Culture has been called "the way of life for an entire society." As such, it includes codes of manners, dress, language, religion, rituals, norms of behavior such as law and morality, and systems of belief. Maldivians are 100 per cent Muslims and therefore they celebrate all the festivals that feature on the traditional Muslim calendar. Thus Islam is the cornerstone of the culture of Maldives.
Our educational system has principally rewarded those who have developed their ability to swallow information and regurgitate it during a prescribed time frame. This distorted thinking is further advanced by our scholars who return home after graduation from overseas institutions and impart knowledge to local communities without engaging them in critical thinking. Thus our minds which controls everything about our life is influenced, manipulated and in the end controlled by people who sometimes subvert faith and religion because of their ignorance or their madness. Many of the followers who blindly follow teachings that include the distorted ones get trapped into radicalism and extremism. Thus emerge the cults that often bring a painful end, it wrecks families and communities.
The recent bombing in Sultan Park Male' and the masked men of Hinmadhoo who stood against the police and security forces have revealed that we too have our cults who live differently, teach their children out of the mainstream schools and are prepared to fight and defend their separate way of life in small communities. This is just the beginning of our cults and if it progresses unchecked, we could hear of martyrdom and more destructive cults.
The battle against destructive and death cults can only be won when the Muslims take a forceful stance against extremism, separatism and radicalism. This view is beginning to be shared across the Muslim world and now its time for Maldives to walk its talk in making Maldives the peaceful country that it claims to be.
Is Islam a religion that has the propensity to lead to destructive cults?
Let us look at what some of this separatist groups are doing. Some of them say we should live exactly in the same exact way as the Prophet and his disciples lived. We should dress like them, eat like them and live like them. The argument is on whether Muslim men should be allowed to wear suites and ties as Westerners do or not? When they are told that why should we live like them when they existed 1500 years ago and our life today is different? Why should we ignore the current life style and not take full advantage of the technologies that exist today to our benefit? Their response is: "Don't you think that if Allah wanted to make the cloths of today lawful, He would've made the Muslims have them 1500 years ago?" How is it possible to reason out with such erratic thinking? If we can't reason out, is it possible to change such thinking and dogmatic behaviour?
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9 comments:
It is possible to change thinking and behavior. One of the most exciting stuff i have seen is cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)in action. It takes time but with consistent therapy it can do wonders.
maldiveshealth
Yes, CBT can work when administered consistently over time. But the radicals don't believe there is anything wrong with their madness and you can't force them into therapy. By the time they commit a crime, they would have blown up a place or blown themselves up.
Compromise, Sacrifice, Understanding would do wonders.
Think back for what have done wrong!
The way Islam is used as a tool for oppression of critical thought and "close-circuiting" the human brain, Islam definitely can be used to form and enhance destructive cults.
My worst nightmare in "reading" the local formal media is, the lack of awareness and understanding of extremisms and terrorism by those journalists who report and write on the issues in our society.
As a frind pointed out, that the media and various commentators including Adhaalath seem to have put both the security forces and the separatist group in Himandhoo breakaway mosque as "equals" is alarming. The security forces went in to search and arrest, while the breakaway mosque group came out to kill.
And also the capacity of the government who comprise of the DRP, to work together with their political opposition in matters of national interest is also critical. Adhaalath has condemned extremism and proposed to assist the government to rehabilitate the extremists.
The Adaalathu assisting government to rehabilitate extremists is like a cocaine addict helping to rehabilitate a heroin addict.
There are two ways, in my opinion to rid ourselves of extremism. One, systematically wipe them out. Two, educate them.
Religion, especially Islam (and Christianity too) is subject to interpretation. We need to educate these people starting with the basics of reality of today's world then move on to science, reason and using logic. Opening a text book will never help.
Adaalathu party cannot tell these people anything new. But reality, state of humans, environment, science and reason can...for both Adaalathu and extremism.
Simon, that you hate Islam and anything related to it doesnt make your religion science any better. We respect science but it has no answers to all worldly phenomenon. Faith is the missing link. Your hatred Islam is not consistent with your point to educate people. There is more to education than science.
Simon
I can see that your knowledge of islam isnt very good. And i feel you are being a bit harsh about adhaalath. Extremism isnt always related to religion. Being a science fanatic, you are showing the extremist side of an atheist. To wipe out another sect than of you or your likes isnt healthy reasoning. Educating people is the best of everything. And lack of it is exactly whats breaking this once solid community. Current government is the culprit behind.
anon,
survival of the fittest. remember? simon is talking about that. extremists are not fit to live here anymore. lol, science extremism.
"if indeed what is missing is faith, how exactly is it that faith can be the solution to a problem of faith?" for such a great "philosopher" thats a stupid question to ask. if indeed what is missing is science, how exactly is it that science can be the solution to a problem of science?
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