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Dancing to Armageddon


Three Muslim girls wearing the hijab and dancing in a public place kicked up too much unsavoury controversy in Kerala.  The irony is that until a few days ago these same men from the Muslim community in the state were vociferously supporting a girl who converted from Hinduism to Islam in order to marry a Muslim youth whose personal credentials are allegedly tainted with IS connections.  When Akhila became Hadiya, the Muslim community called it personal freedom.  When three Muslim girls danced as part of an AIDS day awareness programme, it became a sign of the Armageddon. 

Such double standards make religion absurd.  If you advocate personal freedom when someone leaves her religion and joins yours, why can’t you permit the same personal freedom to girls of your own religion who dance for a social cause?

Why would three girls dancing bring the Armageddon on the earth?  The plain answer is that the menfolk want their women to hide themselves behind the veil, behind the burqa, and live lives without even an identity.  It is not about the Armageddon; it is about imposing the patriarchal order on women. 

A few girls dancing on the street may not bring about any miraculous changes vis-Ă -vis AIDS.  Perhaps, the girls did not intend to bring about any such miracles either.  Perhaps, they were asserting their personal freedom.  Perhaps, they were demanding certain rights.  The leaders should try to understand the feelings and aspirations of the girls.  Instead of suppressing simple human aspirations, the leaders should see how life can be made more meaningful and fulfilling for the new generation. 

One of the biggest mistakes of religion is to keep going back to ancient rules and regulations and thus making life obsolete and ossified.  Religion should update itself and make itself meaningful in the present day.  Music and dance have their relevance in religion too.  What is life without music and dance?


Comments

  1. Pranju chakrapaniDecember 4, 2017 at 8:44 PM

    I am glad that you brought up this issue. What is life without music and dance and female empowerment? Well, simply put, life is what the holy books command and anything beyond that is a blasphemy. I don't think that a conventional religion will ever be a religion if it gets updated. And don't you think that science and arts as a religion would fit better with the dynamics of human understanding and appreciations?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalDecember 4, 2017 at 8:56 PM

      Do we need a conventional religion or a relevant one? Yes, updating religion will alter its nature. Yet there's something called aggiornamento in Catholic church which sought to make the church more relevant in the modern world. The process was not successful because religious leaders are not interested in such renewals. Vested interests and power games. All religions seem to suffer from the same fate.

      I would rather have science and arts as religion. But people need gods!

      Delete
  2. Shrinidhi HandeDecember 5, 2017 at 4:34 AM

    Hope they don't face any trouble

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalDecember 5, 2017 at 6:07 AM

      I too. That religion doesn't forgive easily.

      Delete
    2. जितेन्द्र माथुरDecember 5, 2017 at 4:02 PM

      That religion (and many other religions too) doesn't forgive easily when those aimed at are actually not guilty. The real guilty is the religion itself. However the herd of blind followers makes the religions (or their self-proclaimed representatives) mighty. And finally, MIGHT IS RIGHT.

      Delete
  3. Datta GhoshDecember 5, 2017 at 12:36 PM

    That is what religion was meant to do. Stop individualism so that people could build a civilisation. It was a guiding force in the beginning governed by fear that allowed humans to settle and form a society. With science, arts and commerce, the entire conception of religion is redundant. The concept of religion has served its purpose and now is outdated (Religion is different from spirituality)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalDecember 5, 2017 at 7:49 PM

      Yes, there was a time when religion made sense or at least helped people to make sense of the world and the cosmos. But now? Even as you say, when we have much better lights such as science and reason, religion is redundant. Again yes, spirituality is quite a different matter.

      Delete
  4. Goutami NewsDecember 5, 2017 at 9:56 PM

    Religion is getting more blind as time goes by..than ever before.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Jyotirmoy SarkarDecember 6, 2017 at 8:12 AM

    Very logically written.
    Religion has lost it real meaning and has became the orders of the dictators...
    Best of luck for the girls.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalDecember 6, 2017 at 9:04 AM

      My wishes are with them too. And with all people who want to make their religion more sensible.

      Delete

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