By Barnes Mawrie
As they say, “religion is thicker than blood” so too it appears from time to time that this is a proven reality. What we are witnessing today in Israel and Gaza is the outcome of a religious radicalism which has resulted in the gruesome murder of innocent people including women, elderly persons and even babies. The Hamas as has been revealed, is a terrorist group led not by a political ideology but rather by a radical Islamic ideology centred on violence. All over the world, radical religious groups are posing a threat to peace and security in human societies. What a ludicrous irony that we human beings are killing each other in the name of “God” whom we consider as our creator and father. Probably it is in the name of the same God who is known by different names in different religions (Yahweh for Jews and Christians, Allah for Muslims, Brahma for Hindus etc.) that we are fighting and killing each other.
Theologically, we cannot conceive of the existence of many gods or else we would have witnessed the “wars of the gods” or felt their impacts. The fact that there is perfect harmony in the universe and perfect order in creation, shows that there is only one God who has control over everything. Polytheism could be simply explained as the varied manifestations of the one God just as the Khasis believe in the presence of different spirits as the manifestation of the omnipresence of the one God. So logically speaking, we seem to be fighting among ourselves in the name of the same God. Perhaps when we go to the afterlife, we will regretfully realize how stupid we have been in doing so.
History has shown how religious radicalism has been responsible for the many bloody wars and genocides. It started with the Jews persecuting the Christians in the first century AD, because they wanted to protect Judaism from this new offshoot religion. Then during the Roman rule for over four centuries the Christians were again persecuted because they refused to adhere to the idolatrous practice of the Emperor Cult. When Christianity became a dominant religion in Europe in the middle ages, Christian radicalism led to the institution of the crusades which were responsible for the abominable crimes against non-Christians, all done in the name of defending their religion. During the reign of the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East, thousands of Christians were killed by the Muslims again in the name of religion. But in spite of all the pogroms resulting from such religious radicalism, humans don’t seem to have learnt a lesson.
As they say “human behaviour is predictable” and this is proven by the events throughout history. Thus, when we say “history repeats itself” it is actually a manner of saying that, “given a similar situation, humans behave in a similar way.” Therefore, looking at our present 21st Century, once again we see religious radicalism emerging forcefully. A few years back, the ISIS overran almost the entire Middle East with their radical Islamic ideology of creating a global Caliphate. During that time, we witnessed heinous crimes being committed by the group against Christians and other non-Muslims. Although the ISIS has been dismantled by the US and other forces, yet remnants of it still exist and the Hamas in Palestine adheres to its ideology. Radical Islam like the one practiced in Iran and Afghanistan, has gone to the extent of even committing crimes against the Muslims themselves. We are aware of the plight of moderate Muslims and Muslim women in these countries who are being murdered and deprived of all their rights as human beings.
When it comes to our country, India, we are witnessing the rise of radical Hinduism which does not tolerate religious diversity at any cost. Today Christians and Muslims in India are being targeted by the Hindu rightwing groups. Many of them have been killed and churches and mosques have been demolished unceremoniously. Christian educational institutions have not been spared either and with the implementation of the Anti-Conversion Law in many states, these Hindu radical groups are becoming bolder and more empowered by the state authorities. Thus, the India we live in today is no longer a country of the past where Christians and Muslims used to live in peace and harmony and with a great sense of security. I am afraid that if the BJP comes to power again in 2024, things are going to get worse for the non-Hindus. Is this the country that Gandhiji fought for? A country where citizens live in constant fear, not able to express themselves; where freedom of expression is being curtailed, where much of the media has been bought off to be advocates of the government? History has taught us that when religious radicalism takes the upper hand, persecution of minorities will take place and chaos is bound to follow. I hope and pray that our fellow Indians who desire to see our country as the abode of peace and prosperity, will do their utmost best to purge our country of every form of radicalism.