Allrounders post probably is part of a long line of posts dealing with the same issue but I just wanted to air some thoughts today as i read something else about
another country too .
Very depressing indeed-DS article.
I read an interview with an Islamic mufti in Malaysia (sort of their legal islamic party there) . And he was asked about tolerance of minorities. Believe me, he answered the interviewer in a split second and without a doubt, he had no problems with minor sects in Islam- his grudge was the gap between the poor muslims and the rich muslims and it seffect on Islam.
I can bet you this-if it was one of our guys you will see him twitch and turn just to figure out what to say- just shows the underlying weakness. Even though outsiders perceive Bangladesh to be Islamic - people have never been so confused and misled about right or wrong ; unislamic and corrupt in its history. Confused is the right word here.
The only way to clean up the house is internally. I think there will emerge a group of Islamic scholars who can do this; and through a genuine Islamic revival challenge these rotten apples. It won't be achieved by coercion or any of the established parties; or a Pervez Musharaf style benvolent dictator type, as bangalis are too far down the anarchy slope..
In this respect I think there is still room for optimism. The press gives a skewed picture that all who have sympathies for Islamic outfits automatically share all their agendas. I think this is wrong. Bangladeshis, in a deep corner of their mind, still harbor a deep love for their religion, and are grappling to stitch it in the national conciousness. You may debate the naivity of such feelings but if you want to proceed towards a better political atmosphere then the sooner you accept and deal with it the easier.
That is why you see political parties of all color, barring communists, trying their best to accomodate this so called electoral necessity. Why heck, i have seen my own uncle (a proud card carrying member of CPB) going on proudly about all the mosques he saw in the Soviet Union. And I still laugh when i recollect this ironic tale.
In Bangladesh history we see that both Mujib and Zia, by far the two most astute politicians we ever had on the throne, who had tapped it and thus maxed it politically . Although Mujib was just learning the ropes, it was the latter who benefited tremendously from it. As you see from the legacy of his more or less young party.
(Even though the BNP of today is a different entity from the one its founder created)
Disclaimer coming here - I have totally and absolutely no political leanings.
But if you asked me when did political Islam really get out of control in BD. Well I would say with the death of Zia. He was the only man capable of reining in, controlling and putting political Islam in its right place and ensuring that they would never achieve power in BD while he was around.
I know a lot of other political parties and proponents vehemently oppose this view and clamor for a more secular democracy etc. But look at the positives- at the bottom of my heart I am still proud that at this dark hour we still have communists, islamists, nationalists and blah blah while Malaysia " tries" so hard to be democratic.
Edited on, March 12, 2005, 12:33 PM GMT, by oracle.