Do beheadings safeguard Prophet’s honour?
The mind-numbingly cruel ISIS style beheading carried out by rabid Islamists in Rajasthan’s Udaipur should be a wake-up call for all right-thinking people. It is part of a series of beheadings that have been taking place for a long time, including Charlie Hebdo, Samuel Paty, and Kamlesh Tiwari.
People who term these incidents as just “murders” miserably fail to understand their magnitude. These incidents are in fact a warning to the people, who cherish the values of democracy, freedom of expression, and human dignity, for which humanity has had to struggle hard. The beheadings are clearly part of a conspiracy to push the world back into the stone ages.
Many justify these beheadings on the pretext that they were carried out because the prophet was insulted. Insults to religions and Gods are nothing new. Being a Hindu, I grew up reading books like Ramayana Vishavrukshamu (The Poisonous Tree of Ramayana) and Gudilo Sex (Sex in a Temple) which hurl abuses against Hinduism and their gods. But Hindus never issued death threats to their authors, nor were those books banned. They continue to be available on bookshelves. The octogenarian author of Ramayana Vishavrukshamu is still going strong and continues to write books that are insulting to Hindus and their Gods.
Just because someone writes something against a religion does not mean their existence is anathemic to that religion. Allowing criticism, no matter how insulting it may be, makes a community more vibrant. It also empowers it to reform itself as per the changing times to grow itself into a more robust force. In this world where everything keeps evolving and nothing remains static, one needs to invite and accept criticism, no matter how insulting it is.
If a community does not like criticism against their gods and prophets, they can choose civilized methods to express their outrage. They can oppose criticism, propose a counter argument, and even protest peacefully. They can even exercise their right to take legal recourse. Taking to the streets to indulge in violence and carry out beheadings may be acceptable in a Sharia-compliant Islamic state but is grossly unacceptable in a democracy.
Every time someone criticizes the prophet of Islam, the Muslim community gets enraged and takes to the streets to indulge in violence. They give slogans like ‘Gustakh-E-Rasool Ki Ek Hi Saza, Sar Tan Se Juda’ before carrying out beheadings. But does the Muslim community feel that this behavior is sustainable? Every time a Muslim zealot carries out a beheading, the entire world gets enraged and condemns the dastardly behavior in unequivocal terms. Every beheading rallies the people against the barbarity. There is certainly an inverse relation between the violence and beheadings that are carried out in the name of protecting ‘Nabi ki Shaan’ and the damage such behavior inflicts on the cause of Islam. Therefore, this violent response is not at all sustainable.
Who is Responsible?
The radicalization that is happening in Madrasas (Islamic seminaries) and the tight grip held by Mullahs over the Muslim community are responsible for this mayhem. There are numerous reports buttressing the fact that children are being indoctrinated in Madrasas to kill Kafirs and polytheists. There is an ample amount of video evidence circulating on the social media that clearly shows how radical Maulvis are inciting their followers to kill Kafirs. And most importantly, people started reading the Islamic scriptures that include the Quran and Hadees and started questioning the radical verses enshrined in them. When people question or raise objections to the radical verses that advocate violence against Kafirs (Infidels), the Islamic clergy are not able to put forth a robust and reasonable defense. Instead, they end up inciting mobs out of frustration.
Rapid digitization has led to the free and abundant availability of information, and people are able to access everything online. They are even sharing their ideas and opinions on social media freely. Hiding things and deceiving people does not serve any purpose. Stopping the spread of ideas and information through death threats is not at all possible. Putting forth a mature response that includes a rational defence will go a long way in combating any criticism.
Is Nupur Sharma’s ‘Loose Tongue’ Responsible?
The comments made by the former spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Nupur Sharma, during a television debate were in response to insulting comments made against the Hindu God, Lord Shiva, by an Islamic scholar, Tasleem Rahmani. The video footage available online clearly shows that she was only responding to the provocation made by Rahmani. However, no one was critical of Rahmani, which raises the question of whether Hindu sentiments have any value. If Muslims feel that people must respect their prophet, they should equally be sensitive to the fact that Hindu sentiments also deserve respect.
The Tongues of ‘Melords’ has Further Vitiated the Atmosphere
The judges of the supreme court, while rejecting Nupur Sharma’s plea to grant relief to her by transferring all FIRs filed against her to Delhi, made many unwarranted comments against her. They accused her of having a ‘loose tongue’ and held her squarely responsible for the Udaipur beheading.
It is very clear that the judges, through their ‘loose tongue’ not only emboldened the Islamist zealots but also ended up justifying the beheading of Kanhaiya Lal. By doing so, they paved the way for more such beheadings. After the comments of the judges made headlines, many right-thinking people have wondered whether the Indian judiciary has started following the draconian Sharia law. In fact, only days ago, the Punjab and Haryana high court justified child marriages in the Muslim community, citing Sharia law.
Conclusion
In this information age, shielding gods and prophets from criticism is an impossible task. Someone somewhere raises his/her voice and questions established religions and conventions. In fact, society does not evolve if people are now allowed to criticise or question things. The Muslim community must understand the fact that beheading people for criticism against the prophet can’t be sustained for long.
India, being a secular democracy, must not allow Sharia laws and Sharia-sanctioned beheadings. The monsters who are perpetrating this mindless violence must be dealt with an iron hand. Any laxity in dealing firmly with these monsters will endanger civilization and push humanity back into the stone ages.
