Author: Dhrubo Tara
What is the name of the single most toxic drug in the world? Cocaine, Ecstasy, Cannabis or something else? Scientists and drug addicts may provide varied 'expert' opinions over the issue, or if you amass enough courage to approach a romantic poet, he/she may say, it is the madness of love which can drive you to the limit. But, what if those limits make me uncomfortable. What if, I am looking for something which can push me beyond the boundaries and make me feel invisible. As a modern age realist, I am afraid my verdict may not match any of the above mentioned group. My vote will go for - VIOLENCE. Yes! nothing but old fashioned violence.
Most of the people, however speak otherwise, are attracted towards brutality just like they have the urge of having something beautiful or pleasant. We, as human beings, are a combination of humanity and animality. Though, literature denounces this idea, yet recent science has found it to be true and just to an extent. According to Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, aggression is one of the common characteristics of any creatures specially mammals.
Creative industries, even before learning about the scientific explanations, capitalized on sadism for a long long time. From Movies to music, Pulp Novels to pornography, arena of Spartacus to modern day entertainment sports, violence is of high demand everywhere. However, one specific group actually understood humans pulse for something gore and blood-bathed, ages before the media people. A lot may argue, but I believe, the first group to utilize violence as a tool to spread their popularity, are the religious people.
Residents of the civilized world always try to put a lot more weight on humane side of our nature than the animal side. Prime reasons behind this is the idea of morality and ethics. Imagine of a state, where you yourself have the personal license of 007. You can act upon your animal instinct and get away with it. No, the list does not finish here. Imagine, what will you do, if all these ensures you a blissful after life as well.
Religions or the creators of them probably conducted the first psycho analysis of human nature. Early polytheistic religions demanded the sacrifices of animals from their followers (Hinduism in its earliest form had human sacrifices though). I personally do not find any viable reasons behind believing that, killing an innocent animal got anything to do with one's own forgo; yet this attitude of the religions proved to be a successful tool in the beginning. However, as Abrahamic religions emerged in the face of earth, religious practices took a sharp change. According to Dr. Humayun Azad, a popular linguist and writer, 'an autocratic God is often like an autocratic government - ruthless'. To gain quick popularity, Monotheistic religions tried to brand God as a fierce power, who will destroy you, if you do not believe Him.
The repressive God demanded love from or bloods of the infidels. Crusades started, peoples died - barren lands became holy places. The God became happy and His followers became even happier. Logic went down the drains clogged by the blood and brains of the seekers of the ultimate truth. With diminishing public interest the world finally saw the gladiator game deceased in the 5th or 6th century. But religious violence is still healthy and alive. The wrath of a vengeful God is much more frightening than that of an emperor. Religions harvested and harbored violence in a much more efficient way.
'Islam' - the latest of the Abrahamic religions gave these crimes against humanity a whole new direction. For the followers of them, it is more like, 'my way or the high way'. In the year 2015 alone more than 1,250 people died due to Zihadist attacks worldwide. Some of us often wonder, what happened to the beautiful religion and why the followers are behaving so fanatic. To address that issue, it is a must to understand the religion first.
Soon shall We caste terror into the hearts of the Non-believers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority. - Quran (3:151)
One of the basic components of a modern mind is that, he/she does not generalize everything. No, I do not believe every Muslim is a terrorist. However, is it possible that, a person who believes and 'practices' his religion; does not care about what the 'holy' scripture has actually asked him to do? As far my knowledge goes, the scripture itself says that, it provides a 'comprehensive' lifestyle for any Muslim. If you believe you are a Muslim then you 'must adhere' to every single words of it.
They but wish that ye should reject Faith, as they do, and thus be on the same footing (as they): But take not friends from their ranks until they flee in the way of Allah (From what is forbidden). But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever ye find them; and (in any case) take no friends or helpers from their ranks. Quran (4:89)
Monotheistic religions like Islam and Christianity decided to increase their followers, unlike their polytheistic counter parts. Mohammad as a visionary saw that, the two things human being enjoy most are violence and sex. The prophet soon realised, a religion can live till the eternity, if it contains these two ingredients. He paved his way to immortality with the inclusion of relentless sex with ruthless violence.
O Prophet! We have made lawful to thee thy wives to whom thou hast paid their dowers; and those (slaves) whom thy right hand possesses out of the prisoners of war whom Allah has assigned to thee - Qur'an (33:50)
PB Shelly in his 'Necessity of Atheism' said that, people generally derive faith in God from three distinctive way - 1. From their own hand on experiences; 2. Decisions they derived from their experiences and 3. From the experiences of others. Futurist like Mohammad always knew, people will eventually set their quest truth. He also understood that, questions can make the religion feeble. As a result, he decided to blindfold the people with verses like -
O you who believe! Ask not about things which, if made plain to you, may cause you trouble" Aal-Maa'idah (5:101)
Sex, sadism and ignorance served the followers of the Self-Proclaimed 'last' prophet with a rare sense of elation. It created their own kingdom of Sodomy. In the last 1,400 years since the beginning of Islam, the combination of those highly venomous drugs never faded out. Penicillin has been discovered, people are now setting their foot in the outer space but Islamists all over the world are still fighting their pseudo war of independence.
Islamists hail IS, Boko Harem, Al-Shabaab as their heroes or often saviors. They dream of a world where there would only be the autocratic God and His followers, craving for more of these drugs. They force their child to slaughter animals in the name of religious celebrations called 'Kurbani' (sacrifice). At the very moment probably somebody is training his/her next generation to be prepared for or more rightly to bring upon the neo-apocalyptic world we find in movies or literature only.
As the issue of movies and literature came by, let us think of a scenario. A group of religious extremists attacks Rani (fictitious name), a minority girl of 13 in rural Bangladesh. Not for money or food, but for sex. Her family members are inside the house though tied up by the attackers and the mother makes one, just one request. No, she didn't request the Islamists to leave the girl alone - she just requested them to rape the girl one by one, so that the poor girl can keep berating. This story would made a great novel. However, this is not an excerpt from a novel or sequence of a film. This is the real life incident.
I enjoy my share of violence through movies, some people do that through music or sports. But some group want to act upon it in the name of religion. You may believe in the freedom of religion like I do, but I am not ready to put myself in the place of the mother of Rani, are you?