The Beslan Silver Lining

M.B.Z.Isphahani

Once upon a time there was one earth in one piece, but people lived in scattered tribes.

The hearts of tribesmen of one tribe beat like one heart, but they tore out the hearts of people from other tribes.

Each tribe killed for its own `True God,` and waited for its own Messiah, Mohammad, and Ram to return.

To establish its own version of `peace` built on its own victory and decimation of others. So `pristine oneness could return.`

While many waited, others saw that although they worshipped different `Supreme Gods,` they bled the same. Grieved similarly on the death beds of their children.

Then they began to create a religion of man, different from their religions of God.

When they had moved away from the camps of war, into the camps of peace, Ram, Christ, and Mohammad felt safe enough to return.

Moatoon na nass dubb ja hass hass
Ishaq da aye dastoor ni arriyee

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Islamic terrorists are like defense attorneys for the Islamic causes. The problem is that they are very successful in getting death penalties and life-term sentences for their clients for the crimes which usually get six months probation according to the law.

Even considering all the Islamic concerns - Palestine, Kashmir, Chechenya, Mindanao, colonialism, exploitation, western imperalism etc - absolutely genuine, still do not ask for the worst strategy, which is self-destructive without any chance of success.

For a person, ready to sacrifice his life for a noble cause, the better option is the one buddhist monks used in Vietnam - self-immolation in protest. There is absolutely no reason or justification to kill 100 of your own before or after sacrificing self to kill few enemies. The problem is the selfishness of afterlife rewards for martyrs outweighs the dedication to the noble causes.

This is neither an act of last resort nor is it out of desperation but the first choice for death wishers, who seek to perform this noblest of Islamic dulties. There are multiple of routes available for backing any noble cause, depending upon the nature of cause. Assuming that literacy level of Muslim women in subcontinent dropped from 50 percent during the golden era of Bahadur Shah Zafar to nearly zero in the following 100 years of colonialism *wink, wink*, killing anglos would not bring the female literacy back to 50 percent.

Similarly one has to have the right order of bad, worse and worst enemies before starting a crusade against it. Lets take the same issue of female literacy of subcontinent Muslims. Whodunnit? Colonialism was bad becasue they only improved it from 1-2 percent to 5 percent in 100-150 years. Before that for almost 700 years, Muslims rulers did not imprve it at all. So Muslim rule in India is worse enemy for Muslim women literacy than British colonial rule. Then Muslim women literacy remained about half of non-Muslm women, making Islam the worst enemy. The order with respect to Muslim women literacy in subcontinent becomes conversion to Islam (worst), Muslim rule (worse) and British colonialism (bad). Nobody is crusading in Pakistan to improve women literacy by considering this scale. Islamic fundamentalsits have no interest in this crusade because the chance of becoming martyrs is not there.

I expect to see Romair on this board very soon, with statistics about LTTE.

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Not a single mention in this article that the population of Chechnya has been culled from 2 million to around 800,000 in the past decade by the brutal and rabid Russian forces. Yes, yes, this doesn`t justify beslan. No one is saying it should. But to mention Beslan without the atrocities inside Checnya is tacit approval of Russian tactics. Period.

``In the process of always blaming somebody else the danger becomes that you start putting forward a different and exaggerated take on the events...``

Like what? Where is the exhageration in Russia or elsewhere for that matter? When real attrocities are being excused as mere exagerations, then I`m sorry, you`ve just lost credibility.

I mean, we should all point out and decry terrorism, but if you are unwilling to do the same when states do worse, then it`s shut up or put up time. So, the open challenge remains: rather than focus solely on the Muslims, I would expect the author to write another article decrying Russian abuses (or rather Genocide) in Chechnya.

...won`t hold my breath...

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Will someone please translate what M.B.Z.Isphahani has written?

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Veeresh

I think, Beslan has not been given the same attention as that of 9/11 because if the same attention were given to Beslan, then it would have made those who are fighting the war against terra, look stupid and inept. Three years of waging a war, with no results to show.

The idea that it can so be possible is an influence of radical european belief and not Islamic thought. It’s a byproduct of globalisation.

Simple, blame it all on globalization ... no wonder this cr@p first appeared in Outlook.

I have always wanted Islam and Muslims to be more introspective and figure out how to reform the religion and its practices in ways that make sense and without victimization of others within and outside its fold. While I don`t think a Western style alternative is the answer I have not seen anyone (apart from a few fringe voices) who has put forward someting along the lines of this: Yes, Muslims are fighting for their freedoms around the world but what is it about us that makes us react this way and turns the rest of the world against us. The outside world (and yes, America) does have culpability but so do we. As this new cultural war heats up I am no longer sure where I fall: with the imperialistic forces of America or the brutal, backward looking ulema.

Anyway, interesting article Anniruddha. Btw, we met at the 2003 BEA in LA. Both of us are from Allahabad. Good to read you here. Welcome!