Honton ko si kar dekhiye pachtaiye ga aap
Hangame jaag uthte hain aksar ghuttan ke baad
Any anodyne effect this sher might have had on me was lost forever when my neo-Trotskyite friend decided to give me his interpretation of it. I didn’t ask for it, but there it was. A multi-headed hydra called “having coffee†– where the conversation starts off polite, turns to prittle-prattle , turns to poetry, turns to politics, turns to polemics, turns to punches. Lucky for me, he hits like a girl.
“Religious extremism is the new communism,â€
he hissed, spraying spittle in all directions. I laughed. He carried on, unperturbed but passionate:
“The poor man has found his outlet – the injustice, the exploitation, the degradation, the desperation he’s suffered has found its expression. Islam, like communism, is based on egalitarian principles and promises them justice and equality. You think religious extremism has got anything to do with religion? It is nothing but the collective voice of a people who’ve been wronged their whole lives.â€
Somehow this gave me goose bumps and I quickly gulped down the latte in hope of thawing the chill his words left. It didn’t work and I got to thinking about Pakistan and Pakistanis everywhere.
Religious extremists in Pakistan can come from all walks of life but a sizeable chunk belongs to the poorer section of the society. Pakistani immigrants and expatriates living in the West also make up a significant portion. Why are these two groups more prone to religious extremism and terrorism? Was it that, time and again, they were discriminated against and shunted to silence? Did the exclusion leave such bitterness that it got bottled up inside for so long – so long that it is now, quite literally, exploding?
In Pakistan’s context, the implication that religious extremism is connected to poverty and disfranchisement has been made not with a bang but a whimper (pun unintended). I think this concept needs to be forced to the fore. Many in the corridors of power are finding it convenient to ignore the ‘real’ reasons leading to Islamic radicalism, as that may point the j’accuse finger in their direction. But let’s briefly look at why a 19 year old Pakistani boy picks up a Kalashnikov or why a 37 year old father of three straps explosives around his waist.
It’s no secret that democratic institutions in Pakistan are in a frail state, if at all alive.
And then there is no Left or not much left of it. (The Communist Party of India could arguably be a good example of the importance of such a “balance of power†– on the domestic front at least.) In Pakistan very few avenues are open to the poor in need of some succour or just in need of voicing their distress. So, what happens? Under a dictatorship, and with no diversity of political parties to choose from, the poor, frustrated man turns to the radical Right – the Mullahs and their might.
Pakistani religious extremists living in the West dance to a slightly different tune. Feeling discriminated, displaced, alienated or plain confused – they crave to cling to a core, something that will anchor their sense of identity. Often times this comes in the form of religion. Sometimes its taken to an extreme. So, the religious radical turns to radicalism not out of a love for religion, but a deep hatred for those elements that he felt were unjust towards him (or his brethren.) Anti-Western sentiments do not transpire from Koranic verses, instead they’re born of the experiences one had in/of the West and the bitter taste that can leave in one’s mouth… body and soul.
This is important. Scholars like Nichole Argo have accentuated the point: emotional and social ties precede the acquisition of ideology. Either our social situation has to be in the doldrums or our emotional condition so wounded that we take a religious ideology to an extreme. The media almost always portrays the religious extremist or terrorist as a gun-slinging gung-ho Islamist with a medieval mind and beard to boot. He is a dangerous, diehard jihadi on a mission to kill or be martyred trying. Such a description is like a donut-truth; the truth, the whole truth, with a hole in the truth (I forget what film this line is from). That hole is the real reasons people are pushed to accept a radicalised Islam, and these reason need to be better understood if we sincerely hope to curb extremism. Half-measures – like madrassa reformation – being implemented by our marginal-satisfiers might prove productive in that they’re broadening the narrow teachings of many religious seminaries. But they’re not preventing extremism. People, especially the poor and alienated, will continue to feel helpless in the face of a system they despise but can’t do anything to change. In fact, they may feel, and most do, that the measures being taken to tackle extremism are the spawn of the West, the very demon they wish to slay. So, they will continue feeling dejected and cheated. This inadvertently leads to the shift in their psyche that paves way for an extremist view.
Some extremists may genuinely be harbouring a twisted interpretation of religion, and others may just be twisted by nature. But I believe that for most the acquisition of a radical religious ideology is triggered from a more fundamental feeling of victimisation, of feeling wronged, and/or being part of a harshly unjust system. In such cases religion offers unction, and a bandwagon-effect ensues whereby millions of disempowered and discriminated find a mouthpiece and meaning in the Right. Ironically, the factors thrusting them to the extreme right is born of leftist logic; an anti-establishment egalitarian cry for equal rights for the common citizen.
(How corrupt leaders exploit this feeling in the masses to further their own political interests is another matter. Also I would like to advise everyone to not turn this into a debate about Islam. It is about how the basic wrongs in society which cause an individual to adopt an extremist view, and how it is these wrongs that need to be focused if we wish to break free from the vicious cycle of militancy and dictatorship.)
Photo Credits: Flickr.com
Ms. Shaam alludes that this extremism business is caused by
This is a well written post; however, this assertion is a little sweeping:
“Religious extremists in Pakistan can come from all walks of life but a sizeable chunk belongs to the poorer section of the society”
What about some members of the cricket team, the media, the Al-Huda movement, the tableeghi jamaat etc. These are essentially middle class manifestations.The Lal Masjid brigade were hardly the dispossessed and poor. Most of them were from the middle class as well -if that is a small sample to consider here.
Pakistan’s poor – and there are millions of them – are not concerned with ‘extremists’. Globally, the profile of suicide bombers defies the argument that poverty leads to extremism. And, Pakistan is no exception.
If the results of the last elections are any indication, only 11 % voted for MMA and their anti-US/radical Islamic agenda. All surveys for whatever their worth show that this was a one-time (perhaps doctored) support and the next election will return to the vote share of 4 to 5 %.
Of course we can argue that many of the poor do not vote. But we have to rely on the data available.
Unless, as crimson east pointed out, the Islamists will provide a social justice and redistribution agenda, they will remain just a minority (yet vocal) group and will not have the support of the poor. The issues of the poor are still being articulated by the ‘corrupt’ politicians. If you happen to visit NWFP, you will find out how honest and upright the MMA government for the last few years was.
About Pakistanis abroad: it needs to be clarified that there is a difference between various generations. Those of the second or third generations – as is the case in the UK or other parts of Europe – are of Pakistani orgin but European citizens at the end of the day.
Racism, ghettoisation, skewed opportunity access and alienation as you point out lead to this trend. But then most of the presumed 7/7 bombers in London cannot be called “Pakistanis” or those who were planning to prepare bombs to blow up planes without passports and tickets were British citizens.
BBC and mainstream media would make us believe otherwise.
The article appears to be written by a fifteen year old.
Nevertheless, I would like to add my two cents on the causes of Islamic fundamentalism abroad and within Pakistan.
First, the concept of “Nation- State” as an ethnic / cultural group, as for exapmle in Europe, does not apply to Islamic Ideology. When you are a “fundamental” Muslim, you are really Muslim first and British / Pakistani / Eqyptian / Saudi / American etc second or later.
In Islam, Muslims from any part of the globe are a part of one large brotherhood (similar to Jews – which sounds politicaly soooo corect!).
Due to this global nationhood of Muslims, any conflict -be it in Bosnia / Chechnia / Kashmir / Phillipines / Thailand etc, directly effects the feelings of Muslims all over the world. Thus a British born Muslim would be agitated if a British soldier would shoot out a Muslim somewhere in Afghanistan.
This association of Muslim sentiments for global Muslim causes is not an exception by a rule.
Second, there are many schools of “thought” in Islam which differ to a large amount in the interpertation of Islamic teachings. Some schools are more strict / voilent in their application of Islamic principles than others – for examples Wahabis versus Malkis.
There are also schools of thought which support voilence as a means to achieve their objectives , for example some interpretations by Ibne Taimiya / Kharji movement etc. Some fundamentalist groups like OBL’s use these extreme interpretations to justify their methods of struggle. Interestingly, all these various schools of thought are able to link their interpretations to one or the other verse of Quram or Hadith. This is also similar to the various schools in Christianity where 100s of cults exist.
The extremist groups are just one school of thought, however, Western Media has concluded in its seemingly simplistic reasoning that this is exatly what ails the Muslim mind. (The logic is quite dark – “give a dog a bad name and then shoot it” analogy)
Third, Islamic teachings provide principles of social life but there is no established structure of social governence.
Most of the Muslim countries have been colonies for centuries and their current political structures are borrowed from the colonial rulers. These politial structures are inadequate to meet the needs and demands of Muslim communities and are not reformed due to entrenched interests by small ruling minorities left in place from colonial times.
At this time, there are only two examples of relatively stable Muslim countries – Turkey and Malaysia. These two are stable because they have gone through a long process of internal reconstruction and they have been able to acheive social, political and economic stability.
Next in line to these two stable democracies are countries like Pakistan and Egypt where the conflict between social order and social chaos is ongoing and specially Pakistan can go any way – disintegration or a long march to reformation.
The emergence of Islamic fundamentalism in Pakistan should be seen in the light of Pakistan’s colonial past, its recent failures of democratic experimentation and its failure to address the needs of its 170 million people.
The judicial system is poor. The education system is pathetic. Healthcare is inadequate. Even clean drinking water is not available to a majority of people. Why does it surprise any one that people are taking up arms against such a “Government”?
On needs to understand the quality of life available to the people living in Balochistan / Swat etc in order to understand the conflicts. Drive 20 Kilometers outside the three main cities and you will find people living in the 19th centuary. The economic disparity itself is a cause for social disruption.
A typical Pakistani “fundamental extemist” is living in an area where guns are freely available, government is broken down, and Saudi or ISI sponsered Wahabi / Lashkari / Tehriki organizations or madressas are operating.
A typical British “fundamentalist extremist” can be quire different from its Pakistani counter part. He does live in a peaceful and democratic society and has access to to resources. However, there are three main causes of his inclination towards fundamentalism.
One has been described above as the Muslim global brotherhood phenomenon and conflicts in different war zones involving Muslims.
The second cause is really cultural in nature. Islam does not support drinking alcohol, dating / free sex and eating pork. There is a strong stigma for fundamental muslims attached to these three cultural habits in western society.
When a person becomes strongly influenced by Islamic teachings he finds it difficult to coexisit in an “unGodly” society with its “free dealing ways”.
This is also a prime contributer towards less “integration” by Muslims in Britian for example as compared to Hindus. The more the push for “integration” the more is there a need to find alternate culture by Muslims.
The third cause is linked to the abscence of political structures in Islam. Oranizations like Almuhajiroon etc in UK and many others are trying to fill these gaps through intellectual discourse so that the “Islamic Caliphate” is created with its associated social, political and economic structures some where around the globe. The contribution from these groups is more intellectual than militant. However, groups like those associated with OBL are also present due to the large Pakistani community.
It is clear that consierable soul searching is going on across the Muslim world.
However, these Muslim societies have moved from “Camels to Cadillacs” Social transformation cannot occur overnight in a revolutionary way, Iran bein an expcetion, and the needs is to go through the long road of industrialisation / emergence of middle classes and creation of stable social and political instituitions. In this regard, again, the examples of Malasia and Turkey are quite relevent.
To consider “Islamic fundamentalists” – people fighting for Global Muslim causes, people trying to create their genuine political institutions, and people trying to crawl back to the 14th centuary as “the new Leftists” is quite silly.
The struggle of the Left is On.
People versus big business is a hot debate every where in America / Germany / France / India etc.
However, there are various themes like globalisation, green movement, migrant workers, consumer rights etc that have diffused the meaning of Left.
So, Left in the 21st centuary means many things and communism is so passe!
About the article…
A thoughtful piece, and I find myself on agreeing on quite a few points.
However, Qandeel, you must remember that the religious fundamentalists often don’t have a proper programme for social justice. They are a vocal opposition force to the current unjust order, yes. But what alternatives can they offer the masses, if they do come into power?
The examples of Iran and Afghanistan (admittedly in different contexts) are before us.
In Lebanon, Hizbullah is a force which I greatly admire, for its efforts to provide social justice and defend the country from Israeli aggression. But remember that they had to effectively shelf much of their “Islamic revolutionary” programme, coming to terms with the reality of a multi-confessional society. Had Hizbullah continued to fight with the rigid Islamic principles, of say, our own militants here in Pakistan, they would have become another irrelevant gang of fundos.
You must excuse me if this comment has become too long. But I’d like to conclude with the following, in the words of Immanuel Wallerstein:
Furthermore, if one looks at the ways in which these Islamist groups have mobilized politically, one can see that they have not merely put forth an alternative rhetoric, and hence an alternative analysis of the mode of functioning of the modern world-system, from the modernist movements they have been opposing, but they are also saying that these modernist regimes have failed in the primary task of modern states, providing for the minimal ongoing welfare and security of the citizens. It is well-known that the Islamist organizations provide extensive social service to those in need, and frequently fill serious voids in state functions. Another noted feature of Islamist movements is that they recruit extensively and successfully among students in technical/scientific branches of the universities, and then make use of their skills in advancing their cause.
Now both these features – the social service function and the attractiveness of Islamism to young engineers/scientists – demonstrates that the Islamists are not romantics of a bygone agricultural society. They are rather purveyors of an alternative form of modernity, one that is open to technological advance but rejects secularism and its attendant values. Where they are ambivalent is in their attitude to the state structures. Out of power, they are a powerful antistatist force, not merely in politics but in ideology. They reject the centerpiece of secular modernism, the centrality of the embracing, presumably neutral state as a moral and political fulcrum. They insist on the priority of a set of spiritual values, as expounded by an authorized group of interpreters. This priority creates problems when the Islamists actually achieve political power, as today in Iran, for example, and has the potential of creating an ongoing tension between state and religious authorities, the exact problem the modern secular state was intended to resolve. Thus far, Islamism as a political force has continued to give priority to its extra-statist rhetoric.
I recommend the whole of the article:
http://www.binghamton.edu/fbc/iwislam.htm
Cheers!
@Usman Akram,
you mean, you can be bounced and kicked
around by only 8% of the religious electoral ?
they were never even in a position where they
could have asked you to comit collective suicide.
Ghulam Mohammed, Iskander Mirza, Ayub Khan,
Yehya Khan, Bhutto, Zia, Benazir, Nawaz Shareef,
Musharraf , were they religious leaders ??
There is certainly someone who is not normal here ?
The Pakistani voters, you or myself, him or her ???
@kinkminos
a propos ! you have to bear so many azaans,
goodness !! why don’t you make some tourism
in Siberia on a Goolag tour !!