Religious Behaviour Is Socio-Culturally Interwoven

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 14 July 2022 Why Someone's Religion Is An Issue, And Why Someone Following A Certain Religious Ritual Becomes A Murtad? Main Points: 1. Ahmadiyyas soi disant apostasy is a matter of (religious) perceptions. 2. Faith is always an example of Percolated Continuation in the parlance of Sociology. 3. Ritualistic behaviour of a parental religion is deep-rooted. ---- It’s really strange that three members of Ahmadiya sect were arrested for sacrificing animals (in line with the Islamic tradition of Qurbani) on the occasion of Eid-al-Azha. This happened in Pakistan, a country of moronic zealots. Agreed, Ahmadiyyas are not considered Muslims anymore and they're heretics. But what's wrong if they still follow the rituals of Islam? Islam has ostracized them but they don't see themselves as ex-Muslims. All Ahmadiyyas have great respect for Muhammad but at the same time, they also respect their founder Ghulam Ahmad Qadiyani. That's it. If Ahmadiyyas follow Islamic traditions and rituals, how can that amount to hurting the sentiments of Muslims (read Sunni Muslims)? They (Ahmadiyyas) are not making fun of Islamic rituals and customs. Their soi disant apostasy is a matter of (religious) perceptions. Faith is always an example of Percolated Continuation in the parlance of Sociology. Even if you leave a faith or are driven out of the fold of a faith, the remnants of the erstwhile faith do stay in your consciousness and are called Indelible Imprints of the Early Faith. British sociologist Nick MaClean worked on this phenomenon for many years and wrote a seminal essay, now a book, “Influences, vestiges and effects of Parental Religion “(OUP, 1989). He argued that the ritualistic behaviour of a parental religion is deep-rooted. Simple manifestation of this behaviour is obvious among Muslim married women, esp. in Maharashtra, wearing a Mangalsutra or Bangladeshi Muslim women wearing a Saree. Religion is also entwined with socio-cultural behavioural patterns. Following each other's religious practices were seldom considered blasphemous, though the scenario is pretty different now. If an act of sacrificing animals by the 'apostates' is sacrilegious, then saying Assalam u' Alaikum W Rahmatullah W Barakatuh. السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ . May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be with you should also be blasphemous if used by a non-Muslim. I'm a complete atheist and my Indian Muslim friends are very well aware of this, yet when I greet them with this typical benediction, they don't take umbrage. Rather, they feel good that a non-Muslim and an apatheist at that, says these words so nonchalantly. I also say Khuda Hafiz (though nowadays I refrain from it for fear of hearing Allah Hafiz, used by today's hard-core, uneducated and misdirected Muslims) despite having no faith in Khuda or Allah. But Khuda Hafiz is a part of my socio-cultural upbringing. How can I part with it or how can I forget my Urdu, Persian and Arabic, which constitute my linguistic consciousness? Had I been in Pakistan, I'd have been called a Kafir (infidel) and would not have been alive to write this piece. And this happened to me in Pakistan. Years ago, my Arabic-professor and mentor Dr Zaifa Ashraf's friend, Dr Tahira Naqqash, took me to Pakistan. It was my maiden visit to our neighbouring country. That lady was highly educated, having studied at Oxford, Cambridge and Berkeley Universities. During a party in Lahore, one snobbish lady, looking at me, asked Dr Naqqash, “Aapki Taareef?” (Who's he?). Dr Naqqash said, “Aap Humare Farzand Hain “(He's my son). That lady asked me, “Beta, Aapka Ism-e-Shareef Kya Hai?” (Son, what's your name?). When she heard, Sumit, she said, “Kafir Hain?” Dr Tahira Naqqash became furious and said, “Why should my son have a religion and how dare you call him a Kafir?” That snooty woman apologised but I could never forget the uncouth behaviour of that Pakistani woman in Lahore. I also remember the magnanimity of Dr Tahira Naqqash, who also hailed from Pakistan. The point is: Why someone's religion is an issue? And why someone following a certain religious ritual becomes a Murtad (Arabic for an apostate)? A devout Muslim like Rafi could sing Bhajans at temples and no one ever frowned upon the great singer singing Bhajans. This is the quintessence of a composite culture. Good, Indian Muslims are still not so fanatic like their Pakistani brethren. But trends and tendencies are rapidly changing. At times, I shudder to think of the bigotry of Indian Muslims and Muslims in general. But then, followers of which religion are sane and sensible any longer? ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/religious-behaviour-socio-culturally-/d/127474 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism