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Is democracy and Islam incompatible?

Palestinians are fighting for their homeland; Iraqis are doing theirs as Chechens are doing for their homeland. No doubt sympathies are with the oppressed but these are not religious wars- calling them jihad is undermining the cause and inviting a 'Trojan Horse'. We do not call the Americans as Christians, Japanese as Buddhist and they themselves are not keen. Why then Muslims must always go by their religious identity? To me it looks like a baited hook for Huntington's ugly hypothesis. As Vietnam War has proved it- a good cause does not need religion to sell well or fight well.

Brig Gen (Retd) Jahangir Kabir, ndc. psc.
Iwas traveling in a jam-packed town service bus the other day. To breathe well and keep my mind away from the jostling experience I was trying to read the wall graffiti through the open window. Of the many things, both riding the mass transport and reading the wall writings help me have a feel of the public pulse. Suddenly, I saw some bold wall writing on the Paltan walls - 'democracy, hartal, and TV not permissible by Islam' -Al Biyanat. A similar wall writing I glanced from the running bus by Al Hadees or some other name. Hardened by grenades, bombs, killings in our political circus I was not shocked, as by now, I am familiar with such provocative wall writings, demonstration and parades. Few months ago we had witnessed a parade of colorful placards and festoons on the battle of Badar, battle of Uhod and many other events of Islamic history; sadly missing were placards on the Liberation War which made this religious parade possible on the sovereign land. The world however has taken notice of fundamentalist activities in Bangladesh.
Many feel it is an unnecessary interference in our internal affairs and we need not bother. One wishes that reality was as simple a matter. In the interdependent world we are more dependent than others. Just about for every sector of our needs Bangladesh is a recipient. International cooperation and aid are not nature's free gift to us. Eroded from the spirit of the Liberation War, India is not in high esteem in the average eye these days. But when Ratan Tata came with a proposal of investing two billion dollars he received more attention than head of a state. Such are the economic compulsions of 140 million that are trying to make a living on the smallest per capita land on earth. If we want to be part of the sharing world we have little choice but to claw on the
speeding train of world economies rushing towards integrated global village. If we are riding the train there is no shame in reposing confidence in the engine. Talking otherwise is counter productive, may even go the harms way. Emotion cannot be an alternative to common sense. We are with the Americans and miles away from Bin Laden, but^
and dull politicians are playing the pawns.
If we are talking of the quality of life- politically, economically and socially, Muslims are the worst 1.2 billion on earth and worst still, falling behind everyday by any matrix of juxtaposition. The way Charles Darwin saw the world from a sail ship .more than a century ago- East or
not necessarily, with the GIs in Iraq.
If democracy were not compatible with Islam then our two elected prime ministers would not have been in the position that they were and are in. If Islam fails to accommodate, the Clash of Civilisation -Samuel Huntington's hypothesis will wage more wars in the Western minds. The Clash of Civilisation has already been sold out as Gospel and has done more damage to the Muslims -not as a hypothesis but as real possibility. As if this egoistic hypothesis was not enough, 9/11 did the rest to put the one-fifth of mankind in the dock. Centuries old bigotry of the failed Muslim leadership produced the straw, Huntington recited the mantra and 9/11 gave the spark to cast the die. What a tragedy; some of the religious leaders knowingly or unwittingly are adding fuel for greater combustibility of Muslim societies, while kings, dictators
West, nature will always produce a drag net to fish in the troubled waters. A sophisticated world could not accept it nakedly, so the word 'survival' is replaced with a classy word 'self defense'. The Americans are fighting a self-defense war in Iraq and Afghanistan- catapulting into the battlefield 10,000 miles from their homeland. That bin Laden can surprise the world once but Americans can always do it. The victors are entitled to the booty by the thoughtless interpretation of medieval mind. With Charles Darwin still living in disguise, Huntington giving out the order of battle and the religious leaders are interpreting laws on war, sadly speaking, the entire so-called Muslim world has turned into an enclave of booty collection.
Palestinians are fighting for their homeland; Iraqis are doing theirs as Chechens are doing for their homeland. No doubt sym-
pathies are with the oppressed but these are not religious wars-calling them jihad is undermining the cause and inviting a 'Trojan Horse'. We do not call the Americans as Christians, Japanese as Buddhist and they themselves are not keen. Why then the Muslims must always go by their religious identity? To me it looks like a baited hook for Huntington's ugly hypothesis. As Vietnam War has proved it- a good cause does not need religion to sell well orfight well.
The Muslims do not need Bin Laden but Nelson Mandela, the living legend of the world-sprung from apartheid South Africa. Mandela is a rare species of courage where gun fails to intimidate the bare hands. As a soldier I have learnt, one needs onedimensional courage to fight and die for a cause. To be a visionary one needs to be an infinite reservoir of courage and tenacity to exhaust the ferocity of power. The oppressed and downtrodden need that kind of vision today where power feels hopelessly weak and succumbs to the will of the tormented. Giving up is as shameful as giving in to anger.
Drawing personal matter like religion in political and international arena is self-defeating. If the world gets divided on the basis of religion, the Muslim-states will provide easy hunting ground for more powerful ones. It is wise for the Muslims that religion is left to the image of individuals rather then dragging it to self-defeating national and international perspective. Since the disintegration of the Ottomans, nearly a century ago, religion has been thoroughly abused to the detriment of the Muslims. Whatever is the shade of religion there is but only one perceived supernatural authority and His ability of diversity is also infinite. For all believers God must be in the heart- not on the sword. And for Bangladesh it is the only course of survival.
The author is a writer on strategic issues