An important and basic issue with Islam is its mandatory 'religious teaching' for children. A teacher who imparts Islamic religious teaching to small children is called Hujur in Bangladesh. Children's minds can be molded as the Hujurs want. Hujurs, who were taught by their Hujurs, teach a new generation of Muslim children about Islam and prophet. The teaching is one way. Children have to believe what Hujurs teach or tell. Any question is reprimanded. The Islamic 'Iman' comes in handy for Hujurs to suppress any doubt in the minds of children about Islam or prophet. Many false and dangerous things are taught by the Hujurs under the protection of 'Iman'. The teaching methods adopted by these Hujurs are also harsh. Qur'anic 'iqra' was aimed at making bands of regimented followers. Such Islamic teachings are mostly given in local mosques. Some wealthy families do it in homes.
The domestic situation of such Bangladeshi children is no better. The main stream parents support whatever the Hujurs teach as they were also taught the same things by their Hujurs in their childhood. Even most rational of Bangladeshi parents will find it impossible to contradict Hujurs as this will amount to blasphemy. So, harsh mosque and dogmatic domestic environment cannot allow any child in Bangladesh to develop an independent opinion about religion in general and Islam in particular. On becoming adult and married she/he again sends her/his children for the same Islamic teaching. And the cycle goes on. Such Islamic teaching, among other topics, includes:
- Parroting of Qur'an
- Inculcating Qur'an as revelation from Allah
- Learning all Islamic rituals (tribal Arabic culture of 7th century including using of odd number of stones after urination).
- Learning by heart many fictitious and cock and bull stories (Miraj) about Mohammad.
- Accepting Islam as only true religion.
- Hating all non-Islamic religions as false.
- Considering idolaters as wicked, sinners and worse enemies to be converted or wiped out though Jihad.
- Learning to recite "Fee nari jahannama khalidin" on hearing about the death of a non-Muslim.
- Cultivating habit of not mixing with non-Muslims.
Such compulsory religious teaching (brain washing) is not found in other religions. The literacy level of Hujurs has nothing to do with this. On achieving adulthood the main stream Bangladeshis are also guided by dichotomies of Islam, i.e:
- One is either Muslim or Kafir (negative connotation).
- Either one is follower of Allah or Satan.
- Paradise is for Muslims after death but Kafirs go to hell.
- Islam is only true religion, others are 'Jahilia'
- Either a country is Dar-al-Islam or Dar-al-harb.
- For a Muslim all other Muslims are brothers but non-Muslims are enemies.
- Islamic hegemony is welcome in Muslim majority countries but non-Islamic hegemony is resented in countries where Muslim is minority.
After Hujurs come Ulema. Mohammad took the primary help of an imaginary Allah for 22 years to serve his interests. Ulema have been utilizing Mohammad and that imaginary Allah since 1400 years to serve their interests. Ulema were/are interpreters of Qur'an, Mohammad's actions, sayings and the religion of Islam. They had/have permanently established a 'hero-prophet' out of Mohammad. In turn, they had/have made themselves petty heroes of Islam also. Authority of 'interpretation', which is exclusive to Ulema, has helped them during past 1400 years to consolidate their absolute social position (as Hindu Brahmins did in old days). Mohammad projected an imaginary Allah to claim prophet-hood and propagated his imperialistic agenda. Islamic scholars project(ed) human Mohammad (and his Islam) to become Ulema. Mohammad had dominance-urge; so do Ulema. The Islamic pre-condition of absolute surrender before Allah and absolute belief in Allah, of course via prophet, have made the Ulema's position and action un-challengeable in Muslim society.
Islam teaches Muslims to be 'Allah-fearing'. Mohammad used 'Fear Arousing Communication' and instilled fear of Allah in the minds of early converts. Ulema have been re-enforcing the same 'fear' every day. On the other hand, paradise is the biggest and sweetest carrot before Muslims. They are least concerned that, as per Islam, the parents of Mohammad were said to have denied access to the supposed paradise as they were idolaters. Parents are enemies of Muslims if they are not believers. With such ruthlessness under cover of supposed piety and a weird paradise, three-forth of world population could not be forced or lured to the fold of the 'best religion' and its imaginary paradise during last 1400 years. But the inherent Arab imperialism of Islam has converted more than fifty countries into 'Islamic' during the same period. In the process "….every non-Arab Muslim has been turned into a moth, restless to cremate itself on the flame of Arab Imperialism."
Islam (? the best religion) has been in area of Bangladesh since 500-800 years. Has it made any improvement in the socio-economic condition of the people of Bangladesh? The answer is 'no'. But to counter this criticism, Ulema and Muslim apologists will tell that Islam is perfect, but it has not possibly been observed properly in Bangladesh. The same reasoning we hear from failed Marxists when they defend that there was no wrong with Communism. But its faulty implementation led the down fall of USSR and Communism.
Another argument to counter the issue of Islam's failure in improving the socio-economic condition is to call it a non-issue and put forward the claim of the entry (supposed) of Bangladeshis to the imaginary Islamic paradise after death simply for being Muslims. However, all rational people know that Islamic paradise does not exist. It is the biggest bluff on earth. But with the help of imaginary paradise and 'absolute faith', "Islam has become conqueror of hearts and minds of the depressed, the distracted and the decimated. It is really spectacular how, through a process of brainwashing, it acts as the tranquilliser (through hoax of paradise) for those, who have been ravaged by hunger, ignorance and injustice." To enter the supposed paradise the non-Arab Muslims "must believe in Muhammad and spiritual supremacy of Arabia, his motherland; they must adore all the Arab heroes, and crave for the introduction of Koranic Law in their countries to demonstrate allegiance to the superiority of the Arab cultural values."
Over the centuries, Bangladesh has actually become an over populous and poor men's "cultural outpost" of Saudi Arabia. Many Bangladeshis imitate the culture of their purest and holiest Arab Muslim brothers with the hope that one day the former will be recognized as equal by the Arabs. 'Sunnah' is an excuse for this cultural slavery. To such Bangladeshis to be equal with Arabs is as obligatory as five pillars of Islam. Alas, the Arabs consider Bangladeshis as lesser Muslims. What a Himalayan irony! This is the main gift of Islam to Bangladesh.