Herald, 24 April 2008, Editorial
Just say no
In a time when religious intolerance is increasing, it comes as a breath of fresh air when ordinary people stand up to say no to those who propagate that the people who worship differently from you are the `enemy'. In that sense,' the faithful of the Madina Masjid in Vasco must be congratulated for seeking the removal of a cleric who through his preachings was trying to create tensions within different sections of the Muslim community in the port town. The recent violence in Malbhat in Margao seems to have added to the urgency of the situation.
However, it is not only among Muslims that intolerance is sought to be spread. The Bajrang Dal, especially its leader in South Goa, one Jayesh Naik, has been making unnecessarily aggressive statements. In a recent Hindu religious meeting in Margao, among other provocative statements, he said that "Margao is no more the city of the Hindus". Cities do not belong to religions. They belong to the residents. And it is up to the people to disown those who seek to sow the seeds of hate and create tension where none is necessary.
Hinduism is in no danger of any kind. Despite being restricted mainly to South Asia -it is the dominant religion in India, Nepal, and among the Tamils in Sri Lanka -Hinduism is the world's third largest religion, after Christianity and Islam, which are the predominant religions of dozens of countries. About 13 per cent of the world's population is Hindu, mostly in India.
In fact, Hinduism differs from Christianity and other Western religions in its essential decentralisation in organisation, values and scriptures. It does not have a single founder, a specific theological system, a single system of morality, or a central religious organisation. It consists of thousands of different religious groups, some of which differ radically from each other, but all of which have evolved in India over thousands of years; Hinduism is universally regarded as the world's oldest organised religion and, owing to its essentially diversified structure, has traditionally been among the world's most religiously tolerant faiths.
It is outfits like the Bajrang Dal that want to change this basic nature of Hinduism, and make it more intolerant. And to do this, they create a bogey that Hinduism is "in danger". It is time that ordinary Hindus in Goa, who have been living in harmony with people of other religions for centuries, say no to people who want to spread hate and mistrust. Religion is an intensely personal thing, and it is best confined to the personal space.
Goa has so far remained a place where there is tolerance among religions. In a country that has seen terrible religious violence, especially in states like Gujarat and Orissa, Goa is an island of calm. We must keep it that way. And, the way to do this is for ordinary citizens to stand up and tell people it who want to incite hatred on religious grounds that we will not stand for it. We have grown up in a peaceful and tolerant state, and we owe it to our children that they too should be able to live their lives happily, without fear of religious tension or violence.
The devotees of the Madina Masjid have shown the way. Just as ordinary citizens in so many villages in Goa are standing up and coming together to fight against large housing and commercial real estate projects that threaten their way of life, they must also unitedly stand up to say no to the peddlers of hate. They are no better than the peddlers of drugs. What they do is destoy lives. And there is only one answer to both these social scourges: just say no!
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