Think back to your childhood: You’re sitting comfortably in your living room, a bowl of snackables kept snug on your lap, you’re eagerly waiting for your evening cartoons to start, when suddenly the doorbell rings.
It’s your uncle, come for a visit. That one uncle who’s never seen without his skullcap on or his pathetic excuse for a beard. He imposes himself beside you on the couch, interrupting your one hour of entertainment before homework, and starts to go on about all the fun you’re depriving yourself by watching cartoons instead of studying the Qur’an.
It might not have went exactly like that for you, but to me, this little anecdote is representative of Islam -- at least in the Bangladeshi context -- more than anything.
Regardless of whether Islam truly is our “state religion” or not, it becomes a moot point when you consider the teeming masses that make up the Muslim majority here in our dense little country.
Most of Bangladesh’s population is comprised of hard-working, (mostly) honest, blue-collar folk who want nothing more than a square meal for themselves and their 17 children. To them, the only entity that can make it or break it is their creator. No, not their parents.
This majority cares little for social progress, and phrases such as “minority rights” or “women empowerment” or, God forbid, “sexual orientation,” don’t mean anything to them. Conversely, they care little for concepts such as “Sharia law” or “Caliphate.” They are all Muslims, but moderately so. Because religion, to them, is simply a way of expressing hope. Hope for a better life.
It’s hard not to sympathise with that.
Is it possible for a religion as unabashedly politicised and expansionary as Islam to co-exist with liberal values? And where does that leave Bangladesh -- a country trying ever so desperately to prove itself to the world?
But what about those uncles? Well, thankfully, they’re still the minority, a vocal minority, but a minority nonetheless.
However, as I’d said earlier, they are the ones who actually represent Islam for what it is, in all its imperialistic and expansionist glory. They are the ones who are quick to call you a “pagan” if you’re a Hindu, or dehumanise you as being one of the “people of the book” if you’re a Christian, or delegitimise your claim to the faith if you’re a Muslim moderate.
To them, anyone outside the walls of their little closed-garden version of Islam deserves nothing less than contempt, and any attempt at reason or compromise will be considered an affront to their faith. As far as the uncles are concerned, Islam isn’t a religion, it is the religion.
You’re either in, or you’re in sin.
So, what exactly is the point I’m trying to make here?
The point is, as a religion, Islam has always sought one thing above all: Power. The evidence lies both in its history and in the conduct of its more egregious followers now.
Bearing that in mind, the question then becomes: Is it possible for a religion as unabashedly politicised and expansionary as Islam to co-exist with liberal values? And where does that leave Bangladesh -- a country trying ever so desperately to prove itself to the world?
You’ll never believe what the answers are! But first, an intermission.
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Much ballyhoo has been made of our country’s imminent economic progress, but not enough is ever said about the woeful lack of any tangible social progress. Pockets of ethnic and religious minorities dot the entire map, and it’s only a matter of time until they follow the women, and are introduced into the mainstream economy.
Contrary to popular belief, economic progress relies quite a bit on social progress.
What does that say about the future, then? Will these minorities be required to assimilate to the “state religion” if they wish to progress in their careers? No, a more realistic, but equally depressing scenario is that they would be discriminated against.
Not because of the colour of their skin, or different facial features, but discriminated against because of their faith, or rather lack thereof. Then again, same difference, if we go by the word of the uncles.
So, can Islam ever become compatible with liberal values? Unfortunately, the answer remains a firm “no” in the here and now. Unless, of course, the Islamic world dared make an attempt at reform.
Rubaiyat Kabir is a Sub-Editor at the Dhaka Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @moreanik.