In the wonderlands of ‘pseudos’, When ‘Rizvi’ goes for the toss: Part-2

Deconstructing Clergy & Et al.

• 8 Articles series: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 7, 8 (Neither the 1’st nor the last, Includes table of content)

Thread for this article is being picked up from Arshia Malik’s statement we discussed in previous article (1):

Interestingly enough, clergy was not supposed to have much role in the original ABCD scheme of things beyond a few minor operational administrative roles. Let us include other middle men working at various religious institutions in the same category for the purpose of analyzing vested interests of orthodox conservative status quo.

Over the centuries the clergy and institutions of middlemen has firmly entrenched in a role of influencer which manipulates not only individuals and communities but also politics and a stubborn chain of vested interests came into formation which insists to maintain conservative orthodox status quo, giving primacy essentially to literalness in their preaching and resists change.

So this clergy feels threatened and behaves very insecure to any descaling, change or reformation and ends up instigating individuals and community around, into extreme positions, at every opportune moment.

Actually whatever financial donations get collected by ABCD religious bodies need to go for the benefit of the poor, their health and education and not much for clergy salary and enjoyments. But corruption is endemic and poor and needy do not benefit as much as they are supposed to benefit.

Integrity and accountability are supposed to be important values in ABCD, but corruption in religious institutions is taking them astray from the ideal path. And hence states (i.e. governments world wide) need to legislate better for not only strict financial audit but also legislation are needed for most portion of collected donations are really reaching to deserving poor for their advance education (emphasis to advance) which will create reliable employment opportunities and health infrastructure and no-interest micro financing of product manufacturing which creates jobs while ensuring such financing will not wasted or will not create new illegitimate vested interests .

States (governments world wide) need to intervene to legislate to see at least fifty percent in numbers and amount beneficiaries are women including at all levels of religious institutional management (including AMU & JMI and India needs to essentially audit & reserve fifty percent shareholding management, editorial and journalist roles for women at Urdu media too). State legislation also needs to see that at every religious institution management has to have new members added and old ones retired to avoid continuation of vested interests. And clergy won’t have a chance to complain against such legislation since it does not directly touch ABCD religion in any way. These legislative steps are very essential to break present chains of vested interest in ABCD religious institutions. Especially in India Rizvi saga has given reason and opportunity to update on legislation relating clean up and improving working with transparency of ABCD institutions which should not be missed.

The same legislation should have provisions for anti-community hate audit of religious institutions including teaching, preaching and curricula of so called religious educational institutions (narratives @ universities like JNU, AMU & JMI also need to be audited), nothing can be sacred in any anti-community hate, whatever the sources of hate may be ought to be stopped if one wants to have true label of being civilized and peaceful. Of course here we are referring to anti-community hate only, definition of hate should not be skewed favoring any single community. Anti communal hate tools should not become instruments of stalling microscopic evaluation review and even criticism of dogmas, most important least amidst scholar to scholar level independence to criticize dogmas need to be maintained much more freely, then what it is now. While we talk of freedom of expression and freedom of religion it needs to come with the responsibility that every publicly available expression must include critiques from all possible sides then include a reply whatever book or expression may be. Legal provision to that effect will help avoid undue advantage and systemic biases.

Anti-community Hate using persons along with their family should be disqualified from religious institutional management positions for a certain number of years may be 2 years, each time they fail to take care along with them their family members too should be disqualified from so as to close all back door loopholes. For that matter whether it is main secular democratic institutions or non–industrial non–governmental and religious institutions the same person should not be allowed to officiate any position more than eight years if democracies are really serious to break chains of vested interest. And philosophically speaking breaking monopolies of vested interest and being egalitarian was the underlying positive objective of ABCD, so any ABCD follower would have every reason to support implementation of legislative institutional reforms. Suggestion is not that the government runs those institutions but is just to break chains of vested interest and bring in more transparency and effective agency to commoners through effective legislation.

Since decades pseudo ABCD press and media is too busy creating and continue recycling false negative impressions, misunderstanding, and scaremongering about Hinduism so moderate and commoner of ABCD would feel awkward to shake hands with Hindus and pseudo vested interests continue to benefit. Hinduness need to discuss among themselves how to break hateful ABCD & pseudo anti-Hinduism chain and bring moderate and marginalized commoners (Pasmanda) of ABCD, close to Hinduism. That would be possible through strongly encouraging ABCDs to embrace positive values of Hinduism like ‘always evolving to goodness’, ‘boundless truth’, Critical thinking and reasoning, ‘Maximum positivity with least breaks’, anti-violence filters like controlling one’s own Shadripu as discussed in next section in detail.

Theological right and duty to seek reason & truth

Such institutional reforms will pave ways for better quality inter religious dialogues with improved trust and improved inter religious harmony. As I have discussed in previous few articles, at theological and philosophical level interlocutors from Indic religions side need to strongly encourage ABCDs and even Jews and Christians too to adopting principles of ‘Maximum positivity with least breaks’* along with Shad Ripu (Arishadvarga) filters/controls  namely concurring over own: kama (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), Mada/Nafs (Ahankara/arrogance), moha delusion), and ‘matsarya (jealousy), speaking about the same in their prayer congregations will help Christian & ABCD communities in their spiritual growth in seeking peace.

Like one of prominent Mahavakya in Hinduism ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’ accepting and correlating ‘boundless truth’ with God as most important attribute will allow for more openness for introspection, accept coexistence of communities (emphasis to without direct or indirect hate) which relate with God in many different way than themselves such as Hindus Buddhists Jain etc. Once every (ABCD) fellow decides discarding ahankara/Nafs (conceit & arrogance) and discarding anger will bring them Gods attribute of peace and ‘boundless truth’, which will allow them respectfully appreciate any effort or criticism whether coming from any Rizvi or anybody else as their own way to be on his religious path of seeking truth. So theological scope exists for reason and criticism, what is important is realization, awareness and respect for the same.

FootNote In a previous article we have discussed the concept of maximum positive attitude in Hinduism and Hindus and indirect view of other religions from Hindu side.

• Pl. Continued to (3)