There was a time when I used to be furious about religious restrictions (and there are many in the religion of my birth). For me, all debates over whether this or that injunction by bearded clergymen (there are many in the religion of my birth and they are powerful) complies with modernity are over. I have managed to come out of the herd I was born in and am utterly convinced that religion is an obstacle to individual freedom. It is naïve to believe that there are good things in religion.
Although religion is no longer my concern, I still feel deeply disturbed whenever I witness some sadist moulavi or priest shoves his dangerous retrograde, male chauvinist and gender-discriminatory views down the throats of his oddly hapless and sheepish flock. I am disturbed not so much by what the bearded or gowned guy was farting about as by the amazing level of acceptance often shown even by supposedly intelligent people in the herd.
A few days ago, I was a witness to an outrageous restriction imposed by a moulavi at a nikah ceremony held in a hall in my town. Men and women invited to the marriage solemnising ceremony was clearly segregated by a partition that sliced the hall into two mutually irreconcilable zones. But the mulla did not come on stage to officiate the nikah till the women zone was completely enveloped inside their portion of the hall so that they could not see the ceremony. Barring a few private murmurings, there was hardly any voice of protest from either of the zones. An `outsider’ in the herd, I showed my protest by not entering the hall when the ceremony was going on. My daughter just walked out of the hall in protest and strolled outside till the male-dominated ritual was over.
Such depressing experiences are enough to ward off any hopes about possible winds of change in religion. An incorrigible optimist I am not, but a news item that was carried by most of the newspapers on August 13 has at least soothes me out of my depression and pessimistic feelings. Dr. Sayeda Hamid, a member of the Planning Commission and an Islamic scholar flew down from New Delhi to Lucknow on August 12 to perform what had been a monopoly of male priests. Dr. Hamid solemnised the marriage of Naeesh Hasan, an activist fighting for women’s rights, and Imran Ali, a PhD scholar from Aligarh Muslim University. The bride (not her father as is the practice) and the bridegroom were present as Dr. Hamid played the role of a `qazi’ and performed their wedding. All the four witnesses were also women.
That is refreshing news. Now I am not sure whether I should remain serene when all kinds of idiotic things are happening in the name of religion. It is time we brought Dr. Hamids, Hasans and Alis on the centre stage of our debates. They revive hopes of reforming religion.
1 comment:
Dr Sayeda Hamid has been at the forefront of such majestic changes.
Some changes need just ordinary people like us. Some need a whole lot of people, to imbibe rational thinking.
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