-----Original Message-----
From: Mohammad Farooq <farooqm@trxinc.com>
To: nabic-l@globalfront.com <nabic-l@globalfront.com>
Date: Saturday, July 03, 1999 1:05 PM
Subject: Cooperation or Confrontation? - A Reality Check
Salaam and greetings!
Recent discussions on Alochona forum has been quite enlightening for myself.
We heard quite a few voices from many angles.
Here is a brief sampler:
"We'd have been way better off without any religion..." [Tehsin Ali]
Contrarily: "Please do not blame the religion(s) -- blame the BAD guys who
are tarnishing the image of religion(s)." [Sohail Ahmad]
"...religion can give a tunnel vision which may be very difficult to
overcome." [Dr. Alamgir Khan]
"There is no need to bring in religion to decide on the wrongness or
rightness of an act. [Masudur Rahman]
Contrarily: "Incest is ... sickening ... because it is morally wrong. And
the question of morality comes from religion." [ldb01@aol.com]
"Religion has been the bane of mankind in history." [Azam Khan]
Contrarily: "Religion, like any other ideology (Marxism, capitalism,
individualism, states Vs. federal rights, etc., etc.) has been use for both
very evil deeds and tremendous good - THE CHOICE IS OURS." [Dr. Ahmed
Badruzzaman]
Among other things I wrote:
"...but this world is for ALL OF US: Muslims and non-Muslims; seculars
and non-seculars; religion-lovers and religion-haters."
"It is a right of anyone to dislike religion, including Islam. Faith,
religion, spirituality is not something that should be pushed down someone's
throat."
Yet, somehow, to some my message was not a message of enough tolerance. Just
illustrating the point that there are certain things that are fairly universal in all
religions, and mere conscience is inadequate to define these as right or wrong, was taken
by some as an attack on or intolerance toward "homosexuals", thus rebuffing my
"plea for mutual respect" and giving me an eye-full [e-mails give me eyefulls
not earfulls. I wonder how it would
have sounded on voice e-mails.]
When I am writing on this Forum that wishes to have relevance to Bangladesh and its
future, and to have some contribution for the betterment of its people, I believe that we
should have a good reality check. If somehow the overall people of Bangladesh have to
loosen up on issues even such as homosexuality, same-sex marriage, etc. so that educated
people like us can forge a closer and better relationship to liberate or rescue the nation
or bring deliverance to them, with all due respect and admitting the possibility in
advance that I could be wrong, many of our good-intentioned effort to help our nation is
then essentially non-starters.
Let me identify three relevant realities in this context.
1. There is quite a bit of diversity of thought, attitude, and preferece, including among
Bangladeshis. I myself realize that howevermuch I like, the world is not going to run
exactly, 100%, the way I would like as a Muslim. Others need to come to term with this as
well so that we can find our point of tangency, if not some broader convergence.
2. There is plenty of misuse and abuse in the name of religion. Dr. Ahmed Badruzzaman
correctly points out: "Religion, like any other ideology (Marxism, capitalism,
individualism, states Vs. federal rights, etc., etc.) has been use for both very evil
deeds and tremendous good - THE CHOICE IS OURS."
Many of us find it painful as to what sometime goes on in the name of religion including
Islam. Much of such misuse and abuse is more related to exploitation as well as misunderstanding/misinterpretation of Islam (I am being specific to Bangladesh context). I
don't want to dwell on that in this message.
3. Let us not forget that Bangladesh IS a Muslim-predominant country. Islam as a faith,
religion, spiritual heritage is almost inseparable from Bangladeshi society. Whether we
like it or not Islam has to be dealt with in the context of Bangladesh. It is not going to
go away just because we wish or recommend so.
Even if I were not a Muslim, but just someone concerned with development of the people,
before I even try to address the problems or seeking the solutions within the value system
that people cherish and value, I would not create unnecessary confrontation with it. The
result is a stalement and stagnation. [Note: I articulated this point several years ago in
an unpublished academic paper: "Change and Continuity: The Dynamics of Institutional
Behavior in Islam". If anyone is interested, contact me and I can forward a copy.]
The point I am trying to make here, let me illustrate using a few specific points.
We have serious illiteracy problem in Bangladesh. We would like this problem to go away.
Even if I were not a Muslim, I would go to the vast majority of illiterate people, who
also have some basic attachment to Islam and inspire them pointing out the exhortation
from the Prophet (s): "Seeking knowledge is incumbent upon EVERY muslim" [Sunan
Ibn Majah, #223]. Instead of rebuking them for their stupidity as to why they still live
in the past with such backward religion, the issue of literacy could be better addressed.
Unfortunately, it is a shame that even Islamically-oriented forces and groups have not
picked such matters up seriously. By the way, the above hadith is gender-neutral, meaning
that it applies to both male and female.
Another case is birth control. Religions, including Islam, are often blamed as an
impediment. However, there is also a great deal of misunderstanding about it. For example,
we routinely see that many rural/poor families have children almost one every year. Yes,
we know the resulting socio-economic consequence. We also know how inhuman it is to impose
such on any female to be pregnant every year, and then also nurse the babies
breast-feeding. Either as a Muslim or as an economist, I can't discuss all the pertinent
issues here, but the current strategy of many educated and liberated souls is to basically
confront, malign, and look-down-on these people's faith and religion. Has anyone ever
asked these miserable people, including those downtrodden, overburdened, poorly fed,
hardworking wives and their husband that Islam emphasizes, subject to mutual family
consultation, that new babies are be nursed/suckled for two years? [2/al-Baqara/233] Thus,
having back to back babies is simply a violation of Islamic teachings.
Please do understand that I am not offering a solution that would take care of the
population problem, but I am suggesting non-confrontational ways to deal with problems
that people can easily identify with and do not feel their cherished values threatened. If
such approach would make things little bit easier on these unfortunate women carrying
sometimes two babies at the same time, I would consider it a contribution. [By the way,
these women and their husbands in Bangladesh need to know that how many children to have
is not
merely husband's decision; it is a matter of "shura" - mutual consultation. This
is not a matter of ideal; it is a requirement based on a general Islam-envisioned culture
of mutual consultation, even at the family level.]
The important point is that even pragmatism dictates that when positive results can be
achieved through a value system that people generally identify with, there should not be
any unnecessary confrontation.
Anyhow, Muslims are not going anywhere without facing up contemporary challenges that
range from freedom/liberty, women's rights, education/technology etc. There are Muslims
who are cognizant of these problems. Recently, I have drafted an article titled
"Fundamental Challenges facing the Muslims". The idea behind this article is
first to formulate my
own structured thought on this matter, engage Muslims in Bangladesh and elsewhere, to
scrutinize themselves and their prevailing thoughts, traditions, cultures in light of what
they themselves believe to be the life-giving (shonjiboni), ever-fresh source and guidance
on one hand, and general human experience on the other. In addition, others might have
interest in being informed about such efforts and the resulting thoughts.
Once again, to spare the Alochona subscribers from a lengthy posting, I have placed the
article at http://www.globalwebpost.com/farooqm/writings/islamic/challenges.html
from which
interested readers can download.
The world, including the society in Bangladesh, is greatly polarized due to extremism from
all sides. It is going to worsen, if we don't try to find common grounds and start
building relationships based on mutual respect, understanding and cooperation.
As a Muslim and a human being, I don't believe that we should seek out who the homosexuals
are and organize lynch mobs to take care of them. Nor do I think that individuals are to
be personally targeted for persecution by other vigilantes, individuals or groups.
However, that is different than accommodating these so-called alternative
"life-styles" or "orientations" to bring them at par, as if really
there is nothing wrong, morally speaking.
The reality check is simply this. If we really care about making this world, in general,
and Bangladesh in particular, any better, then we have to come down from our ivory towers,
mine and yours, and recognize that a great deal of positive things can be accomplished and
differences can be made through understanding and cooperation than through unnecessary
confrontation.
Through articulation of my thoughts and participating in forums such as this, I am trying
to find the points of tangency and convergence. Where do you find such points of tangency
and convergence?
Also, as I said that extremism in this world already abounds and it is growing; yes, in
Bangladesh too, across its geographic border as well as across religious borders. If
people like me and my kind of message of tolerance, mutual respect, and cooperation
appears inadequate and deserves condemnation, that is fine. Then, instead of forging
better relationship and
common ground with people like me and other similar ones and working toward reducing
extremism and rift, you can deal with those who simply don't care about what happens
either to themselves or to anybody else. They will cheerfully condemn you: "Go to
Hell"; and you can similarly condemn them "Go to Heaven."
It does not have to be that way. Forgive me for bringing in Kazi Nazrul again, and I join
him to beg:
"Tomra probaho, tomra shokti, tomra jibondhara
tomaderi srot juge juge bhange shob bondho kara. ...
ar keho bhikh dik ba na dik tomar bhikhkha dao
shommo shanti ashibe na, jodi tomra phire na chao!
Nohi neta rajnoitik, PREM bhikhkha amar niti
prithibi shorgo, prithibite fer jaguk shorgo-priti..."
"nijera attotag kore mohatager poth dekhao
bhikhkha chahe a bhikhari, bhikhkha dao go bhikhkha dao."
Am I soliciting something impossible? Something too big?
"Jara brihoter kolpona kore, mohot shopno dekhe
tarai mohot, kollan ei dhoray eneche deke.
Oshombhober obhijan-poth tarai dekhay nore [to humans]
shorbo-shrishti phereshtareo tara boshibhuto kore."
[This last one is from: Bishshash o asha]
Look forward to hear your thoughts.
Best regards.
Farooq
==========================
Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq
Upper Iowa University
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