Avoiding a needless confrontation******
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Enayet Rasul Bhuiyan
A movement that has gathered quite a force and seen as having the potential to create and sustain a great deal of violence and confrontation between the government and Islamist forces, is least desirable when there are umpteenth very serious matters awaiting attention of the government considering their importance from the public interest perspective. Government needs to be up and doing in addressing these economic and social issues in a very focused manner. But any agitation started on the roads and violence thereof by any quarter, would certainly detract the government's attention from these issues of relatively greatest importance. But the government appears to have waylaid itself into a trap when it would be required to exhaust a great deal of its energies in dissipating a rising movement of Islamist forces. It could certainly utilize its energies more productively and meaningfully if proactive steps were taken to provide no grounds for the Islamists to take up the gauntlet in the first place. The Islamists have already called and successfully enforced one nationwide hartal recently. They have scented blood and are getting ready to call more hartals. They are also getting ready in every sense to battle it out with the police and other security forces whatever the costs in physical terms, to press home their demand against what they perceive as anti-Islamic laws in the offing. Thus, from economy disruptive hartals to other forms of exacerbated violence, the country can expect a ruinous drift from allowing this confrontation to further mature and become worse. Many of the Islamists, understandably, are very spirited and inspired and they would even court death and persecutions in what they are believing -- more and more-- to be a movement to save Islam from peril. But it cannot be said that the Islamists are the ones who started this senseless confrontation. They seem to be more reacting than initiating anything. It first started centering on the Women Development Policy that appeared to be imminent for adoption and implementation by the government. The ulemas (highest Islamic clergy) in the country have been warning the government for long that they would not compromise with sections of the policy they considered as conflicting with the Holy Quran and the Sunnah because that would mean a violation of the Quranic edicts which true Muslims are obliged to uphold under all circumstances. But the suggestion from the ulemas appeared to be not responded. Rather, from the highest levels of the government it was reiterated several times that the policy would be executed fairly soon and its main objective would be making women equal to men in all respects of national life including their sharing of properties in equal measures. These declarations stimulated the Islamists toward the movement path. Government leaders later on sought to assuage by saying that the Women Development Policy, however, would not change the Islamic laws of inheritance and men would continue to get a bigger shares of such properties than women. But the Islamists were not turned off by the soothing words. They observed, on going through the draft of the women development policy, that at least in 29 areas it contains proposals that conflict with the teachings and commandments in the Holy Koran and the Sunnah in their view. They could be meaning sections in the policy that would mean state support to women's claim of full parity with men in some areas. But it is a fact of life and not only the belief of the Islamists, that the Holy Koran while allowing women near equal rights compared to men, nonetheless, has put the status of men to be higher than women. This is stated in Holy Koran as such. Thus, for example, in Sura Nisa (section 34) of the Holy Koran it is stated : " Men are the guardians of women, because Allah made them superior over the other. " The Holy Koran, therefore, while supporting the principle that women should have their fair or religiously approved share of everything and assert their rights to that end, does not put men and women at par in respect of these rights . Gender parity is clearly not the goal stated in the Holy Koran. Therefore, the Islamists have their points when they say that the Women Development Policy by seeking to establish gender parity --absolutely-- is heading towards making laws that would be repugnant to the Holy Koran and the Sunnah. Government may think differently. But the Islamists have urged several times that the government is welcome to have talks with them on the 29 areas where the women development policy is in conflict with the Holy Koran and the Sunnah. Why the government is not taking up this offer is a big question mark. After all, the ulemas can rightly say that they are the experts in Islamic laws and principles and government ministers have shallow knowledge or understanding about these things. Can this reasoning be tossed aside, flippantly ? Government could sit with the ulemas long ago to be shown --for a better understanding-- where the women development policy clashes with the Koranic principles. But instead of doing this, government is acting as if it is omniscient and knows everything about the issue or more than what the experts know about it . But surely the government cannot arrogate such a role to itself as it would simply be not befitting its competence, nor would the same find any appreciation in a country which has the third biggest Muslim population in the world and its people are deeply religious and have their hearts set on upholding the mandated doable things in their religion. There is time yet for sensibilities to become the dominant instinct in this needless confrontation. All government has to do is : invite a section of ulemas or representative ones from among those waging the movement, to sit across with government's representatives and discuss the matter with open minds on both sides. We are hopeful that a solution to be accepted on both sides can come from such a peaceful and well intentioned dialogue. This will prevent turmoil, hartals and savage fighting on the road with potentials for great disorder to sweep over the entire country to its detriment.
A movement that has gathered quite a force and seen as having the potential to create and sustain a great deal of violence and confrontation between the government and Islamist forces, is least desirable when there are umpteenth very serious matters awaiting attention of the government considering their importance from the public interest perspective. Government needs to be up and doing in addressing these economic and social issues in a very focused manner. But any agitation started on the roads and violence thereof by any quarter, would certainly detract the government's attention from these issues of relatively greatest importance. But the government appears to have waylaid itself into a trap when it would be required to exhaust a great deal of its energies in dissipating a rising movement of Islamist forces. It could certainly utilize its energies more productively and meaningfully if proactive steps were taken to provide no grounds for the Islamists to take up the gauntlet in the first place. The Islamists have already called and successfully enforced one nationwide hartal recently. They have scented blood and are getting ready to call more hartals. They are also getting ready in every sense to battle it out with the police and other security forces whatever the costs in physical terms, to press home their demand against what they perceive as anti-Islamic laws in the offing. Thus, from economy disruptive hartals to other forms of exacerbated violence, the country can expect a ruinous drift from allowing this confrontation to further mature and become worse. Many of the Islamists, understandably, are very spirited and inspired and they would even court death and persecutions in what they are believing -- more and more-- to be a movement to save Islam from peril. But it cannot be said that the Islamists are the ones who started this senseless confrontation. They seem to be more reacting than initiating anything. It first started centering on the Women Development Policy that appeared to be imminent for adoption and implementation by the government. The ulemas (highest Islamic clergy) in the country have been warning the government for long that they would not compromise with sections of the policy they considered as conflicting with the Holy Quran and the Sunnah because that would mean a violation of the Quranic edicts which true Muslims are obliged to uphold under all circumstances. But the suggestion from the ulemas appeared to be not responded. Rather, from the highest levels of the government it was reiterated several times that the policy would be executed fairly soon and its main objective would be making women equal to men in all respects of national life including their sharing of properties in equal measures. These declarations stimulated the Islamists toward the movement path. Government leaders later on sought to assuage by saying that the Women Development Policy, however, would not change the Islamic laws of inheritance and men would continue to get a bigger shares of such properties than women. But the Islamists were not turned off by the soothing words. They observed, on going through the draft of the women development policy, that at least in 29 areas it contains proposals that conflict with the teachings and commandments in the Holy Koran and the Sunnah in their view. They could be meaning sections in the policy that would mean state support to women's claim of full parity with men in some areas. But it is a fact of life and not only the belief of the Islamists, that the Holy Koran while allowing women near equal rights compared to men, nonetheless, has put the status of men to be higher than women. This is stated in Holy Koran as such. Thus, for example, in Sura Nisa (section 34) of the Holy Koran it is stated : " Men are the guardians of women, because Allah made them superior over the other. " The Holy Koran, therefore, while supporting the principle that women should have their fair or religiously approved share of everything and assert their rights to that end, does not put men and women at par in respect of these rights . Gender parity is clearly not the goal stated in the Holy Koran. Therefore, the Islamists have their points when they say that the Women Development Policy by seeking to establish gender parity --absolutely-- is heading towards making laws that would be repugnant to the Holy Koran and the Sunnah. Government may think differently. But the Islamists have urged several times that the government is welcome to have talks with them on the 29 areas where the women development policy is in conflict with the Holy Koran and the Sunnah. Why the government is not taking up this offer is a big question mark. After all, the ulemas can rightly say that they are the experts in Islamic laws and principles and government ministers have shallow knowledge or understanding about these things. Can this reasoning be tossed aside, flippantly ? Government could sit with the ulemas long ago to be shown --for a better understanding-- where the women development policy clashes with the Koranic principles. But instead of doing this, government is acting as if it is omniscient and knows everything about the issue or more than what the experts know about it . But surely the government cannot arrogate such a role to itself as it would simply be not befitting its competence, nor would the same find any appreciation in a country which has the third biggest Muslim population in the world and its people are deeply religious and have their hearts set on upholding the mandated doable things in their religion. There is time yet for sensibilities to become the dominant instinct in this needless confrontation. All government has to do is : invite a section of ulemas or representative ones from among those waging the movement, to sit across with government's representatives and discuss the matter with open minds on both sides. We are hopeful that a solution to be accepted on both sides can come from such a peaceful and well intentioned dialogue. This will prevent turmoil, hartals and savage fighting on the road with potentials for great disorder to sweep over the entire country to its detriment.