Articles
Terror as Shield and Armour of Religion and Ideology
Dt:16/6/22
Terror as Shield and Armour
of Religion and Ideology
- Dr T H Chowdary *
The late Periar E.V Ramaswami Naikar, high priest of Davidian race not only derogated Lord Rama , whom Hindus revere as incarnation of Vishnu and Dharma had put garlands of chappals and shoes round Rama’s statue. No one asked for his assassination for desecrating Rama. Reverence for Rama has not diminished.
2. Tripuraneni Ramaswamy Chowdary, a noted poet, social reformer and atheist wrote plays denouncing Rama for killing Sambuka, a non-Brahman who performed yagnas and questioning the existence of almighty God as a useless mere witness of sinners (koota Sakshi). When asked why as a critic of Lord Rama he still keeps his name as Ramaswami, he replied, “ because I am the lord (Swami) of the culprit, Rama”. No one demanded that he should be arrested or beheaded for his “hate” remarks and sacrilegious writings.
3. Even now there are many among “Hindus” who disparage Bhagwan Krishna, Lord Rama, even Brahma, Indra, Hanuman; saints, sages and sadhvis among the Hindu pantheon. No Hindu demands the imprisoning or impaling them. The reverence, devotion and faith in the Hindu divinities, denounced, abused and sacrileged does not diminish because of the intrinsic goodness in them.
4. There are volumes of criticism by some Christian scholars denying the historicity of Jesus Christ, and the immaculate conception of Mary. Some had written Jesus had a wife, Mary Magdalene and children and even refer to the tomb where he and his family members are interred. No Christian has demanded that the authors of these tracts be beheaded.
5. But it is common knowledge that if any person, Muslim or non- Muslim makes a comment or mentions something uncomplimentary to Prophet Muhammad, even when the comments have historical proof in the Holy Quran or Hadis (sayings and doings of the holy prophet), there are strident calls from Muslim organizations, Muslim clerics, Muslim States and OIC for inflicting death or deadly punishment to the person commenting, critiquing or irreverently “hatefully” referring to the Prophet of Islam.
6. There was a time when Christian dogma was enforced by Popes. There was inquisition to find who deviated from the dogma ordained by the Pope. They were burnt at the stake if they did not recant. Astronomers like Giordano Bruno and Galileo and Joan of Arc were among the victims. Happily that phase is past by the Protestant movement launched by Martin Luther.
7. Under communism too there was a dark age in Russia ( former USSR) under Joseph Stalin as narrated by Nikita Khrushchev in 1954. Thousands of noted communists were hanged or shot in summary show trials as traitors and enemies of people.
8. Terror and murder and beheading were used to silence criticism or irreverent writing or refusal to convert during the lifetime of the Prophet himself . Asma bint Merwan, an Arab poetess of Madina was assassinated at the Prophets wish for writing and reciting ballads critical of the Prophet. Poets Abu Afak and Ka’b ibn al - Ashraf were also got assassinated for uncomplimentary writing about the Prophet. 700-800 Jews of Beni Koreiza were beheaded by the order and in the sight of the Prophet in Madina (AD 627) as they were suspected to be inimical to the Prophet and in secret league with the prophet’s foes from Makka.
9. Here in India, Maheshe Rajpal was associated for publishing a book uncomplimentary to the Prophet. Swamy Sraddhananda, not withstanding his leadership of the Muslims’ khilafat movement, was assassinated for his suddhi activities (bringing Muslims back to Hinduism). Salman Rushdie was fatwa-ed to be beheaded for writing “satanic verses” referring to a faux pas revelation to the Prophet. Taslima Nasreen Muslim Bengladeshi writer is under fatwa for writing uncomplimentary things about Islamist regime in Bangladesh and is in hiding somewhere as she is fatwad to be beheaded. The Naxalite Peoples War Groups in India kill whomsoever they call “informers”, in public view to terrorize potential foes into submission and co-operation.
10. All mono -theistic ( and mono – ideology) systems are intolerant. They try to maintain absolute superiority by using terror to silence critics. They believe they are God's party and that the world belongs to them. They can deal with non -believers in the most cruel way - burn alive, behead, shoot or expel. That is why the ethnic cleansing of non -believers, that is, Hindus and shooting them dead in Kashmir are not condemned by the “believing” parties and states. Humanity is having to bear with this phase of the particular monotheism’s endeavor to reign by terror .
11. The extraordinary readiness and ferocity with which some Muslims and some Muslim States and organizations react to any slur on the Prophet is remarkable and is probably the most powerful reason preventing critical appraisal of the Prophet’s accomplishments and Islam's tenets. Non- Muslims must dread to undertake any critical study of Islam and especially its Prophet. Terrorist reprisal like assassination shall deter any critical reference to the last Prophet of God. ( 825 words)
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