HOW A COUNTRY IS FALLING FURTHER
INTO ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM
I can't recollect how I lost my faith in God but as
far as I recall, I never had one since my parent didn't force me to think of
God and fairly tale of religion. They forced me to study hard so that I could
survive well for my future. But I am watching my son growing up without faith. I never told him about
non-existence of God. Rather we live in a catholic neighborhood infested with
God loving neighbors and he does go to temple twice a month for Indian culture
class. He never read any atheist literature. He is only seven- too young to
understand atheism! But for last two years, he is telling me, he is quite sure
of God as a make-belief story because God is more akin to Spider
man and Superman. Indeed, one day he told me why so many people believe
in God when God does not exist!! It was difficult for me to explain him the
evolution of God with human civilization and history. Therefore I told him to
recollect how many of his friends believe in spider man ? He agreed it must be
a large number and he understood myth does play a strong role on human mind. I
am quite confirmed, all children are born atheist but society and their parent
force them to be theist. Fear of God is cultivated in young mind by their
family. You do not force them or teach them to be afraid of God, and all
children by default will be atheist. You do not need to teach them to be
atheist. They will be so by their own rational, common sense and realization.
Atheism, therefore is the most natural unperturbed state of human faith. Theism
on the other hand is a cultivated state of human mind which is forced upon by
the family, politics and society.
Lack of belief can make you an outcast in the
theist society. My son too is facing problem in the neighborhood.
Neighborhood kids are from devout catholic families. His loss of faith in God
already made him slightly isolated and being subject to ridicule by his
friends. But he learned to ignore. As such, I never faced issues with my
atheism as Indian philosophy has place for all kinds of people. Indeed all the
major philosophical branches of Indian philosophy are atheist in nature. Indian
philosophy has the foundation where atheists and theists can live in peace and
harmony. Besides, most of the scientists, technologists and entrepreneurs with
whom I work, are atheists. Atheists are majority among accomplished
citizens of US. Therefore, it is difficult for me to realize and understand
state repression faced by the atheists in a Muslim country where they are
viewed as an alien.
Monotheist religions like Jews, Christians and
Islams leave no space for atheism. Atheists were not treated kindly in their
holy text and in the due course of their religious history. Therefore in an
Islamic country like Bangaldesh, proclaiming to be an atheist can be dangerous.
You can be jailed or imprisoned for losing faith in God ! Wait that is only
Government response! And then Jihadists can kill you at their will, whenever
they want, wherever they want.
Government will remain mute spectator only.
Yes, you heard it right. In Islamic country
you can rape women, kill men who dare criticize Islam in the name of Allah and
instead of being punished, you will be patronized just because you claimed
yourself to be a fighter or Jihadi of your religion. This is the
continued story of Bangladesh and Pakistan. Your religion and faith brings your
supreme justification in the society. It does not matter whether you are an
accomplished doctor or engineer or a writer. If you do not comply as a good
Muslim-- in the most of the Islamic countries, you can be discriminated,
bullied and worse, can be languished in
prisons like atheist bloggers of Bangladesh. And if that is not the end, you
will be hacked to death by the radicals in open day light while others will
rejoice as is the case for Dr Avijit Roy, one of the legendary Bengali atheist
blogger of our time.
Yes, civil societies in the most of the Muslim
countries didn't progress at all-they have equivocally given in fearing
criminal persecution and death. Questioning existence of God can be seen as
blasphemy and therefore in Pakistan you can be stoned to death as punishment of
blasphemy. In Bangladesh, which was a more moderate and tolerant country,
blasphemy law is not well defined but now an union of Islamic groups is
demanding death for blasphemy as mandated by Sharia law of Islam!
So what is the reality in an Islamic country like
Bangladesh? A quick review may make you laugh but even that can be construed as
"hurting religious feeling" Most of the Muslim criminals, rapist, thieves in the world are named
Muhammad. Because Muslims love to name their son after their
prophet. This does not denigrate or insult their prophet. But if a
cartoonist draws a cat naming Muhammad he will be in Jail!! All business
and politics must have their allegiance and loyalty to Islam. Recently
there was a Bank called "Bismillah Bank" ( Bank of Allah) in
Bangladesh which looted nearly $120M of poor people. This is not
blasphemy in Bangladesh. This is not insult to their God!
Bangladesh and Pakistan constantly ranked topmost
position in corruption. Islam as a religion strictly opposes corruption and
dishonesty. The religion of Islam also advises to live like a poor to remain
less greedy and honest. These are good and valuable teaching of Islam to
mankind. But "Islamism" or adherent of Islamic thoughts have been
used by all the political parties of Bangladesh to loot the country and its
people further. Islam didn't reduce their greed of great loot.
Then what purpose did Islam serve to the people of
Bangaldesh when none of them accepted the core message of Islam and almost
everyone of them is using Islam for meeting their political and material greed?
These bloggers of Bangladesh, specially Asif was raising this question.
It was clearly uncomfortable for the ruling class of Bangladesh and therefore,
they dumped him in prison!
Islam or any religion is a political decoy for the
ruling class. Although all religions, including Islam was born as a revolution
against existing corrupt ruling class, in the end, it is now a tool for the
ruling class to deprive the common people of their political and material
right. Bloggers of Bangladesh started raising these uncomfortable
questions for their ruling class. Therefore, ruling class replied with their
police power by cracking down on them.
Yes, that is the real situation in Bangladesh.
You can open a Bank like " BisMillah Bank " ( Bank of Allah) and
perhaps a Bismillah brand POT-Nobody will mind. As long as you add word like
Bismillah, ummah you are in good book even if you continue to be corrupt. But
questioning this corruption in the name of Allha is blasphemy in Bangladesh and
be aware, Govt wants to see you in prison! And if Govt. fails in the persuasion, radicals will do that in open daylight.
It is impossible for any country to make progress
without freedom of speech and religion. Only a critical society makes progress.
Other society can be a corrupt follower at best in absence of freedom.
[BIPLAB PAL]
0 Comments
