Ultra-secularists and their method of social genocide: A deadly combination in Bangladesh
Thursday March 13 2008 14:00:47 PM BDT
Unfortunately, the development of secularism in Bangladesh took entirely a wrong route. Those who claim to be secularists in Bangladesh are often seen to maintain an extreme rebuff and a total antagonism towards a particular religion, which is Islam. Therefore, the development of secularism in Bangladesh started through an abnormal psyche, which is extreme opposition to and a deep-rooted desire of annihilating Islam and its symbols.
One of the conspicuous contours of Bangladesh politics these days is the hey-day of ultra-secularists. Secularism is a political ideology characterized by "this worldly orientation" and the separation of religion and the state. Though the ideology wants the religious dictations away from the state affairs, it does not necessarily negate or displace religion altogether. This sort of political ideology emerged in the Europe because of dire corruptions of Christian churches, and their conflict with science, which posed a great hindrance to development and progress. Most secularists in the West want this separation because of the religious obscurantism of the Church, but they want to confine religion in the private affairs rather than discarding or banning it entirely. They cherish a great love for Christianity and its millions of followers; however, think that the religion does not have enough political and social resources and philosophies to run a state in the era of democracy and pluralism. Nevertheless, almost every country in Europe and North America has religion-based political parties which incorporated democratic principles. Notable amongst them is the ruling party of Germany: the Christian Democratic Party.
Unfortunately, the development of secularism in Bangladesh took entirely a wrong route. Those who claim to be secularists in Bangladesh are often seen to maintain an extreme rebuff and a total antagonism towards a particular religion, which is Islam. Therefore, the development of secularism in Bangladesh started through an abnormal psyche, which is extreme opposition to and a deep-rooted desire of annihilating Islam and its symbols. They subscribe to their own brand of secularism not because Islam lacks political and social resources to run a state, but because Islam is the only religion that has the most comprehensive and humanistic political philosophies to run a modern state into an exemplary welfare mode. This is why these secularists devote their entire efforts not to propagate their political philosophy, but to oppose Islam and its active followers. In their writings, speeches and other political activities, they spend more time and energy in attacking Islam rather than presenting their own brand of secular philosophies. Therefore, they are not the secularists, but the "ultra-secularists".
One of the conspicuous contours of Bangladesh politics these days is the hey-day of ultra-secularists. Secularism is a political ideology characterized by "this worldly orientation" and the separation of religion and the state. Though the ideology wants the religious dictations away from the state affairs, it does not necessarily negate or displace religion altogether. This sort of political ideology emerged in the Europe because of dire corruptions of Christian churches, and their conflict with science, which posed a great hindrance to development and progress. Most secularists in the West want this separation because of the religious obscurantism of the Church, but they want to confine religion in the private affairs rather than discarding or banning it entirely. They cherish a great love for Christianity and its millions of followers; however, think that the religion does not have enough political and social resources and philosophies to run a state in the era of democracy and pluralism. Nevertheless, almost every country in Europe and North America has religion-based political parties which incorporated democratic principles. Notable amongst them is the ruling party of Germany: the Christian Democratic Party.
Unfortunately, the development of secularism in Bangladesh took entirely a wrong route. Those who claim to be secularists in Bangladesh are often seen to maintain an extreme rebuff and a total antagonism towards a particular religion, which is Islam. Therefore, the development of secularism in Bangladesh started through an abnormal psyche, which is extreme opposition to and a deep-rooted desire of annihilating Islam and its symbols. They subscribe to their own brand of secularism not because Islam lacks political and social resources to run a state, but because Islam is the only religion that has the most comprehensive and humanistic political philosophies to run a modern state into an exemplary welfare mode. This is why these secularists devote their entire efforts not to propagate their political philosophy, but to oppose Islam and its active followers. In their writings, speeches and other political activities, they spend more time and energy in attacking Islam rather than presenting their own brand of secular philosophies. Therefore, they are not the secularists, but the "ultra-secularists".
The traces of this brand of ultra-secularism can be found in every epoch of human history. In order to get material advantages, they, as docile slaves of the dominant powers, always danced to their masters' tunes. After post-9/11 world where opposing Islam becomes a huge market currency to gain dominant power's blessings, these ultra-secularists currently become very desperate to oppose and attack Islam and Islamic political parties. For gaining favors and material benefits from the dominant powers by opposing those whom the dominant powers want them to oppose, they never hesitate to go against national common interests. Historically therefore they have been seen to remain docile and subservient to the dominant powers such as Moscow, Washington and New Delhi.
As they do not have appealing political philosophies to engage in fruitful and healthy dialogues with other political philosophies and thereby to gain public support, they usually take the alternative routes. One of the routes they take as we see these days is the "social genocide". What I mean by "social genocide" is a systematic effort to targeting a particular political community and deliberately ostracizing them through discursive concoction of lampoons and intentionally imposing negative and derogative connotations. These days, they vociferously use terms like "razakars" and "war criminals" targeting a particular party. Though the issue was resolved long ago, they again problematize a non-issue as "the most" crucial issue for Bangladesh. It generates the culture of extreme hatred, division, tension and retrogressive politics which are continuously driving our nation towards backwards, and posing a great hindrance to development and progress. Since many of these crack-brained ultra-secularists people are holding positions of power patronized by the axis of super-powers and controlling the sector of media, they are trying to divide the nation in a deeper manner to play a popular game of "divide and rule" taught by their colonial masters.
The first and the most common political decency which every political party should uphold is a mental readiness and a minimum tolerance to engage in dialogue with political opponents. These ultra-secularists are absolutely bereft of this primary ingredient of decency, as they already declared not to sit down with a particular political party. They desperately tried their method of social genocide to link that political party with JMB's militancy. Though they could not present any clue to prove their laughable claim, they still maintain their fanatical position. Since their political philosophy is nothing but an "obnoxious opposition" rather than meaningful democratic pluralism, what they say and claim are largely manufactured and intentionally constructed by their own. They posit themselves against fundamentalism; however, they themselves are imprisoned in the shackle of an abhorrent fundamentalism. Bangladesh is now submerged in a horrible impasse because of the deadly combination of these ultra-secularists and their method of social genocide.
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* Abu Rawsab writes from Canada. He can be reached at: aburawsab@gmail.com
* Abu Rawsab writes from Canada. He can be reached at: aburawsab@gmail.com
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