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Topic: Understanding the Muslim Rage in modern world.
The ability of the modern world to adjust various various currents of thoughts from different parts is remarkable. It’s no longer purely white man’s world.
Topic: Understanding the Muslim Rage in modern world.
The ability of the modern world to adjust various various currents of thoughts from different parts is remarkable. It’s no longer purely white man’s world.
Over the last 100 yrs the pain associated the racial tensions has been largely taken care of. So many non-white part of the world is doing quite well in modern age. For example two big societies — India and China. Particularly when when we compare with their tumultuous past.
Even more remarkable is the case with East Asia (Japan & Korea). One could also argue that parts of Africa is doing reasonably well in modern Times as compared to middle history.
1 section of the world — adherents of Islam — often give an impression that they are at odd with modernity.
There are enough flash points — terrorist attacks, incident just like in France — associated with some followers of Islam, happening at regular interval, to suggest same.
There are enough flash points — terrorist attacks, incident just like in France — associated with some followers of Islam, happening at regular interval, to suggest same.
Many people have explored the question from the point of view of theological difference between Islam and Christianity. While not dismissing this point of view, I would like to present an alternate view of things.
Here in this thread we try to move away from the religion based analysis- as far as possible-and concentrate more on the pressure which the people are feeling.
I would explore it from the point of my own limited experience and then try to extrapolate it for a larger Muslim world.
I would explore it from the point of my own limited experience and then try to extrapolate it for a larger Muslim world.
The first point that would I would like to make is that the modern world is tough for you, if you have only religion to fall back on. The world will always seems to get out of one’s hand and there would be less and less space to stand in the world holding only the faith.
Let me give you the personal example. I was born and have spent all my life till now in Indian Punjab. It is a Sikh majority area but with a significant Hindu population and very few Muslims and Christians. The society by and large is deeply religious.
My father was less of a believer and more of a rationalist, but my mother is very deeply religious women. Now as a old woman, I see her world filled with readings Sikh scriptures and performing religious activities daily. It’s a complete beautiful world full of culture and grace.
However much I admire the beauty of my mother’s world, I cannot be part of that world as she is. I have been given a template of my father and prefer to use the tools of inquiry to discover about my society and particularly about my past.
So although I may have a better understanding of our past then my parents but I certainly poorer in belief world. One way to put it is that modernity has acted upon me and has given me an alternate model of understanding.
I can also say with lot of confidence that my grandparents (from both side) were even higher than my mother in the religiosity index. So, over the years the modernity has slowly acted on the old world and created more and more space for itself.
Every individual from a religious society now a days carries two model in his/her head -old religious model & the new model of modernity. One for emotional satisfaction reason of sticking to the old world & other for pragmatic reason of acquiring the richness of the modern world
Most of the natives societies are adjusting by juggling both the models but somehow giving mental precedence to the old model for emotional reason. That’s where the mental balance of these old societies lies.
No surprise that after French president Macrons speech after beheading incident, the leaders of three states- Pakistan,Turkey and Malaysia- rose up to criticize the Europe understanding of Islam. They took it as more than their political duty to protect that delicate balance.
It’s tough for the individuals to adjust to the pressure of modernity as well. For example many young Sikh boys/men, borrowing the aesthetics from the new world, have shortened their hairs, disregarding the religious sentiments.
It’s tough for the society in general to deal with this new distortion from outside world. They try to block whenever the interference is too much. I teach in college where they will still not recruit any Sikh teacher with shortened hairs.
I found this contradictory as new leanings delivered by College in itself is the biggest importer of modernity aesthetics to the society.
So, the modern world if it gives material richness on one side, it comes at the cost of breaking the wholeness & the certainties of old world
So, the modern world if it gives material richness on one side, it comes at the cost of breaking the wholeness & the certainties of old world
But when some of these individuals, move out to the Western society, the cannot find that balance. Many respond by having an extra layer of security around the old model.
it should not be surprising that Khalistan demand is active mainly in the minds of diaspora Sikhs only,
it should not be surprising that Khalistan demand is active mainly in the minds of diaspora Sikhs only,
I am giving these example of Sikh community to highlight that it has not been easy for religious society to adjust to the pressures of the modern world.
Armed with this understanding now I try to extrapolate what is it that is causing extra rage in some sections of Islamic world
Armed with this understanding now I try to extrapolate what is it that is causing extra rage in some sections of Islamic world
One obvious factor is that Islamic world had a such a grand presence in the past — dominated much of the old world & being center of scientific innovation for some centuries — that is hard for believer to come into the terms with.
But the expansion of the Europe and the retreat of political Islam is not a new phenomenon. It has been happening for last 400. What is it that is causing a new rage now?
Bulk of followers in Islam come from non Arabic societies — Iran, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia and so on.
There is something -perhaps being an article of faith- that believers in these societies doesn’t celebrate Pre-Islamic past.
There is something -perhaps being an article of faith- that believers in these societies doesn’t celebrate Pre-Islamic past.
Iran for example has a great past it had rivaled Roman and Greece in the classical Times. But looking at present day set up in Iran it doesn’t seems that is source of its Pride. Everything centers around Islam and its particular variant (Shia Islam).
Pic :Ruins of Presepolis
Pic :Ruins of Presepolis
In Afghanistan Talibans (rulers at that times) were destroying the old left out remnants of Pre-Islamic past in Bamiyan by using modern explosive. Something which survived ancient destruction, was sought to be demolished by modern technology.
In Pakistan, the advent of Islam is attributed to the conquest of Arab by Muhammad bin qasim over Raja Dahir of old land of Sindh. The conquest was done for slaves and loot.
In the believers twist to history, as taught in Pakistani textbooks, Raja Dahir — defender of of the land- is the ancient cruel king and Mohammed bin qasim as the giant liberator and the bringer of the true faith.
Pic: Imaginory painting of Md Bin Qassim & Raja Dahir.
Pic: Imaginory painting of Md Bin Qassim & Raja Dahir.
In India Hindu group have won a long litigation for the construction of Ram Temple at the birthplace of Lord Ram.
The background of the case involves a long-standing grudge of Hindu groups that medieval Muslim rule have destroyed all temples in north & Central India.
The background of the case involves a long-standing grudge of Hindu groups that medieval Muslim rule have destroyed all temples in north & Central India.
In far off Indonesia, the the effect of Islamic current can be felt in Java as many are slowly and gradually adopting Arabic names instead of the indigenous names.
In all these societies the believers wanted to erase the pre-islamic past. Faith in a sense is at war with past and is attempting to abolish it.
Such self inflicted wound!!
The disturbance caused to society is immense and even after hundreds of years remains unresolved.
Such self inflicted wound!!
The disturbance caused to society is immense and even after hundreds of years remains unresolved.
Perhaps the believers world held together as long as the faith is unchallenged. But when the new alien powerful civilization came to encircle it, they are at odds of how to respond.
We are dealing with the people who wish that their identity be contain within the religion.
Because of the faith these people cannot cherish their pre-Islamic past. They have not mastered the new world as well.
So they are pressed from both side - Modernity & ancient world
Because of the faith these people cannot cherish their pre-Islamic past. They have not mastered the new world as well.
So they are pressed from both side - Modernity & ancient world
The interaction of New world to the Muslim world is not new. The writer Joseph Conrad captured some of the native Muslim anxieties at the height of European imperialism.
He wrote about this latent bitterness, while exploring colonized people, in last decade of 19th century
He wrote about this latent bitterness, while exploring colonized people, in last decade of 19th century
He wrote
“A man angry, powerless, empty-handed, with cry of bitter discontent ready on his lips; a cry that had it come out, would have rung through the virgin solitude of woods as true, as great, as profound, as any philosophical shriek that ever came ....”
“A man angry, powerless, empty-handed, with cry of bitter discontent ready on his lips; a cry that had it come out, would have rung through the virgin solitude of woods as true, as great, as profound, as any philosophical shriek that ever came ....”
Naipaul taking a cue from him called this phenomena as philosophical hysteria. Describe the response of an outside world as diffident.
The exact words used by him are “ philosophical diffidence meets philosophical hysteria and and diffident man , at the end, the more in control.”
The exact words used by him are “ philosophical diffidence meets philosophical hysteria and and diffident man , at the end, the more in control.”
Its too shallow to reduce down the problem to the aesthetics of representing prophet Muhammad in a different culture.
Muslim rage is more profound and widespread.
It’s a last ditch effort to stick to the losing world.
Muslim rage is more profound and widespread.
It’s a last ditch effort to stick to the losing world.
It may feel like death and hence the response could be an act of desperation.
The desperation normally takes the form of attacking the emblems of modernity- twin towers, famous tourist spot, some popular hotel, place of technological Marvel and of course simple beheading.
The desperation normally takes the form of attacking the emblems of modernity- twin towers, famous tourist spot, some popular hotel, place of technological Marvel and of course simple beheading.
If we can agree on the the existence of the problem and its very nature, then we should be able to deal with it through the mixture of calm, confidence and (if possible) some sympathy .
[End]
Thanks for reading so far..
[End]
Thanks for reading so far..
