Mr. Aziz Huq wrote about my plea to the Parliament for the removal of 'bismillah' from the Preamble in the Constitution of Bangladesh:
"Couching personal political opinion with limited knoledge".
My response:
Rabbi zidnee ailmaa
Even illiterates, semiliterates, schoolgoing children, garments'er meye, sabziwalla, rickshawalla, bricklayers, smithies, peasant men and women, fishermen and women, and all the other people of "limited knowledge" in this nation know that invoking Allah's name for the purpose of falsification, for the pupose of fooling others and to hide a deceitful, illegal act is kufri and charom gonahgari kaj.
Putting 'bismillah' in the Constitution of Bangladesh by a Martial Law ordinance promulgated by the wish of a single ruthless Military Dictator was done with an evil political purpose, not because he was some kind of a devout religious preacher who had no better idea about the people's War of Independence in 1971. The Constitution of Bangladesh is meant to guarantee fundamental rights to EVERY citizen. It is not a place for the State to advertise the preference of one religion over all the other religions or ethnicity of non-Muslim inhabitants of the state. It is ironic that this was done under the supposed aegis of Islam, a religion known for its keen sense of equal justice for all. Besides Qur'anic guidance, we have the Sunnah to give us models to follow.
Vandalisation of the Constitution is akin to condoning the Genocide of 1971, or the mass murder of civilians and fellow citizens who fought to oppose the oppression of a State (Pakistan) created in 1947 on the false premise that Muslims cannot live peacefully with people of other religions or ethnicity.
Rabbi zidnee ailmaa
And if Allah sub hana t'ala very kndly granted me greater knowledge than what I have now, would I have "impersonal political opinion" as opposed to having my personal political opinion?
What am I couching my personal political opinion in? Hope Mr. Aziz Huq will oblige with an answer in his infinite wisdom.
Rabbi zidnee ailmaa
Farida Majid
To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
From: azizhuq@hotmail.com
Date: Tue, 7 Jun 2011 23:14:18 +0000
Subject: RE: [ALOCHONA] Use of 'bismillah' in the Constitution is Blasphemous!
From: farida_majid@hotmail.com
Date: Mon, 6 Jun 2011 19:26:55 -0400
Subject: [ALOCHONA] Use of 'bismillah' in the Constitution is Blasphemous!
Use of 'bismillah' in the Constitution is Blasphemous!
Farida Majid
Sentimental objection against removal of "bismillah"s placement in the Constitution of Bangladesh has begun just as I apprehended. This is a familiar trick reminiscent of Hitler's campaign rhetoric stoking popular racial and ethnic sentiments in 1930s Germany. Later the Catholic Church of Austria used religious sentiments to persecute the Jews and oust them from Vienna. The lesson to be learned is that the word of God, when politically manipulated, can bring massive human destruction. The Genocide of 1971 is scorched in our memory.
When I raised the issue of illegally placed "bismillah" above the Preamble of the Constitution of Bangladesh in the internet forums, I got angry responses. Accused of being anti-Islam and a paid servant of Zionist masters, I was asked: "Why "Bismillah" is a problem for you?"
'Bismillah' is not a problem for me. It is a constant and trusted companion. Besides using it in prayers, I love saying it at the commencement of any good work, and I love writing it. Give me a minute or two, and any old pen, and even without practice, I will write 'bismillah' in Arabic in passable Nashtaliq calligraphic style.
I do have a problem though with a thing called Martial Law. There is no such thing called 'Martial Law' in the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. 'Bismillah' should not be put above the Preamble of the nation's Constitution by an unlawful usurper of civilian power who called himself Chief Martial Law Administrator. The use of 'bismillah' for such crass political purpose behind the clout of illegal Martial Law by a Proclamation Order in 1977, thereby betraying the trust of 150 million people should surely count as the most shocking and egregious blasphemy! It is pure kufri!
See the Holy Qur'an for a strong interdiction against invoking Allah's name in an unlawful act like this in Sura Hud (11: 18):
Waman athlamu mimmani iftara AAala Allahi kathiban ola-ika yuAAradhoona AAala rabbihim wayaqoolu al-ashhadu haola-i allatheena kathaboo AAala rabbihim ala laAAnatu Allahi AAala alththalimeena
And who (is) more unjust/oppressive than who fabricated/cut and split on God lies/denials/falsifications? Those, they are being displayed/exhibited/shown on (to) their Lord, and the witnesses/testifiers (the angels) say: "Those (are) those who lied/denied/falsified upon their Lord." Is not God's curse/torture on the unjust/oppressors? …11:18
Anything that bears the sign of preference for one particular religion, be it the religion of a large number of natives, is debris from the illegal acts of constitutional vandalism. Surely it is blasphemous to use the hallowed name of Allah as a mark to legitimize such an act of unjust vandalism. By upholding the welcome repeal of the Fifth Amendment, Act 1979, the Supreme Court has fulfilled the duty of the judiciary in the service of preserving and defending the Constitution of Bangladesh. Now it seems that a Parliamentary process should be put in place to remove this heinous blasphemy and restore the sanctity of the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.
Independence from the British rule, and then from Pakistan's oppression, must mean freedom from the dreadful colonial practice of categorization of people and computation of demography by the professed faith of a person or a group. Counting people by their religions means everyone is forced into a pre-selected classification that ignores other principles of grouping. We must stop the practice of depicting majority/minority on the basis of religion alone.
The Parliament should do its part to fulfill the obligation of preserving and protecting the Constitution that represents our valiant fight for independence from a false statehood (Pakistan) whose existential basis was this weird notion of computation of people by their religion. Pakistan was a disasterous experiment in a bad idea! The birth of Bangladesh in 1971 proved conclusively that Muslim Bengalis do not need a separate state as Muslims only and no one else. They can live with people of other religions and ethnicity as they have happily and prosperously done so for centuries.
©2011, Farida Majid
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