In the midst of all crises, where the line separating right and wrong becomes blurred, where the arguments for justice appears non-coherent, where one’s identity fails to offer the right path for perusal, a touch of brilliance often allows human society to see more clearly what is at stake and what needs to be done.
The hashtag #JesuisAhmed – which appeared on social network – is for me that touch of brilliance. I write this because in three words it tells a story of a murdered Muslim police officer who died defending the right of Charlie Hebdo to scrutinise, criticise, or even ridicule his own faith.
In some sense, his sacrifice is an embodiment of the 18th century French philosopher Voltaire who immortalised the argument: “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.”
But Ahmed also represents something more, nicely articulated by a tweet of a middle-aged-women, who writes: “An ordinary man just doing his job, swept up in and murdered because of the ignorance and hatred peddled by both sides.”
Yes, Ahmed also represents those ordinary souls – who have no stake in the so-called fight between great ideas preached in the name of “rights” or “religion.” In contemporary times, when mosques are bombed, school-children are massacred, or even countries are occupied in the name of some “grand cause,” it is the ordinary individual whose existence is at stake.
And yet, the establishment and the “anti-establishment” has the least regard for these ordinary citizens of world.
Their plights are considered as necessary costs in a great everlasting war between right and wrong – a collateral damage of some sort. Moreover, this reality also brings to attention an important question: What does the life of a slain ordinary individual symbolise?
For me, it depicts a world political order with religious and political institutions which offer minimum voice to ordinary citizens, whose life it apparently serves and protects. In some sense, there is a crude hypocrisy, where members of the establishment and anti-establishment occasionally destroys everything we hold essential – tolerance, coexistence, and social harmony – in the name of either serving God or us.
This hypocrisy is perhaps best illustrated by two events surrounding the Charlie Hebdo incident. First, the act itself is a blatant gesture of hypocrisy, since a group of derailed terrorist have made a crude attempt to prove to us that they are the defenders of faith by murdering free-thinking personalities.
Second, a spontaneous march of a million ordinary individuals who genuinely believe in the philosophy of free speech and tolerance is captured by politicians and statesmen like Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel - whose forces killed seven journalists in Gaza last year and probably more than 2,000 ordinary Palestinians – in the name of mindless retaliation and King Abdullah of Jordan – whose country is yet to offer complete democratic rights to its citizens.
Furthermore, it is this hypocrisy that ordinary free thinking and peace loving individuals must be aware of, since some members of the establishment and anti-establishment are always looking for scope to incite more fear and hatred to facilitate their interests.
But, can the collective body of ordinary masses actually do anything about this?
Is there scope for us to really alter and re-shape the dominant perceptions that have done so much ill in the name of serving grand ideas?
As a social scientist, I feel we have to be patient, but our real strength lies in forming an informed world citizenry – a body of global civil society who can always question the dominant narrative prescribed by the members of the establishment and anti-establishment.
This collective body should aspire to deconstruct the powerful rationales that have supported so much murder and exploitation in the name of both God and freedom.
More importantly, this body of global civil society should remind everyone that for centuries, ordinary masses were killed in the name of Christ, Muhammad, Shiva, and funnily, even Buddha. Probably for even longer, they were killed for the pursuit of power and possession.
These members of establishment and anti-establishment have murdered thinkers, painters, poets, philosophers, and surprisingly, even children. What was the fault of the murdered souls?
Often, it was that they chose to ask some tough questions on the nature of our creation, existence and authority within human society, which the man of extreme faith or power could not either comprehend or tolerate. Should this be the nature of the civilized world?
Certainly not. And our resolve against such evil has never been stronger.
Let us hope that what has happened in Paris or countless other places is not repeated anywhere, and let us express our solidarity with the families who have lost their loved ones to cruel insanities of men.
And most importantly, let us not forget Ahmed – a Muslim and an ordinary man – who died protecting Charlie Hebdo.
