The world was never free of variance or disputation. Difference exists in the very rudiments of human beings. X and Y chromosomes and the paradigm they adopt to annex, ascertains the orientation of body parts one shall have at birth. Despite the presence of disagreement in the very fundamental essence of nature; bearing the weight of it sometimes seems excruciating to some humans. Whether the difference is social, political, religious, communal, sectarian, racial or ethnical, most people react intolerantly to dissimilarity. Conventional ideas and conservative mindset has always hurdled mankind’s progress.
This bigotry and parochialism has resulted in hostilities and carnage throughout history. The killing of Armenian Christians at the hands of rogue Turkish forces, Hitler’s systematic butchery of Jews, massacre of Bengalis at the hands of then their own military, orchestrated pogroms against Sikhs in India, planned slaughter of Muslims during the 2002 riots in India; all these incidents were the result of this narrow-mindedness. The world yet again, after such horrific and atrocious incidents, seems not to learn.
Bengalis perhaps would’ve not demanded separation had they been provided with adequate rights. Sikhs surely would have not retaliated had they been not targeted. India ostensibly portrayed itself as the champion of human rights and democracy during the East Pakistan conflict, but now seems busy clandestinely obliterating adversaries, who are relatively far more peaceful. It was quite morally audacious of Israel to talk about human rights in Pakistan because there aren’t any in Israel (unless they consider only Jews humans).
The West’s inability to cope with those who exploit free speech in order to proliferate hatred has caused a lot of sentimental damage to Muslims.
Chauvinism and biasness incites and intensifies zealotry in segments which are at the receiving end. The world must espouse and embrace a uniform standard of perceiving and addressing heinous actions. If what Hitler did to the Semitics was wrong, then what India, Israel, Myanmar and China are doing to Muslims is equally gruesome. If India supports and aids Tibetan liberation drive, why is it so tumultuous about Canada providing asylum and defending Khalistanis.
You cannot hate anti-Semitism and be Islamophobic at the same time. The West is always so pandemonium about Middle Eastern dictators and Communist governments, but does not like to discuss the reverberations and repercussions of colonial atrocity, tyranny and brutality. Ex-colonial nations have yet been unable to ameliorate and alleviate the devastation and deprivation the colonial nexus left behind.
The West’s inability to cope with those who exploit free speech in order to proliferate hatred has caused a lot of sentimental damage to Muslims. The people who try to justify such actions by opposing effective and potential, reprimanding and penalizing of such people should try assuming that if in future someone decides to play celebratory music and performs a victory dance in front of a 27 January (Holocaust Commemoration) convocation. How shall they feel? That will definitely be outrageous and repugnant. Hence, tranquility and harmony will remain a dream until and unless all people are considered, respected and treated equal.
The writer can be reached at: me.ahmed.sultan@gmail.com.