Baadah-e-Shiraz/Mul-e-Isfahan: Religion Becomes a Catalyst for Social Mobilization

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 2 January 2024 Those knowing Persian are aware of this archaic Persian adage, Baadah-e-Shiraz/ Mul-e-Isfahan. Farsi words Baadah and Mul mean wine. We often use the word Baadakash for Maykash (alcoholic) in Urdu. People of medieval Iran would often get into unnecessary debates regarding the quality of wine of Shiraz and Isfahan. Those from Shiraz, would claim that their wine was the best and people hailing from Isfahan would assert that theirs was the best wine. It remained inconclusive as to which wine was the best. Medieval Persian historian Aneeq Qanai wrote that the wine lovers of Shiraz were particularly adamant and arrogant in asserting the supremacy of their respective wine. Going by this analogy, today's Hindus, intoxicated by the wine of fanaticism, are asserting that their way is the highway. They're the Baadakash-e-Shiraz (alcoholics of Shiraz). The famous atheist and ex-Muslim Anwar Shaikh coined a phrase 'Maykash-e-Mazhab' (Alcoholics of religion) for the fanatics. Now these religious alcoholics, in a soon-to-become Hindu Rashtra, are issuing edicts that all Indians irrespective of their faiths, must chant Jai Sri Ram. Religion often becomes a catalyst for social mobilization. It also lends legitimacy to our (wrong) actions and decisions. This has happened in all ages and in all countries wherever religion got an upper hand. Anthropologist Breymer opined in his essay, 'Periodic Assertiveness in Religiosity' that in the history of all man-made faiths, there have been phases and periods of religious assertiveness. All faiths have experienced this and asserted their supremacy in that period. Islam enjoyed the longest period of religious fanaticism. It's still more or less a fanatic faith. Medieval Christianity was killing and burning all heretics. Judaism, till the 6th-century, was a faith of zealots. Adi Shankar's Hinduism was hell-bent upon the annihilation of Buddhists and Jains. The same zealotry has returned in the form of neo-Hinduism. The history of human civilization has been a sanguinary saga of religious madness and bloodshed. That we still call ourselves 'civilised' is the biggest joke. So profound is the impact of neo-Hinduism that a superstar from South, who always called himself an avowed atheist, is now chanting Ram, Ram. Humans will never be able to get rid of their chromosomic religiosity which is in their DNA. Sigmund Freud aptly said, "Until a brand-new human species with absolutely no preconceived ideas of concocted gods and outdated religions emerges and replaces the existing substandard humans, a handful of sane and godless individuals will continue to suffer." There cannot be a more correct and incisive observation than that of Sigmund Freud. ----- 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 the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/shiraz-isfahan-religion-social-mobilization/d/131436 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