Yesterday morning hundreds of little bomblets went off in Desh outside governments offices and court houses. Subhanallah so few people lost life. Innalilallaa.... I feel equally if not more mourne ful for the number of people who die, are impoverished, are deprived everyday because of the incapacity of us bangladeshis and our institutions to translate the best teachings and understandings of the world and deen to create a nourishing, enabling, cooperative and contented Bangladesh.
Responsibility for the explosions, which dont appear to have been designed for wanton death and destruction has been apparently claimed by some banned 'islamic' organisation. I wanted to jot down some thoughts and throw them in the air, for they mean more than most of the politically exploitative analysis being vomited out from the usual outlets. We live in times when any and every muslim culture or traditional organisation is open game for uninformed and manufactured condemnation.
This is particularly the case in Desh, where the nonislamic (if not counterislamic) press have the editorial policy of framing extremist narratives to such an extent that we cannot trust their reporting.
The biggest coalition of violent criminals since the emergence of the country as Bangladesh does not have a spiritual-religious identity, if anything its from the left (which isnt fair in the left anyway). Everyone knows this, newspapers, businesses and indeed the government, everyone who has to negotiate that power complex by looking the other way or by paying a bribe. Many things, facts and truths are not expressed in the Bangladeshi media, which is free....free to follow its particular narrow political and business interest.
We have our collection of earnest Islamic minded activists too, who since 71 have borne the brunt of oppression from Areligious extremists. The Elder generation, seasoned in the freedom from the brits-and-their-quislings-struggle have mostly passed on now. This wouldnt be so sad if long and medium range history was better understood by people in positions of influence in Desh. In the vacuum of enlightenment (he said pretentiously), of a sociospiiritual ideology we have to cope with a very confused and self mutliating vibe traveling through society.
Some of the amusing hardcore bros i spoke with on my recent research visit, seemed a jealous of/ impatient with/antagonistic to Jamaat e Islami (the most organised sociopolitical Ummahtic organisation in the country). Apparently in the past 4 years, as a minor part of a coalistion goverment in a global context of creative capitalist tryanny and violence in the name of security, Jamaat are a failure because they havent been able to change Desh into a bona fide Islamic state.......whatever that might be.
It suprises me that such a feelings might have translated into an attack on government. Such an attack advances the Opposition's thesis of "Come on Invade me, Im becoming 'Talibanised'', it also mocks the RAB security services and harms the social memory of Islamic activism in the Country. I think Islamic leaders in Desh will not fall orthemselves apologising for what they didnt do (like the brit orgs in the UK), but should take stock and work harder and smarter for justice and properity.
feeling like writing somethings about the uprising of Indians of 1857 CE . a film about it has already bee released.
have been reading about Tipu Sultan and his father HAidar Alis resistance against foreign invastion.
have been dodging this report.
2 comments:
Hmm i find it interesting that you guys are pissed off at Jamaat for their failing to instill Sharia. Do you think Sharia is a correct representation of the Quran or do you think it distorts our beloved religion?
Do you think a woman should have 4 witnesses to prove she was raped?
Thanks for posting. First i'd better lay out my impression of JI and how id like it to change, then i'll say some things relating to sharia (though im not a lawyer). then i'd better get on with my work!
Hmm, i'm not from the Islamic Movement, whatever that means. But i hope i am Islamically moved. Being a good muslim results in being a good citizen of wherever you live.
Jamat do some good work in parts (for example most of the deshi students who have read and explored anything about religious reform tend to have encountered them in an earlier part of life, others i find unfortunately very ignorant of primary level stuff, sorry).
I've met some very civilised people from that stream, people who arent violent and hegemonic. I guess there are good people there that id like to see do well.
Islamist parties and secularist parties have the effect of polarising a society, rather than bringin out the best from it. Its quite annoying.
I'm not a big organisational type, I don't fancy holding onto their baggage, and i think i know too much long range history to be convinced by much of what Maulana Maudoodi wrote, though he accomplished a great deal in his life. I like the vibe, though dont fancy all of the details. I think the same could be said of most people you would call Islamists.
I think they need to change a lot to do with their vision and that they do have the democratic structures internally to change. Perhaps its best for them to remove themselves from official politics as it is corrupting on the young (they have to decend to petty campus activities and self defence, they get their hands dirty and these days its quite fashionable for nutter lefties to join their cause, green is the new red now?).
About your sharia question,
The Maqasid (higher objectives) of the Sharia are the protection of religion, life, dignity, intellect and property.
Its a man made body of work based on our divine text the quran and the teachings of the Prophet. We should have scholars of the level of Shah Waliullah with us in Bangladesh, not what we currently have.
Before bringing policies onto the table and applying anything we need to study and understand our text, our literary history and our society. What do you think about establishing zakat?
I think the forensic evidence issue has been well discussed about rape.
Do you beleive that the Quran must necessarily conform to the bangladeshi blog scene's fuzzy liberalism?
How do you feel about promiscuity and zina in Bangladesh. 'up to the individual' or 'wrong and reprehensible'. then what?
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