Article: Some Fundamentals (4): Balance is of paramount importance!

Dear Shetubondhon Friends,

Salam and greetings.

There is a larger underlying reality that we must grapple with. There are many who think that this world is turning the way it is due to lack of faith and religion. The reality is really not so. The way religion is commonly understood and practiced these days, it is quite often an impediment to solving even our most basic human problems. On the other hand, there are many who think that this world can be improved only and if we can simply free ourselves from religions, which seems to have become the dogma of contemporary secularism. Such dogma is prejudiced and most assuredly radicalizing the religionists.

Let me pose these cases. The 20th century was among the worst in human conflicts. Many major events of that century was shaped by the cold war between the secular socialist/communist block and secular capitalist block. Does any of the strife or conflict, individually or in aggregate, from the religious side even come close to what we saw as the casualty of the secular cold war? On the path of human progress, those who have brought the humanity to the nuclear age and exposed the entire world to the possibility of real extinction - and that is so advanced so that at the push of a button - religions or religious people are to be blamed for that? All those brilliant minds that work toward the development of weapons of mass destruction, are those to be attributed to religions or religious people?

How many cancers caused in the world by tobacco products and the more aggressive commercial marketing of this health hazard in less developed countries? According to a 1999 World Bank Report, "WITH current smoking patterns, about 500 million people alive today will eventually be killed by tobacco use." There are 10 million smoking-related deaths per year - more than any other single cause. [http://www1.worldbank.org/tobacco/book/html/cover2.htm#CONTENTS]

Adding all the religious strife in human history together would not come even close to what just tobacco products alone is causing or would cause, especially exacerbated by secular west's advertising dollars to boost demand for tobacco products in the poor countries, where people are less informed about the health hazards and public policy has been ineffective so far. Is that to be attributed to the religions or religious groups/people? Unfortunately, such international and national commercial madness are being accentuated in a more secular environment and by the economic/commercial interests of the (not religious, but) secular countries.

The consumption level and pattern of the developed countries disproportionately contribute toward the global pollution that is taking global tolls. Should religion or religious groups/people be blamed for that? To avoid making this write-up longer, I invite the readers to read a report DYING NEEDLESSLY: Sickness and Death Due to Energy-Related Air Pollution [http://www.repp.org/articles/issuebr6/issuebr6.html ] and learn more about how global energy-related pollution, disproportionately contributed by the west (the secular west), is creating a health nightmare.

According to a Global Environmental Governance report, "Industrialized countries have been major exporters of BANNED and OBSOLETE pesticides into developing countries. According to the Global Pesticide Campaigner, in 1995-1996, around 21, 026, 794 pounds of pesticides which are forbidden to be used in the United States were exported from US ports. This total, which includes banned as well as NEVER-REGISTERED products, represents an average rate of more than 14 tons shipped per day. The products, produced for export only, are not evaluated by the US Environmental Protection Agency for health or environmental risks. US exports of never-registered pesticides, at nearly 9.4 million pounds, have increased by 40% from the figures noted in the three year period of 1992-1994." [http://www.oneworld.org/cse/html/eyou/eyou42_7.htm] Moreover, "the U.S. shipped more than 114,600 tons of banned pesticides to developing nations between 1992 and 1994". [International Pesticide Trade, http://www.law.fsu.edu/journals/landuse/Vol131/REYN.HTMl ] The same report indicates that average death per year from such pesticides is 20,000, and ninety-nine percent is in the developing countries, probably some of those Bishwa-Ijtema-going people too. Well, the developed west that exports banned pesticides to the hapless poor countries is also secular west.

Today the Iraqi people are held hostage by two parties. On one hand is the butcher of Baghdad, Saddam Hossain, a leader of Ba'thism (a major component of which is secularism), who has a stranglehold on the nation. On the other hand, the sole-surviving, superpower, among whose hallmarks is secularism, has put another stranglehold on the Iraqi people through economic sanction. Human rights groups as well as UN agencies, such as UNICEF, have documented cases of widespread malnutrition, lack of food, medicine and other necessities and millions of people have already been affected since the so-called Gulf-war. Among the almost-a -million death are half are infants and children. [See a report by Robyn Williams of ABC Online at
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/ockham/stories/s207626.htm ] The secular US/West went to Iraq to take care of the butcher of Baghdad. Or, did it? As part of the U.S. strategy, it did take "care" of everything - the country's economy, infrastructure (military and civilian) - except the butcher himself. Secular Ba'thism vs. Secular West! The people are paying the toll. By the way, who supplied all those chemicals and technology or aided Saddam's chemical weapons program so that, on behalf of the "free" world, he could take "care" of the religious Iran, his own Iraqi people, and those hapless Kurds? Yes, the west (the secular west).

Let me clarify a point to the best I can. I gave those examples with full understanding that those do NOT necessarily have to do with secularism. The reason I brought it up is because all those "enlightened" souls who are disturbed and distressed by the rise of religious strife and extremism (and, let me admit that partly it is true) and would like to take extreme stands against religion as the root of all evil are missing the larger picture. Disproportionately more people are dying in the world due to unacceptable reasons other than religion or religious extremism. As a Muslim one undue, senseless injury or death due to religion or religious extremism is unacceptable to me, as it should be to all. Should it not be equally unacceptable, if it happens otherwise, especially through hands of the bastions of secularism or secularists? When we try to spook the world in an unbalanced fashion, we do a great disservice to all of us.

Our real problem is the bias and prejudice we harbor, regardless of whether our background is religious or secular. Our dogma about religion or secularism is pushing us to a direction that is becoming fertile ground for extremism, and more than often many well-meaning people are getting entrapped in that thought process. Thus, we are seeing religious fundamentalists and secular fundamentalists mutually feeding and reinforcing the antagonistic attitude and atmosphere. If others would like to laugh their heart out, I would like to offer my two drops of tears.

Toward the end of this message, let me pose this question to my friend, Dr. Sen as well as Mr. Khorshed Alam, from whom came this article of Dr. Jaffor Ullah. I admit that I could be wrong and, previously, I have admitted when I was. I also am fully confident that in my writing "EVERY WORD" can't be "PURE TRUTH". But my essential points are two:

(1). The articulation in that article "A Monkey Machination" is fundamentally biased and unbalanced.
(2) Assuming the preceding point, such biased and unbalanced approach and perspective would merely be either ineffective in helping the current ideological divide to narrow or, worse, it would actually widen the current divide.

I warmly invite Dr. Sen, Mr. Alam and others to help me better understand in case I am mistaken in regard to the above two points.

To the religionists, I must say that if religion is to play a positive role, especially in a world that must make room for all, they need to better understand the concerns of others, including the secularists, with empathy. To the Muslims I must say that if we believe that we are to be "justly balanced" (Ummat al-wasat;
2/al-Baqara/143), we need to recognize that as a community we really have a rather dismal showing. As far as all the "enlightened" non-religionists are concerned, it might not be a bad idea to be a little bit more humble and turn the spotlight of self-scrutiny on yourselves as well. There are definitely all sorts of "monkey machinations" going on. I wish we ALL would do our part to rise above it.

"We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special." Stephen Hawking

"O ye who believe! stand out firmly for God, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety: and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do. [5/al-Maida/8]

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