“History repeats itself”- too often has Karl Marx’s saying been used in reference to the victimization of the Middle East. America, in particular, has been the Nazis exploiting 9/11 as an excuse to expose antiquated contentions with the Islamic regions and the Mongols savagely sacking Baghdad and its people.
But today, the Saudi Arabian government has taken its first steps in granting full religious tolerance to all citizens, and now Americans and the world over can look at the Middle East and one cannot help but see the inspirational visages of brighter historical times of people fighting for their rights.
The initiative was inspired by the recent actions of the Believers in Intellectual Freedom (BIF), an American group heralded by a group Harvard University students three years ago under 21-year old Sahil, a Muslim student of Indian descent. A pious Sunni Muslim, Sahil came to Harvard cognizant of the lack of tolerance in many Middle Eastern countries for those of other faiths, yet did not fully understand how he could oppose the preservation of his own beliefs.
“I believe Islam preaches a correct moral ideology and as anyone, I hope that all people live morally. Thus, I should want everyone to adopt Islam as Christians might hope that everyone might adopt Christianity. Should there by anything wrong in a religious body or theocracy from doing the same?”
Sahil first grew conflicted when he delved into the poor treatment of non-Muslims and even non-Sunni Muslims by the government of Saudi Arabia, arguably the most religiously intolerant Islamic nation. Stories of Saudi beheadings drew him back to graphic stories of the persecutions of his own grandparents who had endured brutal attacks at the hands of Hindu extremists in his own home state of Orissa.
With the frequent enforcement of the religious police also known as the mutawwai’in - the 10 million Saudi Arabians who do not adhere to Sunni practices often face political, economic, and social discrimination. Jobs, especially in the government, and educational opportunities are highly restricted to true Sunnis. And while the Saudi government does not condone religious extremism, it seems inevitable that antiforeigner sentiment is fomented amidst such intolerance. The mutawwai’in has been purported to engage in killings of those of other faiths instilling fear and insecurity and textbooks as well as powerful imams have denounced people of other faiths as infidels, encouraging violent action. The law, which encompasses harsh punishmentsfor demonstration of beliefs unaffiliated with Sunni Islam, only further roils extremists.
It was Sahil’s housemates that then enlightened him. Sahil roomed with a diverse group of individuals including several Christians, Jews, a Hindu. Within a few days, Beg was truly riveted by the group’s comradery.
“Their diverse perspectives helped me think in ways I had never imagined, and these outlooks are the direct consequences of their unique environments. We collectively came to the conclusion that imposition of values can induce an “intellectual myopia” that diminishes one’s ability to initiate change… leading to detrimental spiraling of moral philosophy as negative variations on ethics occur unquestioned. Case and point – Islamic extremism,” Sahil explained.
The Harvard group then embarked on a monumental mission - forming a grassroots movement to enfranchise people of oppressed faiths in the Middle East.
“If a nation wants to preserve Islamic morals that observe basic human rights in their country such as the prohibition of alcohol, pork…even the proselytizing of one’s religion…we can’t stop them nor should we. But every person should have the ability to choose the philosophy they adhere to and should not be penalized based on what decision they make,” George, one of Sahil’s housemates involved in BIF, added.
The group first posted fliers around the school and presented short powerpoints about the importance of religious freedom in classes to rally support. The club, then officially known as BIF, united manifold students, faculty, and staff to become mobile on the issue. A professional website and blog as well as groups on every major social networking site were established, growing exponentially within a few weeks in America and the Middle East.
But the group’s largest accomplishment at the time was the creation of a heart-wrenching video that combined evocative pictures of modern-day religious persecution with interviews with Harvard experts on the importance of religious freedom and historical examples of how peaceful cooperation between religions trumped conflict by fostering innovation and prosperity.
Connecting supporters to the Middle East then began with letters. Hundreds of letters. Intellectual and educated youths were the target demographic and so lists were posted on the group website with the contact information of numerous professors and universities, and a blog was formed for direct chats.
The group’s efforts were focused in Saudi Arabia, what they believed to be the most stalwart opponent of religious freedom, hoping change in the conservative nation would help inspire change elsewhere.
Results of their efforts took almost two months to show.
But it began with one brave Saudi professor who had secretly distributed pamphlets and other BIF information throughout much of the campus to students. The boards began to fill with outcries of silent support from foreigners and inspired youths opposed to the ferocious approach by the government to impose their will on innocent people. Yet heated arguments also developed from Arabs who thought there was no reason to compromise their holy state and that America did not understand.
BIF desperately wanted to counter these arguments but realized that to truly speak to the conservative side, they would have to truly understand it. The group took a radical move. With donations and fundraisers, the group then assembled a book sale. The main item: a guide to the Koran. In the streets of Boston, tables in Harvard Square received a number of scornful looks as BIF students sold their own custom guides to the Islamic holy book not only describing Islamic history but also its moral codes, laced in with quotes advocating religious freedom.
“Still, more than anything, wanted to show that Islam is not just a blind ideology but that it encompasses a rich and complex moral code equal to any secular school of thought,” described Beg.
National news media raved about the group of predominantly non-Islamic students and the world soon got hold. Many conservative Islamic voices scorned the pamphlet - now published throughout the country - as tainting the name of Islam with infidel ideologies. But others applauded the effort and BIF soon grew into a respected organization, flocking to their website to see why these students were investing so much effort into understanding their culture.
Sahil and his housemates there posted a video on the importance of independent thought and intellectual freedom in which Sahil’s stunning eloquence and irrefutable logic was nothing short of captivating. With BIF’s specific reference to the youth of Saudi Arabia as leaders in the movement for religious freedom, international support moved thousands of foreign and Arab students mobilized to the city of Riyadh.
There were arrests, shootings, accusations of apostasy and killings. But with this violence, governments grew increasingly wary of the magnitude of the Saudi Arabia. Leaders could not ignore the atrocities and sanctions have been presently issued by 27 countries including the United States.
As President Obama stated in his most recent State of the Union address, “Gas prices will increase, America; I am sorry to tell you. But know this. With every cent it increases, you save thousands of lives – future Saudi Arabians, persecuted believers of other faiths in the nation, and those who are ever denied intellectual freedom in the future - from being needlessly killed.”
The mutawwai’in was overcome as thousands more, including older Sunnis and women, became emboldened to join the rally. Just two weeks ago, the Saudi government indefinitely restricted the police from all action and has already begun meeting on the issue of religious tolerance. Experts say complete religious tolerance is likely.
But even with this, the group of Harvard housemates continue to expand BIF, holding seminars and regional events to involve the nation as a whole. The group plans to collectively publish another book on activism amidst religious conservatism in the coming months so that religious freedom in nations out of the Mid East sphere such as Uzbekistan and North Korea may be persuaded to follow suit with respect to religious rights.
“I beg the world: appreciate and educate yourselves of other cultures and beliefs and respect their presence. All have offered knowledge that has sustained our standard of living and built the foundations of government, commerce, and education that we rely on for a prosperous future for our children. Who are God’s chosen if only God’s chosen exist? And what is true faith without roots in self-revelation amidst competing ideologies? If you are ambivalent about what is right, explore freely. And if you are not, allow others to and come to your right way of their own volition,” Sahil says in the final words BIF’s website’s video, hoping he can inspire history to repeat itself again.
But today, the Saudi Arabian government has taken its first steps in granting full religious tolerance to all citizens, and now Americans and the world over can look at the Middle East and one cannot help but see the inspirational visages of brighter historical times of people fighting for their rights.
The initiative was inspired by the recent actions of the Believers in Intellectual Freedom (BIF), an American group heralded by a group Harvard University students three years ago under 21-year old Sahil, a Muslim student of Indian descent. A pious Sunni Muslim, Sahil came to Harvard cognizant of the lack of tolerance in many Middle Eastern countries for those of other faiths, yet did not fully understand how he could oppose the preservation of his own beliefs.
“I believe Islam preaches a correct moral ideology and as anyone, I hope that all people live morally. Thus, I should want everyone to adopt Islam as Christians might hope that everyone might adopt Christianity. Should there by anything wrong in a religious body or theocracy from doing the same?”
Sahil first grew conflicted when he delved into the poor treatment of non-Muslims and even non-Sunni Muslims by the government of Saudi Arabia, arguably the most religiously intolerant Islamic nation. Stories of Saudi beheadings drew him back to graphic stories of the persecutions of his own grandparents who had endured brutal attacks at the hands of Hindu extremists in his own home state of Orissa.
With the frequent enforcement of the religious police also known as the mutawwai’in - the 10 million Saudi Arabians who do not adhere to Sunni practices often face political, economic, and social discrimination. Jobs, especially in the government, and educational opportunities are highly restricted to true Sunnis. And while the Saudi government does not condone religious extremism, it seems inevitable that antiforeigner sentiment is fomented amidst such intolerance. The mutawwai’in has been purported to engage in killings of those of other faiths instilling fear and insecurity and textbooks as well as powerful imams have denounced people of other faiths as infidels, encouraging violent action. The law, which encompasses harsh punishmentsfor demonstration of beliefs unaffiliated with Sunni Islam, only further roils extremists.
It was Sahil’s housemates that then enlightened him. Sahil roomed with a diverse group of individuals including several Christians, Jews, a Hindu. Within a few days, Beg was truly riveted by the group’s comradery.
“Their diverse perspectives helped me think in ways I had never imagined, and these outlooks are the direct consequences of their unique environments. We collectively came to the conclusion that imposition of values can induce an “intellectual myopia” that diminishes one’s ability to initiate change… leading to detrimental spiraling of moral philosophy as negative variations on ethics occur unquestioned. Case and point – Islamic extremism,” Sahil explained.
The Harvard group then embarked on a monumental mission - forming a grassroots movement to enfranchise people of oppressed faiths in the Middle East.
“If a nation wants to preserve Islamic morals that observe basic human rights in their country such as the prohibition of alcohol, pork…even the proselytizing of one’s religion…we can’t stop them nor should we. But every person should have the ability to choose the philosophy they adhere to and should not be penalized based on what decision they make,” George, one of Sahil’s housemates involved in BIF, added.
The group first posted fliers around the school and presented short powerpoints about the importance of religious freedom in classes to rally support. The club, then officially known as BIF, united manifold students, faculty, and staff to become mobile on the issue. A professional website and blog as well as groups on every major social networking site were established, growing exponentially within a few weeks in America and the Middle East.
But the group’s largest accomplishment at the time was the creation of a heart-wrenching video that combined evocative pictures of modern-day religious persecution with interviews with Harvard experts on the importance of religious freedom and historical examples of how peaceful cooperation between religions trumped conflict by fostering innovation and prosperity.
Connecting supporters to the Middle East then began with letters. Hundreds of letters. Intellectual and educated youths were the target demographic and so lists were posted on the group website with the contact information of numerous professors and universities, and a blog was formed for direct chats.
The group’s efforts were focused in Saudi Arabia, what they believed to be the most stalwart opponent of religious freedom, hoping change in the conservative nation would help inspire change elsewhere.
Results of their efforts took almost two months to show.
But it began with one brave Saudi professor who had secretly distributed pamphlets and other BIF information throughout much of the campus to students. The boards began to fill with outcries of silent support from foreigners and inspired youths opposed to the ferocious approach by the government to impose their will on innocent people. Yet heated arguments also developed from Arabs who thought there was no reason to compromise their holy state and that America did not understand.
BIF desperately wanted to counter these arguments but realized that to truly speak to the conservative side, they would have to truly understand it. The group took a radical move. With donations and fundraisers, the group then assembled a book sale. The main item: a guide to the Koran. In the streets of Boston, tables in Harvard Square received a number of scornful looks as BIF students sold their own custom guides to the Islamic holy book not only describing Islamic history but also its moral codes, laced in with quotes advocating religious freedom.
“Still, more than anything, wanted to show that Islam is not just a blind ideology but that it encompasses a rich and complex moral code equal to any secular school of thought,” described Beg.
National news media raved about the group of predominantly non-Islamic students and the world soon got hold. Many conservative Islamic voices scorned the pamphlet - now published throughout the country - as tainting the name of Islam with infidel ideologies. But others applauded the effort and BIF soon grew into a respected organization, flocking to their website to see why these students were investing so much effort into understanding their culture.
Sahil and his housemates there posted a video on the importance of independent thought and intellectual freedom in which Sahil’s stunning eloquence and irrefutable logic was nothing short of captivating. With BIF’s specific reference to the youth of Saudi Arabia as leaders in the movement for religious freedom, international support moved thousands of foreign and Arab students mobilized to the city of Riyadh.
There were arrests, shootings, accusations of apostasy and killings. But with this violence, governments grew increasingly wary of the magnitude of the Saudi Arabia. Leaders could not ignore the atrocities and sanctions have been presently issued by 27 countries including the United States.
As President Obama stated in his most recent State of the Union address, “Gas prices will increase, America; I am sorry to tell you. But know this. With every cent it increases, you save thousands of lives – future Saudi Arabians, persecuted believers of other faiths in the nation, and those who are ever denied intellectual freedom in the future - from being needlessly killed.”
The mutawwai’in was overcome as thousands more, including older Sunnis and women, became emboldened to join the rally. Just two weeks ago, the Saudi government indefinitely restricted the police from all action and has already begun meeting on the issue of religious tolerance. Experts say complete religious tolerance is likely.
But even with this, the group of Harvard housemates continue to expand BIF, holding seminars and regional events to involve the nation as a whole. The group plans to collectively publish another book on activism amidst religious conservatism in the coming months so that religious freedom in nations out of the Mid East sphere such as Uzbekistan and North Korea may be persuaded to follow suit with respect to religious rights.
“I beg the world: appreciate and educate yourselves of other cultures and beliefs and respect their presence. All have offered knowledge that has sustained our standard of living and built the foundations of government, commerce, and education that we rely on for a prosperous future for our children. Who are God’s chosen if only God’s chosen exist? And what is true faith without roots in self-revelation amidst competing ideologies? If you are ambivalent about what is right, explore freely. And if you are not, allow others to and come to your right way of their own volition,” Sahil says in the final words BIF’s website’s video, hoping he can inspire history to repeat itself again.
Post a Comment
Be the first to comment on this article!