‘Religious victory!’

Is ‘Allah-o-Akbar’ enough to justify a crime?

“Allah-o-Akbar!” (God is great!) shouted Kader Mullah after he was awarded a life sentence for human rights abuses in the Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence. A special tribunal set up by the Bangladeshi government had found him guilty in five out of six charges. Being an office-bearer of the major Islamic party, Mullah considered it an apt time to couch his crimes in religious language. In acceding to the greatness of Allah, Mullah sought to justify the crimes he was convicted for.

The tactic has become frequent. Having murdered someone for disagreeing with a fanatical cleric, or, if convicted for a serious crime by the courts, those affiliated with the religious mafia follow the act with the full-throated slogan: “Allah-o-Akbar!”

Members of the religious mafia have continued to claim that their guilt is a matter that is between them and God. The court system, or special tribunals, have nothing to do with establishing their guilt. They claim that the justification for their acts comes directly from the Almighty. Whence innocence is communicated to them through the heavens themselves, a rebellion against the State and society is legitimate – and so what is the murder of X or Y individual in service of the Divine. The Divine refrain is a way of cursing the jurists who convict them, since the State law carries no power in the face of Divine orders. The position is absolute rubbish!

If, on one side, Mullah’s conviction has sparked violence and protests across Bangladesh in his support, on the other side, tens of thousands have come out in support of administering the death penalty to the cleric. While people can disagree with court decisions, verdicts against members of the religious mafia have drawn a positive response by the public at large, especially in the Muslim countries. The average mind can hardly differentiate the subtle and sometimes obvious difference between what the cleric says and what the religion extorts.

This was most clearly witnessed over the assassination of former Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer for questioning how the Blasphemy Laws were applied. Taseer’s murderer, Mumtaz Qadri, too shouted, “Allah-o-Akbar!” after committing one of the worst incidents of terrorism in Pakistan. Taseer’s bearded bodyguard had volunteered himself for duty, waited for his boss to walk to his car, made sure his weapon was fully armed, shouted “Allah-o-Akbar” and sprayed a volley of bullets into the body of the former governor. Taseer’s apparent crime was to support a Christian woman accused of blasphemy. Qadri, a murderer, got a resounding applause by some members of civil society, including the community of lawyers.

With great pride in himself for committing a noble act that will take him to heaven, Qadri pleaded guilty to the court. Many others, not as bold as Qadri, backed him with all moral support and showered him with rose petals. Blessed with prayers, how could Qadri consider himself a criminal? Since he wears a beard, committed qatal-e-amad in defense of blasphemy laws, and shouted “Allah-o-Akbar” before the murder, he must be considered an ‘innocent’ man.

After Qadri committed Taseer’s murder, fear and insecurity entered all private and personal discussions. Parents told their children not to openly comment on this issue since any self-assumed protector of religion could teach them a lesson on-the-spot. One such incident was experienced by me. When I condemned Taseer’s killer amongst other lawyers, a munshi (lawyer’s clerk) sitting beside me closed his fists in anger. Seeing a knife lying in front of him on a table, a friend winked at me, suggesting that I stop the discussion. As I looked at the irate youth’s grim face, I was frightened and moved to another chair. If I were killed, one loud “Allah-o-Akbar’ would have been enough for the killer to become a hero in the eyes of ‘devoted Muslims’.

No one would ask if it was a Muslim whom he killed. It would have been enough for the defense counsel that the deceased was a blasphemer as he spoke against Mumtaz Qadri and defended the slain Salmaan Taseer. Proving that some committed alleged blasphemy through evidence is not within the scope and jurisdiction of the people who have assumed the responsibility of protecting the religion.

It is true that belief whether in God or religion must be impregnable but committing terrible crimes should never be protected nor defended in the name of religion. In a sovereign state, everything especially relating to a religion must be left to those who have taken oath to protect the law and constitution and the courts established for adjudicating upon the matters of Sharia.

Disagreement is beauty of any civilized and sober society but expressing it through street protests and vandalism can do no good to the state and its people, except informing them how to hijack and blackmail state institutions.

Under the garb of their vested interests, the religious mafia proudly violates state laws by telling people that the basics of the religion are under attack by secular forces and they have got a message by angels to immediately defend the ‘message of God’. This happens more severely when such mafia feels their interests are not being met. For example, the Taliban use religion and quote selected lines from Holy Scriptures to justify their cause.

After the Bangladesh tribunal convicted another Islamist party leader, Delwar Hossain Sayedee, and sentenced him to death, chaos erupted in the country and the number of deaths went into the hundreds. The demonstrations showed no respect for other religions and their worship places as a Hindu temple was set ablaze by the frenzied mob at Noakhali district.

We, Muslims, consider ourselves entitled to have respect by all others belonging to different sects and religions but deny them all that which we want ourselves. We have no qualms of conscience! Perhaps, we want to be victorious religiously and wish to defeat the whole world through the missiles of worships, prayers, fasts and pilgrimages only.

‘Religious victory,’ as we know it, only requires an ‘Allah-o-Akbar’ to be complete.