RELIGION AND SOCIETY: Understanding the ‘Other’ - The Path to Peaceful Coexistence I gave a talk on the above subject at Tunis University this afternoon. Apart from Tunisian students, there were also students from Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Mauritania and other African countries in the audience. In addition to Arabic, the commonly spoken language in Tunisia is French. To my pleasant surprise, most of the students in the audience followed my talk in English. A gist of the talk in Arabic was presented by Dr. Hifzur Rahman, Head of Chancery at the Indian Embassy in Tunis. Here is the text of my talk, which was was followed by a vigorous Q&A session. * * * Talk by Sudheendra Kulkarni Chairman, Observer Research Foundation Mumbai sudheenkulkarni@gmail At University of Tunis (Tunisia) – March 3, 2014 * * * Her Excellency Ms. Nagma M. Mallick, Ambassador of India to Tunisia; Dr. Lotfi Mechichi, Dean, Faculty of Law & Political Science; Prof. Tawfik Bouachba; Prof. Hamadi Redissi; Dr. Hifzur Rehman; dear students; ladies and gentlemen, Good afternoon. It is truly an honour to be invited to give this talk at your great university. My sincere thanks to you, Dr. Mechichi, for the invitation. I am grateful to our Ambassador, Her Excellency Ms. Nagma M. Mallick, for facilitating this programme. I am highly pleased to be here in Tunisia, your beautiful country. This is my first visit and already, within the first three days, I am captivated by the natural and cultural splendour of your country. I am equally touched by the warmth of your people. My eyes have feasted on the colour of the Mediterranean Sea, the blue colour of the Tunisian sky, and the blue and white colours of the enchanting buildings in Sidi Bou Said. I came to Tunisia because of my interest in understanding the Revolution for Dignity and Freedom in Tunisia, which heralded the Arab Awakening in several countries in the Arab world. Before coming to Tunisia, I spent a week in Egypt. In other countries where democracy-loving people rose in revolt against dictatorial regimes, the revolution has so far failed to deliver its promise. In Libya, normal governance itself has become fragmented. In Syria, a fierce civil war is going on, which has claimed the lives of over 100,000 people. It has also forced millions of Syrians to seek shelter in other countries. It is the worst humanitarian crisis of our times. And it is still continuing. In contrast, it is a tribute to the maturity of the people of Tunisia that your country is moving in an orderly manner in the direction of constitutional democracy. Tunisia has earned the admiration of people all over the world for the democratic and progressive new Constitution that was adopted in January. This new Constitution is a tribute to the sagacity of the members of the Constituent Assembly and leaders of various political parties – especially Sheikh Rachid Ghannouchi, co-founder and president of Ennahdha. I have heard from several Tunisians I spoke to that, in spite of being the largest elected party, Ennahdha gave up power to an unelected government of technocrats for the purpose of national reconciliation, so necessary for preparing consensus on the new Constitution. For doing this, Sheikh Rachid Ghannouchi even had to face resistance from hardliners in his own party. The contrast of the Tunisian example of consensus-building with the tragic confrontational episode in Egypt is stark. The adoption of the new Constitution; the painstaking work of the Constituent Assembly; the nearly two-year-long deliberative and peaceful process that produced the Constitution; and, especially, the spirit of mutual accommodation shown by all sections of the political spectrum ─ these have laid a firm foundation for the development of democracy in Tunisia. By doing this, Tunisia has shown that Islam, democracy, nationalism, secularism and nonviolence are not contradictory to each other, and that they can be harmonised. This is a great lesson not only to the Muslim world, but also to the entire world. This also has a bearing on the topic of my talk this afternoon. In the political sphere, the leaders of your country ─ especially, the leaders of Ennahdha, which is the main Islamist political party ─ have demonstrated the spirit of understanding the ‘Other’. Democracy cannot succeed without this spirit of self-negation, non-dogmatism, mutual understanding, tolerance, respect, reconciliation and the resolve to work together for a larger common goal. Diversity and unity are both in the DNA of every society -------------------------------------------------------------- What is true about political democracy is even more true about social democracy. Social democracy cannot succeed ─ indeed, the lack of social democracy can lead to social chaos ─ without respect for pluralism. And respect for pluralism can come only with the spirit of understanding the ‘Other’. Pluralism or diversity is the basic hallmark of every society. The nature and degree of diversity may vary from society to society, but there has never been any society in human history which has not exhibited some kind of diversity. Diversity manifests itself in the areas of religion, culture, custom, language, race, beliefs and ideas. The question arises: Why is there diversity in society? If you believe in God ─ and I do ─ this is because God has built diversity in the very architecture of all His creation. There is diversity in the universe, in the natural world, in the living forms on our planet, and, hence, also in the world of human beings. The only entity where there is no diversity and no multiplicity is God Himself. God is One, and only One. In everything else in this universe, there is manyness. And that manyness is not sameness. There is difference in that manyness. And whereas there is manyness in this universe, there is also oneness in the all the manynesses. This is because God has also built unity into every system that exhibits diversity. In the natural world, unity manifests itself as harmony or balance in multiplicity. It is the same in the human world; however, the difference is that the task of attaining harmony, balance and unity is not performed by Nature. God has left this task to human beings themselves. Thus, both diversity and unity are in the DNA of human societies. Religion teaches human beings to view the “Other” as “Us” ------------------------------------------------------------------- Why has God left this task of achieving harmony, balance and unity in the human world to human beings? This is because God has endowed human beings with some unique powers and attributes that are not seen in His other creations. These attributes are: reason, free will and creativity. Man has to find his own path to co-existence. And if this co-existence in diverse human societies has to be peaceful ─ and it has to be peaceful, for otherwise existence leads to extinction ─ then man has to understand both himself and the ‘Other’. This understanding of oneself and the ‘Other’ alone can help us live together. Otherwise, life would be hell. Life would descend into the downward spiral of violence and death. Indeed, in the past few days, we have seen this dance of violence in Nigeria and in China. Earlier, we have seen this in the acts of communal and terrorist violence in India. Terrorist and ethnic violence has bared its fangs in India’s neighbourhood. We have seen it in acts of genocidal violence in Africa. Even military attacks by powerful nations on weaker nations, such as the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan, are also examples of the breakdown of the understanding of oneself and the ‘Other’. Religion is the guide to peaceful co-existence in the light of understanding of oneself and the ‘Other’. If we recognise that diversity is a part of God’s design or plan for the human world, and also that God has left the task of achieving unity and harmony within human societies to man himself, the next big question is: What can guide us to achieve this unity? True, man has been endowed with reason, free will and creativity. But what can help man not to use these powerful endowments for self-destruction, but for the progress and all-round development of human societies? The answer, in one word, is: RELIGION. Religion is the guide to human reason, free will and creativity ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Religion is the light that helps us see God’s plan for His creation. As a fundamental principle of this plan, religion is also the light that helps us understand ourselves and our fellow beings. These days, in intellectual and academic circles it is common to use the word “Other” to refer to fellow human beings, who are not “like Me”. But when I use the lens of religion to look at other human beings belonging to different communities or societies, I do not see them as the “Other”. Rather, I see them as “You”. I see that “I” and “You” together constitute “Us”. Thus, religion transforms the concept of the “Other” into “Us”. This is not mere wordplay. This acceptance of the “Other” as “Us” is an intellectual, social, cultural and spiritual transformation. It is only when human beings undergo this transformation that Diversity results into Unity, paving the path towards peaceful co-existence. Peaceful coexistence is the basic principle of every religion ------------------------------------------------------------------- Peaceful co-existence, transcending differences, is insisted upon in every religion in the world. In India, the word for religion in Sanskrit is Dharma. Peace ─ which is both the precondition and the outcome of harmony in human societies ─ is regarded as the highest goal of Dharma. Hence the Sanskrit adage: Ahimsa Paramo Dharmah. (The highest ideal of Dharma is nonviolence or peace.) Etymologically, Dharma means dhaarayati iti dharmah ─ Religion is that one that upholds, sustains and supports the world”. Dharma is God’s law, it is a set of duties according to the law. It means the right or ethical way of living, the path of righteousness. Not only Hinduism, but Buddhism and Jainism also use Dharma in the same sense ─ as a set of teachings for living ethically in peace, justice and brotherhood. I am not a scholar of Islam. I am only an eager, respectful and admiring student of Islam. But I have read that Prophet Muhammad used to recite the following prayer every day. “O Lord, you are Peace; Peace comes from you; and Peace returns to you. Enable us O our Lord to live a life full of Peace and enable us to enter Your House—the Abode of Peace.” It is stated in the Holy Qur’an, al-Maida (5:32): “Whoever killed a person (unjustly), except as a punishment for murder or for (spreading) disorder in the land, it would be as if he killed all the people (of society); and whoever (saved him from unjust murder and) made him survive, it would be as if he saved the lives of all the people (of society).” The great Prophet of Islam has said: “Any Muslim who unjustly kills a non-Muslim, God will make Paradise forbidden for him.” The Holy Bible also says: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” Respect for religious diversity is a must for peaceful co-existence -------------------------------------------------------------------------- In insisting upon unity ─ that is, looking at the “Other” as “Us” ─ religion does not ask us to forget or dissolve diversity and differences. Differences will always remain, because, as we mentioned earlier, differences and multiplicities are an integral part of God’s architecture for all His creation. Indeed, under God’s plan, even religions are many, they are not one. And there are differences between religions. Often, there are differences within the same religion on many counts. Therefore, when religion is not understood and practiced in the right way, we tend to see only the differences. And because of a certain loyalty or solidarity to one’s own religion or sect or community, we tend to see those who do not belong to “Us” as the “Other”. Thus, many Hindus see Muslims as the “Other” ─ and vice versa. In places like Nigeria, many Muslims see Christians as the “Other” ─ and vice versa. Among Hindus themselves, often people belonging to one caste see those belonging to different casts as the “Other”. Among Muslims, Sunnis see Shias as the “Other” ─ and vice versa. I am told that in Tunisia, where 98 percent of the population is Sunni Muslim, the so-called secularists see traditional Muslims as the “Other”. On the other hand, Islamists also see the secularists as the “Other”. (I shall say something about this debate on “secularism” a little later.) Contrary to the belief among religious extremists and also among secular extremists, respect for religious diversity is also a basic tenet in all religions. All religions of the world contain, and propagate, the same fundamental Truth about God and His creation. In Hinduism, it is stated: Ekam Sat Vipraha Bahudhaa Vadanti ─ Truth is One; wise persons interpret and express it differently. Islam also teaches its adherents to respect diversity in religion. This was very cogently explained by Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, an eminent Islamic scholar from Pakistan, at the ‘People’s SAARC Conference, an inter-faith meeting of religious leaders for peace, harmony and solidarity in South Asia, held in Mumbai in January this year. The conference was organised jointly by the Observer Research Foundation and Minhaj-ul-Quran International, a socio-spiritual NGO founded by Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri. Dr. Qadri has published a 600-page fatwa on “terrorism and suicide bombings”. The title of his speech in Mumbai was “Jihad has been hijacked by the terrorists, and we have to take it back.” Here I quote from his speech at the conference: “In order to work on the basis of peaceful coexistence and mutual cooperation, we need five basic Islamic values on which the Holy Qur’an and the Sunna of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace be upon him) have developed and established the human society. There are five fundamental Islamic values for human society prescribed by Islam: Recognition of human dignity. Understanding the common origin of all human beings, regardless of their race, colour, faith and creed. Consideration of diversity, plurality of human community and human faith in positive terms along with unity in this world full of diversity. Acknowledgment, respect, and honour to all religions. Islam has emphasized every follower of the Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace be upon him) that all Muslims should deal justly and equitably in their interaction with the people of all other religions, accepting the basic concept of freedom of religion and freedom of thought. So this concept of mutual peaceful coexistence and mutual coordination leads us to collaborative action. Eventually, this leads to collective solidarity of human society.” Mahatma Gandhi on Islam ------------------------------ I would like to introduce you to the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi, who was the greatest Indian in modern times to both preach and practice the tenet of accepting the “Other” as “Us” as the basis of peaceful co-existence not only in India but also all over the world. He was a modern-day apostle of Truth and Nonviolence. He believed that Truth is God. He held that Nonviolence is the active form of both prayer to God. Moreover, he also insisted that Nonviolence is the active form of Love that human beings can show to one another, transcending the barriers of religion, caste, colour, race, language and class. Mahatma Gandhi ─ Mahatma means the Great Soul ─ was a devout Hindu. However, no other world leader in modern times made inter-religious harmony the central theme of his life’s mission as passionately as Gandhi did. He had made a deep study of Islam, about which he wrote: “Islam enjoins an admiration for the Creator of the World and His works. As the West was in a dreadful darkness, the dazzling star of Islam shining in the East brought light, peace and relief to the suffering world. The Islamic religion is not a mendacious religion. When the Hindus study this religion with due respect, they, too, will feel the same sympathy as I do for Islam. I have read the books telling about the life-style of the Prophet of Islam and of those who were close to him. These books generated profound interest in me, so much so that when I finished reading them I regretted there being no more of them. I have arrived at the conclusion that Islam’s spreading rapidly was not by the sword. On the contrary, it was primarily owing to its simplicity, logicality, its Prophet’s great modesty, his trueness to his promises and his unlimited faithfulness towards every Muslim that many people willingly accepted Islam. Islam is a religion that commands social justice from the outset.” In his prayer meetings each morning and evening, hymns from all religions used to be sung. This little book that I have in my hand contains all the prayers and devotional songs that Gandhi had personally chosen to be sung in his communes (called ashrams). And they are from the sacred texts belonging to Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jews and other religions. Gandhi’s advocacy of respect for all religions, as a precondition for peaceful co-existence was not liked by some extremist Hindus. They hated him for his campaign for Hindu-Muslim unity, as the uncompromising basis for winning freedom from British colonial rule. He was opposed to the partition of India on the spurious Two-Nation Theory, which argued that Hindus and Muslims constitute two separate nations. However, when Partition took place in August 1947 and Pakistan was created as a separate Muslim nation, Gandhi wished the new-born nation well. He wanted India and Pakistan not to see each other as enemies, but to embrace cooperative and peaceful co-existence. This too was not liked by some extremist Hindus. Which is why, Gandhi was assassinated by an extremist Hindu on 30 January 1948. He became a martyr to the cause of religious harmony. Swami Vivekananda on Islam and inter-religious harmony ------------------------------------------------------------------ I would like to introduce to the people of Tunisia one more great Indian religious personality who gave an inspiring message of inter-religious harmony. It is Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902). In a short life of only 39 years, he powerfully propagated, both in India and in the West, the true meaning of Hinduism and its respect for all the faiths. I would like to quote here what he said about Islam. “I am firmly persuaded that without the help of practical Islam, theories of Vedantism, however fine and wonderful they may be, are entirely valueless to the vast mass of mankind. Mankind ought to be taught that religions are but the varied expressions of THE RELIGION, which is Oneness, so that each may choose that path that suits him best. For our own motherland a junction of the two great systems, Hinduism and Islam — Vedanta brain and Islam body — is the only hope. I see in my minds eye the future perfect India rising out of this chaos and strife, glorious and invincible, with Vedanta brain and Islam body.” In his historic address to the Parliament of World’s Religions at Chicago on September11, 1893, Swami Vivekananda made a fervent appeal for inter-faith harmony. “Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization, and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now. But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.” The fact that Swami Vivekananda delivered this message on 9/11 is significant. In its own way, his message shows how the other 9/11 in 2001, the terrorist attack in the United States, was a crime against humanity in the name of religion. Meaning of secularism: Is religion the problem or the solution? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I shall end my talk by sharing my reflections on an issue that is hotly debated in India, Tunisia and in almost all the other parts of the world. It is the true meaning of ‘Secularism’. Many secularists in the West ─ and perhaps also in the Muslim world ─ view secularism from an irreligious or even anti-religious perspective. They believe that religion is the source of many problems in the world. They think that the inspiration and instigation for inter-religious and intra-religious violent conflicts comes from religion. Hence, they conclude that religion should be de-emphasised and indeed delegitimised in all public spheres. Which is why they see even hijab as a threat. For them, non-wearing of hijab by Muslim women is the test of secularism and modernism. They even adopt coercive methods to impose their secularism. On the other hand, religious extremists, who view secularism as a threat to their religion, insist that wearing of hijab by Muslim women or performance of certain customary practices as the test of true faith. They also adopt coercive methods to impose their interpretation of religion. Thus, secularism has become a battleground in many societies, threatening peaceful co-existence. According to me – and this I have tried to explain in this talk – religion is not the problem, but rather the solution if it is understood and practiced in its true spirit. Similarly, secularism is also not the problem, but rather the solution, if it is understood and practiced in the right spirit. True secularism means respect for all faiths. It promotes the values of tolerance, mutual understanding and mutual acceptance on the common platform of humanity. Secularism also means that the state or the government should not discriminate between followers of one religion and another. It should ensure justice, welfare, development and security of all citizens, irrespective of their religion, race and ideology. The key concept here is Justice, which is the basis of harmony and peaceful co-existence. Here I am reminded of the profound thought of Ibn Khaldun, the great Tunisian historian and scholar, who said: “Justice requires harmony in the world, The world is a garden, its walls are the state.” Unfortunately, states often fail to deliver justice. And when they fail, there is disharmony, conflict and human suffering. But this is not a failure of religion, as many secularists think. These secular fundamentalists look down upon religion and religious people. This is wrong. It is also wrong for Islamists to be intolerant towards secularists. It is heartening to note that the Islamists in Tunisia have adopted moderate Islam, which is indeed true Islam. The dialogue between moderate Islamists and secularists in Tunisia will surely strengthen mutual understanding. I am told that the new Constitution of Tunisia has harmonised Islam, democracy and secularism in a fine and well-balanced way. For this, its Constitution-makers deserve rich appreciation. I believe that all the problems of our world can be solved – or at least, we can move in the direction of solving them, though they can never be solved fully – if we rediscover the true meaning and message of our own religion and other religions of the world. Religion is the greatest guide to human beings to know each other. On the basis of that knowledge, we can dissolve the notion of the “Other” into a common “Us”. And the awareness of that common bond of “Us” is the surest guarantor of peaceful co-existence in our respective countries, communities, and in the entire world. Thank you.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 01:15:15 +0000
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