of Islam).
In either sense Muslims are seen as a ‘community’ which follows what it considers Islamic teachings, never mind the teachings are correct or misinterpreted, staunchly. This staunchness has made the Muslims world separate from other ‘communities’. Muslims want to live in a shell, hoping and aspiring that the ‘golden days’ of Islam will come back. They live a world that has got no reality. Whenever a common Muslim man is cornered in a discussion he, most often says, ‘Just wait, the triumph of Islam is a reality and it will come very soon’. If a fanatic is cornered then he will not say anything, he will plan to harm him, if not kill him. We live in the 21st century but we want to sail into the 7th century period.
It is necessary to distinguish between religion as an ideology or a belief system and the ideology of religious identity, which is communalism. Religion as an ideology says that these are the principles of this religion and a good person will follow it; while the ideology of religious identity says that a particular ‘community’ must work in such a fashion so as to be able to strike a stark difference between his religion and other religions; and his religious identity is different and in hostility with the religious identity of other religions and their religious identity. Religion is neither the cause nor the end of communalism- it is only its vehicle.
No comments:
Post a Comment