Part 1: Religious Confusion
While I am blindly keying in the words into my computer, a part of me is well aware of the implications of writing such an article. I also understand that I may be or perhaps will be criticized for my views and that forums like these are not meant to put up commentaries like these. Having said that I may also humbly state that whatever is expressed herein is nothing but an honest analysis about the ‘nation’ which doesn’t by any definition qualify to be labeled so.
The story is long and painful, very long and very painful indeed. I certainly cannot shrink the pain and the length in this blog alone but can only try to depict a vivid picture of what I intend others to see. Now the heading may seem very critical apparently but it actually is not. I am not going to criticize the Pakistani nation here; I will rather attack the typical Pakistani mindset. Each and every aspect of it. The very fiber of it. Stressing the word confusion – I will deplore and censure the Pakistani psyche of the present day.
What makes Pakistanis the most confused people on the face of earth? Well, I will try my best to stick to the possible answers to this question. My remarks must be judged in the light of philosophical and historical argument and should not be taken in the literal sense as the masses and laymen generally tend to do.
So by coming back to the fact of the matter with ease, I think that confusion in the Pakistani way of life has to do everything absurd with everything rational. It has a lot to do with religion and culture. It has its roots in literature. This nation has tampered with its history and adulterated with its own ideology. What it has nothing to do with is knowledge and reason. Knowledge – this is the scarcest of all luxuries within the geographical boundaries of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. While inside the borders of this country the very perception of this word changes. Any written, spoken or broadcasted nonsense is regarded as knowledge.
Religion also has played its havoc in Pakistan. As if the hard-to-understand state religion was not enough for the extremely plain and over whelmingly illiterate population, the so-called religious scholars and self-proclaimed aalims, did everything to add to the confusion. Today there are more than four dozen known sects of muslims in Pakistan almost all declaring all as infidels and Kafirs. This confusion can be witnessed from Karachi to Waziristan, from Lahore to Dera Ismail Khan at any given point in time.
Here I can enjoy the liberty to curse the most accursed military dictator that Pakistan has ever had, but he alone could not be held answerable for all this bafflement. His predecessor and the former civilian Chief Martial Law administrator have also done a great service to this cause. But again the relatively less controversial figure, the first Prime minister of this country also tried to encash this blank cheque of religious fanaticism by approving the famous objective resolution instead of giving a full fledge contemporary constitutional structure. This so-called objective resolution has served as one of the most notorious set of laws ever written. Pakistan was not founded by Jinnah to have such a biased and inhumane piece of legislation as its ideological basis. Jinnah, who stood for a secular muslim state was buried in 1948 in Karachi along with all his wisdom and vision which found no inheritors leaving the newly born state in the hands of people who were pursuing fresh political careers. The mainstream leadership had just migrated from India leaving behind their constituencies and also the political powers and votes. They were badly searching for new ways to gain popularity. Religion and religion embedded in both constitution and sentiments of the masses was the only possible popular choice. And to drag this band wagon bearded Mullahs served as beasts of burden.
Then time and again different rulers in different times used religion to strengthen their grasp on power. Sometimes it came as a slogan of implementation of Nizaam-e-Mustafa (The System of Muhammad) and at others it came bracketed with communism and socialism and was labeled as ‘Islamic Socialism’. Recently by the end of the last decade it was once again used by a Prime Minister who had a two-third majority in the parliament at that time. He coined a term which had its roots in the early Islamic history – The Khilafat (Caliphate). The clean shave city boy of Lahore, who could hardly read the sacred book of Islam, the Quran, fluently showed his interest to become Ameer-ul-Momineen (Leader of the faithful). His dreams were shattered when a general and the Chief of the country’s military seized power in a bloodless coup. The Prime Minister was charged and convicted but later managed to escape because of his friendly relations with the Saudi royal family and lived in Saudi Arabia in exile for about seven years.
As I said earlier religion was used as a power tool by almost all the rulers of Pakistan without exception. The result was obvious – severe confusion among the masses. It was not just the political elite which tampered with religion. The so-called religious scholars or maulvis also played their part in creating confusion among the religiously moderate people of Pakistan. They were perusing their motives so rigorously and so aggressively that they even did not care about the sacredness and sensitivity of this issue. Fatwas (religious verdicts) were issued by different sects declaring others as kafirs or infidels. The leaders even encouraged their followers to go for Qital (commonly misunderstood as Jihad) against the opposition. The result being that the bloodiest months in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan are the months of Moharram and Rabi-ul-Awwal. The former marks the Islamic New Year and the anniversary of the killing of Imam Hussain the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad at the hands of the ruling muslim class and the latter marks the birthday of the Prophet himself. These months are celebrated in Pakistan by Shias and Sunnis respectively; Shias being in minority mostly bear the brunt of being so.
Again the issue of determining the majority or minority or even the number of followers of a sect is controversial in Pakistan. Technically the Sunni muslims are in majority but they are divided into two major sects. The Deobandis and the Barelvis. The latter considering the Prophet as divine light or Noor and the former opposing this view. Then there are Wahabis or Ahl-e-hadees. Looking closely you will also find Hayatis and mamatis. There are Baahis and Soofis also. And within the Shias there are Isna Asharis and Ismaliees. In Isna Asharis there are Jafferies and Alavis and Baqarees. In Ismaliees there are Bohris and Aga Khanis. This is a never ending list. All of them claim to be muslims and a majority of them merely find themselves muslim enough to make it to the paradise. Most of them consider all others as kafirs or infidels.
This confusion is not limited only to religious scholars and schools of thought. Even in the formal curriculum wherein Islamic studies is taught as a compulsory subject, we have two different text books. One for Shias and other for Sunnis. It is very difficult to understand how these religious and political leaders talk of implementing Shariah (The Islamic Law) in Pakistan. It seems impossible to me as it was perceived impossible by the founder of the state. The first Law Minister who was appointed by Mr.Jinnah himself happened to be of the Hindu faith. This makes it obvious that Mr. Jinnah never wanted Shariah to be implemented in Pakistan.
Another logical question that arises here is that what kind of Shariah these people want to enforce here. The Shia version of it or the Sunni one while both of them are miles apart. The nature and style of legislation of each and every school of thought differs from the other. This confusion of religious beliefs and doctrines has deepened its roots in the Pakistani society.
In the next part I will be covering other aspects of this confusion which has made our lives really miserable. Please feel free to express your views, comments, remarks or even criticism and abhorrence. I am open to all such reactions and will try to respond to every question that you may put.
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