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03-12-2006, 14:09 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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Postmaster General
Military Professional
Join Date: 08-20-03
Country: 
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Pakistan: Banning unIslamic Rituals
Quote:
Rituals and reality
By Irfan Husain
ALTHOUGH the world is in turmoil — nothing unusual there — Lahoris are entirely absorbed by Basant, the spring festival marked by a mania for kite-flying that grips the city around this time every year.
And why not? Despite the controversy and confusion generated by the Supreme Court’s injunction, and the government first banning and then permitting and then again banning kite-flying, thousands of Lahoris indulged in their favourite sport. But in their enthusiasm, they have needlessly caused several deaths by their use of lethal string that is coated with powdered glass.
Understandably, there has been considerable concern over this unregulated use of dangerous types of string which occasionally include sharp, thin wire. There have been ghastly accidents in which throats and limbs have been slit. Relatives of victims are up in arms, demanding that kite-flying be banned once and for all. Indeed, they have been very critical of the inability of our higher courts in enforcing their edicts, and of the administration for not cracking down more firmly on such dangerous activities.
But surely the answer is to make the sport safer, and not to ban it outright. And while there are legitimate safety concerns here, there are conservative voices who want to stop the celebration of Basant altogether on the grounds that it is un-Islamic.
Actually, Basant is a pre-Islamic celebration of the start of spring in which growth and regeneration are welcomed after the cold, gloomy winter. This celebration of spring is a worldwide custom, and the event is marked in one way or another, usually with joyful ceremonies. Since it is not a religious festival, people of all faiths can and do participate in it.
Dating back to ancient Egypt and beyond into pre-history, mankind has celebrated the advent of green, growing things after a hard winter. Fertility and spring are closely linked in human consciousness, and to reject these ancient rites of rebirth and regeneration is to deny our very humanity.
Ultra-conservative and nationalist elements have been trying for years to eliminate Basant from the calendar because they see it associated it with Hinduism, and therefore with India. And since they would like to repudiate our South Asian, subcontinental traditions and roots, they would have our history commence on August 14, 1947, the day Pakistan came into being. But so many of our everyday customs have been influenced by the centuries Muslims have spent living next door to Hindu neighbours. Consider our wedding rites: the menhdi, the uptan and the mun-dikhai are all present in Hindu weddings as well. Young people enjoy these traditions, and we are all enriched by their inclusion in our marriage rituals.
Next door in Iran, despite the presence of a theocracy for the last quarter century, Nowroz (literally ‘new day’) continues to be celebrated with fervour and enthusiasm. Originally a Zoroastrian festival, Nowroz also marks the coming of spring. Although the Ayatollahs discouraged such celebrations, the people refused to be denied their ancient holidays.
Another ancient Persian custom is the celebration of Charshanbeh-Suri on the last Wednesday of the year. Iranians, denied a free press, often vent their feelings on the Internet through highly articulate ‘blogs’ (or web logs). Here is one posting:
“...It took those in charge of our civil regime 25 years to realize that they have less power over us than thousands of years of our history. In the first year of the Revolution they called Charshanbeh-Suri the heathen tradition of fire worshippers... but we still privately and with fear jumped over bonfires... A few years passed and our people overcame their fears but the pressures never diminished...”
Basically, the observance of ancient rituals is a means for ordinary people to have fun. These customs encourage a cross-section of society to join hands and enjoy themselves. Life does not always have to be earnest and grim. Ancient holidays, now shorn of their ancient religious content, are occasions for levity and excitement, and should not cause the orthodox to frown in disapproval. They certainly should not move writs to the Supreme Court.
Unfortunately, the clerics take themselves too seriously and demand that the rest of us follow suit. But human nature rebels, and insists on having fun. This contradiction between outward solemnity and piety on the one hand and young people’s insistence on enjoying themselves on the other sets off unnecessary tension, and may even drive a wedge between the orthodoxy and common believers. Consider this anguished cry contained in this blog posted on May 23, 2003, by a blogger called ‘By our voice’:
“Twenty-five years of religious rule has had one long-term benefit... for generations to come no Iranian will ever want to mix matters of state with religion... And if only those Muslims in our neighbouring countries knew about our failed experiment with an Islamic government, they would come to their senses too ... It’s a joke they want to do now what we miserably failed at 25 years ago... But it is finished ... it will be like the Berlin Wall coming down... a little patience... our dawn is near.”
(These Internet postings have been culled from a recent book “We are Iran”, compiled and written by Nasrin Alvi, and published by Portobello Books in London.)
If the clerics currently ruling the roost in Balochistan and the NWFP provinces read this, they may well consider their retrograde decisions since they came to power in the light of this testimony from Iran. By banning cable television and shutting down cinemas among other killjoy steps, ostensibly to protect the morals of the people, they are only discrediting themselves and the edicts they preach and practice.
Indeed, by banning things, the authorities only make young people curious about them. Experimentation is carried out in secret, and what should be wholesome and open is driven underground. Some events are impossible to ban, as the Iranian clerics have discovered. Similarly, a ban on Basant will serve only to widen the gap between the rulers and the ruled.
Tailpiece: A few weeks ago, I wrote about the ‘One-rupee school’, a remarkable school being run by a remarkable woman on the outskirts of Karachi. Scores of readers, both Pakistani and Indian, responded by sending the school money. Parveen Rao, the driving spirit behind the project, joins me in thanking all those who have helped so generously.
http://www.dawn.com/weekly/mazdak/mazdak.htm
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Pakistan must ban these unIslamic rituals.
After all, apparently one cannot enjoy themselves in Islam (no song, no dance etc) since it is religion that is serious in nature!
What say you?
Sadly, the Pakistanis know how to enjoy themselves and this festival cannot be banned.
__________________
"Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."
I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.
HAKUNA MATATA
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