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The omnipotent majority and the hapless minority

KAZI ALAUDDIN AHMED
THE term "majority" by itself signifies power or the powerful, while "minority" denotes, for all practical purpose, a block eternally subservient to the majority. Those who belong to the majority are often unconscious of the privileges that such status bestows. This often eclipses their sense of judgement in terms of dealing with their minority partners in the society.
A democratic political situation that affords the parties in power the support of the majority people, can also assume the ugly contours of a brute majority. Such a feature can be all the more threatening to the minority in as much as it can be subjected to strangulation of its voice on national or regional issues. Notwithstanding the present day import of these two broad-based divisions on the basis of the political leanings of the people, we shall have to keep in mind that the terms "majority" and "minority" largely owe their origin to the religious faiths of the people at large. The segregation of such religion-based overtures from the political arena has been a comparatively recent phenomenon with variation in degrees in the three countries of the sub-continent.
Yet the hydra-headed monster representing extremism among some section of the people continues to thrive on misinterpretation of the tenets of Islam. The fanatics are apt to willfully exploit the lesser people in the community, preying successfully upon their faith in and unconditional attachment to Islam. It
wouldn't be surprising to observe that such reckless exploitation would be readily rewarding due to the hideous factor of poverty.
Coincidentally such a situation, perhaps with free money laundering among those targeted as recruits, has given rise to large-scale terrorism and insurgency across the country, especially since August 21, 2004. Added to such an awfully fluid situation, there has been some sort of blissful ignorance and indifference to strategic and timely action on the part of the real decision makers and with respect to the intervention plans of the law enforcement agencies.
Some in the administration have even been reported to have been enthusiastic in supporting the emergence of to the notorious "Bangla Bhai" -- indirectly placing the bandit in a parallel position with the police in the field to quash the so-called Sharbaharas. The JMB synchronized bombing across the country on August 17 and other actions till now have been the insidious dividends that the nation is being proffered due to such official indifference and inaction.
On the communal scenario the age-old distinction or seditious disaffection planted by the British prior to partition of India in August 1947 appears to have some material change over the past several decades since December 1971. Yet the virus of fanaticism, a veritable legacy of the Pakistan days and very fondly nurtured by a group of fanatics, still persists to undo the
communal harmony in the country. The Ahmadiyya faction of the Muslim community continues to be frequently oppressed and harassed by a handful of the extremists. In this sense, the Ahmadiyyas can be easily rated as a minority along with the Hindus, Christians, and other non-Muslims in the society.
In this connection it may be recalled that some time in the past Bangladesh was described as a "moderate Muslim state" by a former Ambassador of the US in Bangladesh. Such certification (by Mary Ann Peters) was duly endorsed by the last Ambassador Thomas. But he was soon disillusioned when he met the State Minister for Religious Affairs prior to his departure from Dhaka. The meeting was on the status of the minority community in Bangladesh. It was reported that Ambassador Thamas expressed his tacit consternation on the treatment meted out to the Ahmadiyyas by the government at the instance of some self-styled religious leaders. It was made known to the press that the US diplomat went to the extent of alluding to the banning of Ahmadiyya publications and to some consequential letters he had received from some members of the minority community on alleged tortures. The state minister was reported to have pleaded his total ignorance of any such case of torture or repression of the minority community.
And when we learn from an altogether disinterested source in
the United States about such incidence of minority oppression or about infringement of the rights of the minority community we retract shamelessly from our stance earlier. A recent report in a vernacular daily conveyed some critical observations made by the United States on the attitude of the 4-party alliance vis-a-vis the government towards the religious minority communities in Bangladesh. The report released by the US State Department entitled "International Religious Freedom 2005" questioned the sincerity of the Bangladesh government on such issue. Particular mention was made on the right of the Ahmadiyyas and of the Hindus. The US Foreign Secretary Condoleezza Rice herself made formal presentation of report to the press and electronic media.
The report said that the people of Bangladesh are usually able to practice their individual religious rites with relative freedom, yet when the minority communities are attacked, the police force, generally speaking, is not found to be that active as would prevent such aggression from the majority community. In this particular area, the report stipulates, the policy of the government has not been consistent with the specific provisions of the constitution. The government admits some such incidents could have taken place for political and economic reasons, but it disowns that such incidents could occur due to religious reasons alone. The report further reveals that notwithstanding the usual friendly relationship existing among all the communities there have been instances of maltreatment of Hindus and of Christians by some of the majority Muslims.
The year 2004 has been mentioned in the report as the year of oppression of the Ahmadiyyas. In this connection it may be recalled that some sections of the Islamic parties in the government waged a "crusade" against the Ahmadiyyas
in 2004. It eventually culminated into a fierce demand on the government to declare the Ahmadiyyas as non-Muslims immediately. Around this time US congressman Joseph Crowley of the Bangladesh Caucus in US Congress led a team to Dhaka. Prior to his return to the United States he had a press conference here in Dhaka where, among others, he categorically spoke against such a demand. The present report under reference tacitly corroborates Crowley's observations last year. The report also has taken into account the numerous oppressive measures against the Ahmadiyyas from the afore-mentioned militant faction of the Muslim community including the murder at their hands in Jessore of one top ranking leader of the Ahmadiyya community. The banning of Ahmadiyya publications by the government on January 8, 2004 has also been cited in report.
The status of the Hindu community after the general election is 2001 has also been focused upon in the report. Instances of oppression of the members of the Hindu community across the country, allegedly due to its political leanings towards the mainstream opposition Awami League, has also been recorded in the report. Even though the government had admitted some such incidents taking place here and there, it claimed that much of this was exaggerated.
The country is currently passing through a terrible phase of anarchy, terrorism, and extreme fanaticism. Suicide bombers have been actively pursuing their ignominious killing mission, since the last month. Already we have had a huge toll of human lives including two judges, half a dozen lawyers, and many others in the civil society. And most pitiably the whole nation -- the absolute majority of the people of Bangladesh irrespective of caste, creed or religion (including the already suffering section of the minority community) are literally
held hostage to a handful of extremist militants.
Here the age-old equation of majority-minority ostensibly on the basis of religion is being outrageously reversed rendering the whole law and order system of the government utterly ineffective till now. The people at large are generally convinced that such a diabolic rise of the JMB monsters has been the end result of the deliberate inaction or imprudent indifference of the administrative machinery in time. The queer laxity on its part now continues to proffer ever menacing dividends in terms of huge toll of innocent human lives. It seems that we are heading towards a total catastrophe and to a point of no return. We can only invoke the mercy of Allah to save us from the demons.
In the meantime, we have reports from the news media on the rise of some other extremist groups beside JMB but with an identical mission to establish Islamic laws concurrently committed to sacrifice lives at the altar of their God.
Some organisations in Islamic garb, hitherto bitterly critical of the noted Ulemas of the country, as regularly reflected in their writings on the walls of Dhaka city and elsewhere, are now being observed to have changed colours. They are being seen very vocal against the bombing spree of JMB (hopefully there is no pretension in these cases to divert attention and preempt intervention of the law and order enforcing agencies).
In any case we can only pray to God Almighty that He gives the misled Muslims who seek paradise by killing innocents the power to realize His dictates in the holy Quran and the teachings of Islam as preached by our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and enable them return to the real path of Islam.
Kazi Alauddin Ahmed is a management consultant.