First of all, before going to this article I would like say that I am a strong admirer of Muslims on their strong faith in Allah, the God Almighty and most of times I feel ashamed of myself not to have such a faithful devotion towards God. (Allah is not a name of God but it is a meaning of God in Arabic). But extreme level of religious fundamentalism or fanaticism leads them towards a miserable way in the society.
Before writing this article, I had so many questions inside me about Muslims and their relationship in society.
1) Why Muslims are hated in most of World's societies?
2) Why are many Muslims found arrogant and violent?
3) Why do Muslims isolate or polarize themselves from other communities?
4) Why is the mindset of Muslims typically odd?
The simple answer to all these questions is that "They don't understand themselves and they fail to make others to understand. A stereotype approach or halo effect are mostly influenced by other communities on Muslims which makes a misunderstanding."
In a common perception, I too had and still have some kind of misled opinion about Muslim community as I can find the differentiation in attitudes and behaviours of Muslims than other communities. Most of the Muslims youths and merchants are found to be arrogant and rude in our eyes. Many times I myself wrongly judged them without knowing the factors behind this.
Either knowingly or unknowingly as World Citizens, we are just allowing or seeing many types of ignorance and oppressions in society in our day to day life. These kinds of ignorance and oppressions are spread over all units of our system from family to the World.
No one is ready to bother about these negligence but we are just running in this competitive World to seek for wealth accumulation up to for the 7th fold our future generations. We have no time to care about the society. When Governments think about Economy and power, individuals think about money, wealth and power.
As a visiting faculty for Master Degree Students, I can find my students with different diversities, cultures, attitudes and behavioural patterns. But somewhere a special or distinct attitude problems are existing with Muslims students at a high ratio. For a true teacher, all students are similar to his or her own children and I too have the same feelings and always would like to see the growth of each and every student and I don't want any of my students going spoiled. The real income of a worthy teacher is how much he or she develops students community.
Even though I tried to find the reasons behind the attitude problems of people in many cases I found nothing to establish what is behind such issues. I have a thirst in me to teach as much students as possible but the system in my country India or the political and bureaucratical set-up with certain nepotism and favouritism does not give the opportunity to do my work even at "free of cost" to poor students. I have a strong belief that an adequate education to all will develop a civilized society and in the civilized societies the cultural, attitude and behavioural patterns are more shaped than the uncivilized society where the fundamentalism stands to a big height.
Clarity of my Intellect
A recent practical study gave an insight and vicinity towards the above issue. As per the request of a Muslim vendor, I agreed to take tuition for his 8 years old boy studying 3rd standard. Whether he has learned from me or not but I have learned a lot from him in taking classes for 3 days. My observations on the boy made to get anger on the total system from the family to the society.
1) The boy is physically and mentally stable on general awareness and he has lot of enthusiasm and eager for study.
2) But unfortunately his memory or receptive and storage ability is totally unstable that even in his 8 years and class 3, he doesn't recite alphabets, numbers and read simple words and within a few seconds he forgets what I taught repeatedly.
3) The stimulations in brain is not functioning properly in reading and writing as there are some communication disability in thought processes (Right Brain & Left Brain)
I called his father and asked whether any family problems or unwanted happening in earlier age was with that boy to affect his studies. His father told "No" but justified that he has also the same problem of confusing him with many unwanted thought processes (personal and business worries but mentally stable). He compared his psychological issues with his son's memory issues which was his own assumption. I found that the boy was not having any thought processes but only the problem in stimulation of brain nerves. A week before I asked boy's father to take the boy to a child specialist or child psychiatrist for proper counselling or proper medications. He didn't care my advice for a week but advised me to continue my teaching in the same pattern of what I teach to the boy. A few medication and some yoga practices can boost up the memory level of the boy. When I explained the difficulty of the boy in learning, his father said "what to do Sir. We can't punish him. " I controlled my emotions and anger that I wanted to show on the boy's father and said to him I couldn't take any further classes until you take proper treatment to the boy. Upto 8 years the boy's parent have not considered this issue. His education institution didn't escalate this issue and advise parents to take necessary therapy. The Government system and education policy directs school to pass all students even their IQ level or mental age is very low. If children are brought up like this in a particular stage there might be a behavioral disorder in such children. Punishing children is not a solution. Understanding the feelings, difficulties and barriers in children's growth and trying to find a suitable solutions are the real parenting which most of the parents failed to do in the present day's life. They feel their commitment and responsibility as parents is fulfilled when providing their children tasteful foods, luxuries and well sophisticated life.
In particular, in many two income families both the parents desire to satisfy physiological needs only and they never care about psychological needs of family members. Even well educated, well civilized professionals, executives and well experienced medical professionals are struggling with psychological issues like ego, complex, arrogance etc., that lead them for separation (divorce) and affect their children as well as the society as a whole. When any people spoke to these separated professionals, the attitude or behavioural issue can easily catch them also.
I find some social evils which develops attitude, behavioural problems in individuals or groups or communities
1) Oppression
2) Annihilation policies
3) Ignorance & Improper Parenting
4) Blind Fundamentalism, Blind Nationalism and Fanaticism
5) Keeping in "Unsecular or insecure" feelings
6) Ethnic Groups' Dominant agenda and Divide & Rule policies
7) Governmental Policies
8) Polarization and Radicalisation
9) Emotion instabilities
Oppression
Not only Muslims community, any community which is oppressed socially, economically, culturally, politically in education, opportunities, jobs and justice, etc., for a longer time, the community tends to express its emotions in different channels and these channels of expression deviate from one another in various angles and exploit in many forms. The psychological outcome towards an oppression comes out in the society as an "unwanted behaviour" for which the entire society is responsible when the society fails to voice against the oppression.
Annihilation policies
From ancient history to till date, in each era, in each century, in each decade different groups for their survival have been trying to molest or annihilate other group. They are either the physical attack or attack on culture, tradition, habits, economy, education, liberty, rights and justice. Many of the genocides happened in the World were/are due to extreme level of personal vengeance or communal hatred, xenophobia and jealousy. In most of diversified Countries like India most of the communal violence are due to personal vengeance of individuals.
Ignorance and Improper Parenting
Ignorance is the main cause of underdeveloped societies which resist themselves from new knowledge or vision beyond their traditional blind beliefs and myths. Even these blind beliefs are found in well educated societies also exceeding over scientific approach or analytical thought. The traditionally oriented or genetically customized myths and beliefs are the barriers for any social reforms and social restructuring. Terrorism, extremism or fanaticism get support from many of people because of the ill "resistant" mind-set. Generations by generations this type of ignorant mindset is grown into children of various communities irrespective of religions and races. Parents play more important role than anyone or anything in developing character building in an individual. They should aware of stage by stage or age by age physiological changes and psychological changes to be naturally occurred or paralyzed unusually. Parents need to understand the metabolism and psychological rectification to finetune the children's academic and values growth. Some religious fundamentalist countries in Asia and Africa the gender discrimination is there in education and opportunities. Some countries like Afghanistan the fundamentalist mind-set restricts girls from the equality in education whereas in countries like India, the Muslims community encourages girl education upto school level and at the same time the parents from same community don't care about the academic interest and behaviour changes of their boy children. Both are wrong ideologies which can't develop a equally civilized society.
Blind Fundamentalism, Blind Nationalism and Fanaticism
Some parents intentionally grow their children with some sort of evil fundamentalism thinking that it is for the sake of God or religion. No one in the World is "Kafir" (non-believer) if he doesn't follow a particular religion. No one is anti-national or anti-social if he adopts his own religious belief rather than a majority belief.
Parents must educate themselves first and educate their children not to polarize from the society in the view of wrong religious beliefs. One who fails to respect other human being equally, is a sinner against his Creator who is common between the two.
Extreme level of Nationalism or religious Nationalism is a very dangerous threat to all mankind. As for me, Nationalism itself is a peril to integrity and unity of people. No groups have the rights and royalty to own a land or region and to dominate others. Fragmented groupism, isolated mindsets, caste, racial, religious radicalisation are the different kinds of Nationalism which divide the own citizens of the country with discrimination. Sometimes this kind of Nationalism is a foolish ideology that has a vague and idiotic mission or vision.
For example there are two usual slogans recited by the so-called "Nationalist" people in India. One is "Vande Mataram" (Worship Mother India) and another one is "Bharat Mata ki Jai" (Victory to Mother India). Saying these slogans the groups abuse and attack others.
Without knowing that Mother India is a symbolism of the entire population of India irrespective of religions, these fundamentalist groups pretend to show their fake, pseudo and hypocritic patriotism in which the majority of Indian population fall down.
.... to be continued in part - 2
