On The Issue of Morality: A Final Rejoinder
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
7 March
2023
"Religion
promotes absolute transcendental values. The relativity of values has led to
vulgarity and obscenity, to the widespread use of alcohol and of drug
addiction, to making homosexual relations common, and to the breaking down of
barriers for incest. “Human dignity and the nobility of character are based
upon permanence and stability in the moral order.”
I'm not in
favour of dragging a subject ad nauseam. I just want to buttress my point with
two practical examples. This is a dignified rejoinder to Mr Naseer's excessive
stress on religion-based morality. All esteemed readers and contributors have
read occasional comments of Brigadier Onkar Goraya and Mr Murli Chari. Both are
complete atheists and extremely self-effacing individuals. In these times of
tom-toming and self-praise when even a mere major in the Army, flaunts his
designation, Chandigarh-based retired Brigadier Goraya, one of the most
decorated officers in the Indian Army, chooses to stay out of the limelight.
This octogenarian Army officer, who never believed in god and religion, played
a pivotal role in the 1971 war against Pakistan and did his level best to
rehabilitate the refugees, most of them being Muslims. His role in Operation
Blue Star was commendable and his integrity, uprightness and moral conduct have
always been sterling. There's not a single mean bone in him. He's extremely
helpful an affable. Read his books and you'll realise the goodness of this lifelong
atheist.
So is Mr
Chari. Despite being a Tamil Brahmin, this rational atheist fights againt
social ills of Hinduism and all faiths through his numerous books and
philanthropic works. Mr Chari and Brigadier Goraya follow universal moral code
that didn't stem from any man-made damn religion. Yours truly is also not as
bad as he appears to be. He'll not kill a Muslim or any believer even if he
gets an opportunity to do that. He doesn't even kill an ant.
And when Mr
Naseer talks of religion's transcendental moral values, I'm sorry, I personally
know a highly educated and extremely devout Muslim widow in Poona who has been
sleeping with her young son. Ostensibly, she and her son are very religious.
Here, I'm not condemning Muslims. I know a Hindu-brother and sister living
together like a couple. They're also very religious. But others have no right
to be judgemental and call them immoral. That's their life and lookout. Who're
we to condemn?
And when
you talk about religion condemning homosexuality, how'll you define Amir Khusro
and his master Hazrat Nizamuddin's relationship? Rumi openly admitted that he
had a homosexual relationship with Shams-e-Tabriz. All these people were Allah
Ke Bande. Were they not?
Lastly,
Buddha and Confucius never believed in any god or religion but they were the
finest humans the world has ever come across.
You
continue to believe in Islam and draw your morality and other sublime values
from the Quran. But you cannot say that irreligious people are anarchists.
I rest my
case here and will request that it should not be further stretched. Some people
have very strict and stern subjective views that cannot be changed. They're
lapidary. Thank you very much and a very Happy Holi to all. May a rainbow of
colours brighten your life.
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A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul
is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He
has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several
languages including Persian.
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in
Islam, Islamic
Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia
in America, Muslim Women
in West, Islam Women
and Feminism