Ahead of Eid-Ul-Adha, a list of demands in form of a reconciliation pact from a ‘kafir’ to the ‘momins’ of Islam of this beautiful country for eternal peace
Eid-Al-Adha is one of the most revered festival for Muslims in India and around the world.
Preparations may be on in full swing in different Muslim families across the length and breadth of this country. People of Islamic faith may be involved in setting up guest lists, busy preparing delicacies etc.
You people may also be busy to organize mass gatherings in mosques and other public spaces for praying.
But, praying and feasting alone won’t solve all our & your problems, especially the problems and societal issues of this great country.
You, as the 17 million strong Muslim community, the second largest population of Islamic faith in the world have to take concrete steps.
This is to earn back the trust of your other religionists which has been shattered.
This pertains to you and your co-religionists taking commendable steps to make the stereotypes that the rotten apples of your community have generated be annihilated.
The Pact
This trust can be earned back only in the form of a reconciliation pact.
The pact has several dimensions and conditions-
Firstly, pledge your allegiance to Bharat. Your loyalties must never lie with the establishment of a caliphate to be governed by the Shariat. You must be pledge allegiance to the constitution and its institutions.
Secondly, accept the fact that you and your co-religionists have common religio-cultural roots i.e., Hindu roots. You must not be ashamed to admit this gospel truth. This is something that even Jawaharlal Nehru had stated in The Discovery of India.
Thirdly, you must accept the plurality and inclusivity of Bharat. You must reject the iconoclastic mentality of not tolerating the presence of other communities. It is imperative that you people cultivate the principle of religious toleration of the English philosopher John Locke.
Other Dimensions
The other dimensions of this reconciliation pact are as follows-
Reject scriptural literalism, we Hindus and adherents of polytheistic faiths modify our religious beliefs and ideas of our holy scriptures to reflect the times that we live in. Why can’t you. It is imperative that you reject and discard the negative parts of your Quran and Hadith and modify others to reflect the current realities.
Accept modernity, you cannot possibly bring back the time of 7th century in Bharat. For that, do not support the rule of Taliban and the claims of other Islamist organizations.
Further, accept Indic values and not Arabic values. You have a big community globally, but you people must remember that you are, first and foremost, the citizens of the pure and sacred land of Bharatvarsha.
Also, do not harbor this mentality of retributive justice. Develop the mentality of embracing restorative justice as Steven Pinker in The Better Angels Of Our Nature put it.
We Hindus and other Indic faith people do not call for beheading or stoning to death blasphemers and heretics for any affront to our religious and cultural symbols. Then why do you so much?
Do you want to be like your brethren in Pakistan?
I assume not in a thousand years, then just let go of this religious zealotry and bigotry. This includes embracing science and rationality and not just theology. Teach science, literature, mathematics and not just religious texts in your religious institutions.
Remember, that the Uniform Civil Code is for your benefit, accept it without much hesitation, no matter the problem.
These are for your own benefit.
Concluding Portions
It is absolutely essential that you let go of your reactionary mentality and embrace a rational scientific mindset which is skeptical to everything.
Question your own beliefs, apply empiricism in your day to day life and see how good it does to your community.