Is religion ‘vulnerable’IJ In the wake of the dastardly act of vindictive terrorism claimed to have avenged the allegedly unpardonable blasphemy committed by the Paris-based French lampoon weekly Charlie Hedbo, worldwide vehement protests have erupted yet again. The reportedly derogatory cartoon on sacred Islam stirred a hornet’s nest culminating in such an unprecedented gory settling of scores. The so-called ‘impious chauvinists’ (may be termed pseudo-jihadists) appear to have been in a jubilant mood for having taught a bloodcurdling lesson to those who have been espousing the liberal notion of freedom of expression and the clichéd catch line: “Pen is mightier than sword.”
Under such a scenario let us strive to delve into the very psyche behind such ‘religious intolerance’. Needless to mention what religion is being profaned or whether the profanity committed by the person hails from the same religious faith or another. What here matters most is that we, the mundane world dwellers, place utmost importance to the perceived pious ‘religion’ than the precious ‘human life’. Whenever any religious sentiment is hurt, it sparks off deadly discords at the cost of innocent lives.
Despite having evolved into rational beings, we seemed to have caught hold at the wrong end of the stick by utterly failing to fathom out that ‘religion is invulnerable’. It is a matter of fact that the noble religious teachings (time tested and okayed) ever remain ‘unharmed and untouched’ by any person’s profanity or any blasphemous barbs. All religions teach ‘God is one’. Thus, it is a misnomer believing that the very God can be maligned by the followers of another creed. A simple layman but a learned logic can convince us.
For instance, the manmade coinages — ‘Temple’, ‘Mosque’ and ‘Church’ — all consist of six letters each, means equivalent. Same is the case with the holy books Geeta, Quran and Bible. All the holy scriptures deal essentially with the spiritual foundation of human existence. They give a clarion call of action to meet the obligations and duties of life; yet keeping in view the spiritual nature and grander purpose of the universe.
From time immemorial, people have chosen to follow a belief or religion which they find convenient, either because they are born into it or because the people swaying them to believe it. Very few people choose to actually go deep into the crux of the teachings of any religion. Thus, the outcome is most often exhibited in a wrestling of wanton criticism of each other’s religion or twisting the teachings to have one’s own axe to grind.
When a cartoonist of a particular religious faith opts for depicting another creed derogatorily, does he do any service to or enhance the status of his own religion, or undermines the religionIJ An emphatic ‘No’! When a book becomes a bestseller because it questions any ancient beliefs, is the author doing a service to mankindIJ Definitely not! Then why do people indulge in such actsIJ There are always many people who are intolerant to their beliefs being questioned and probed. Mindless riots are a result of such intolerance as also intolerance to such riots which are instigated. Countless opinions are formed on people of all religious faiths based on these riots. Some are termed infidels or iconoclasts. But, what is forgotten in this melee is that innocent people are harmed.
The latest victims of such a mindless act, the hostage victims, must have never even dreamt of this fate when they stepped out of their house that day. They were not even remotely related to the publishing of the cartoons. But, they are not the only ones. Thousands of people all over the world are killed every year due to some people deciding to poke fun at a religion which either they do not believe in or which they choose to question.
Freedom of expression cannot be more valuable than human lives. This alone is the strongest reason why religions should not be a child’s play. Humanity, the strongest religion of all, the only religion worth following, is the religion which dies in such actions. Even Reverend Pope has also recently reacted saying freedom of expression too has got its own limits. In standard psychology literature “the person you envy, or even dislike most, is also the person you want to emulate”. It would be worthwhile to end with a paradox: “We know how to fly like a bird, how to swim like a fish, but we don’t know how to live like a human beings.”
(The writer is a management expert based in Bhubaneswar)