Fundamentalism and Violence

{"...we realize that all these factors, whether religious or political, social or psychological, are significant and depending upon the special social and political circumstances, play the dominant role. In some areas religion is more important than politics and in other areas socioeconomic factors dominate the political factors. Human beings are conditioned by their families and communities and violent cultures produce violent people."}

Sohail Sahib,
You have a well-written essay here, but it is hollow, boring, and leaves one confused about your true motives. It comes across like that ordorless, colorless, boneless, tasteless, and clueless generic meat served in buffets and proclaimed as "chicken."

If your point is that British soccer fans or Boston Red Sox fans turn into suicide bombers, then I agree with you totally and am willing to dillute my cruel criticism. If you are pontificating that Osama's antics are justified by Pope Urban II's "not so urbane" Crusade, then you are spinning yarns across the centuries with no rhyme or reason. I condemn both the Crusades and today's crazy, senseless, and self-defeating plague of terrorism.

Let's see what else we can throw in your omelet of justifications - God's favoritism toward Abraham and his seed, destruction of the temple, Roman greed, too many barbarians, human sacrifice, the age of "exploration," colonialism, the failure of communism, neo-conservatism, lack of "Islamic" democracy, and AIDS?

Please come down to Earth instead of wasting your time defining social conditions in the Milky Way.

masadi: O Piano of the East - Use this opportunity to ask Dr. Sohail for an appointment to try and fix your single tune harping.

Tahmed writes "I will only add that in treating these four schools of thought at par the article ignores the fact that the first three (religion, economic theory, political behavior) themselves rest on certain assumptions human psychology"

Another miserable shrink who also happens to be a major peon of the West, comments on the article. Let me remind both you shrinks that human psychology accounts for nothing when you're dealing with group phenomena. And even on the aberrant individual level there are no specific psychological traits that seperate the violent from the non-violent. Individual psychology itself gets molded from without given social structure, seeking explanations inside the individual or attributing them to "choice" is BS

Dr Sohail: like any communication that has some significant truth to present, your article is written in a simple, unpretentious manner.

I will only add that in treating these four schools of thought at par the article ignores the fact that the first three (religion, economic theory, political behavior) themselves rest on certain assumptions human psychology. And so, ultimately it is assumptions regarding human psychology on which the first three rest.

Traditional economic theory and analysis of political behavior often rests on incredibly simplistic assumptions regarding human behavior. Factors like inflated egos, tribal instincts, drive for self-preservation find no place in discussions on religion, politics, or economics (most economic theories, e.g., brushes these aside as "irrational" factors). And yet, to discuss religion, economic theory or politics without taking into account human psychology is to discuss play Hamlet without considering the prince Hamlet, or (an example closer home) Pakistani politics without Musharraf inflated ego.

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Re: # 5
dear kamath...Bertrand Russell once said...it took me fifty years of hard work to write simple.
If I am writing to my psychoanalyst colleagues I can write in the language
...the libidinal cathexis of the ego has been repressed to the unconscious and then projected to the superego and then sublimated in socially acceptable activities.'
if you wish i can try that kind of language next time...smiles...when i write i try to share my views as clearly as possible. my goal is not to impress others with my scholarship. to me communication is of paramount importance. i know many scholars and philosophers who need a translater to share their ideas in simple language.
sorry i disappointed you.
the question is whether you agree or disagree with my ideas...?
sincerely, sohail

Khalid;

I really think you could pen a better one than this very simplistic column. Don't you think?

Kamath

eklavvya yaar, instead of disparaging Sohail with things you cannot prove, try instead rebutting his assetions with things you can prove. I am still waiting for your criteria for religion, your assertions of numbers being the proof of religious validity and other non sensical musings. chop chop brother...

okhla99, khalid sohail is a brilliant man who has mortgaged his entire mind to the chimera of saintism - study of human beings as veritable saints.

Children below the age of 9 should definitely be forced to read his writings. Indian liberals and other adults wanting to be children will obviously need no invitation.

Very primitive work. Shall appeal to high school students.

Totally devoid of serious substance.

Waste of time for most chowkies.

If you read the interacts first then it is recommended that you skip the article completely (like many other times).

Second you totally. To achieve this goal every one of us needs to look deep inside his soul before making any offensive move, saying any hurtful remark or even thinking of any stuff painful to other humanbeing. If we want our opinions to be accepted, we should be tolerant to others opinions; we want our believes and faith to be respected we should respect others faiths first. The first step towards world's peace and to end violence is so very much in our own hands.
"Whatever change you want to see in the world , be that change".
Love this old Pakistani song "Her aadmi alag sahee mager umang aik hai, juda juda hain sooratein lahoo ka rang aik hai"; which means in english that "though each one of us are different we harbour one spirit, we appear in various colurs but the colour of blood is same."
Nikhat Riaz