IN most countries, a marathon race would merit a few paragraphs in the
sports or city pages. Here, the entire nation waits with bated breath to
see what the mullahs of the MMA will do to disrupt the event in Lahore
on Sunday.
The Punjab chief minister has tried to reach a compromise, but for some
reason, orthodox elements are up in arms over the prospect of a race in
which men and women run together. And yet, as a columnist pointed out in
a Karachi daily, millions of men and women perform the Haj together
every year. So what, readers may well ask, is the big deal?
A few months ago, these same extremists broke up a marathon in
Gujranwala. More recently, a similar event was disrupted by the Punjab
police, with Asma Jehangir, the gutsy lawyer and human rights activist,
being roughed up and her clothes ripped. What is it about women
participating in a foot race that so upsets men, particularly those with
long beards? Who reserved the roads of our country for the exclusive use
of men?
Actually, the marathon has become a symbol of the struggle between the
forces of moderation and darkness. The religious right has become so
used to bullying the government of the day and civil society into
getting its way that it is determined to disrupt the Lahore marathon.
And successive governments have failed to call the mullahs’ bluff.
Indeed, giving in to their most outlandish demands has become a habit.
Take President Musharraf’s abject surrender last year over the issue of
a column for religion in the new passports as an example. After the
government had announced that the machine-readable passports would not
contain this column to bring Pakistan into line with international
norms, the mullahs raised a hue and cry and threatened to lay siege to
Islamabad. After promising to hold firm, Gen Musharaf caved in and now
the new passports contain the entry for religion.
We need to ask why our clerics are so fond of raising pointless
non-issues that have no bearing on the problems we face today. Why are
they so insistent on dragging Pakistan back to the medieval era? The
truth is that their mindset has not progressed much beyond the 7th
century. Uneducated and ill-informed, they are incapable of discussing
contemporary issues intelligently. Hence they keep bringing up archaic,
irrelevant matters that only serve to confuse and confound.
Afghanistan under the Taliban is a case in point. The only education (if
one can call it that) these backward tribal villagers received was at
madressahs run by Pakistani religious parties. When they gained power,
their only agenda was to further ‘Islamize’ an overwhelmingly Muslim
country. Incapable of discussing the real issues of poverty, health and
education, they based their rule on the length of men’s beards. Their
reign was marked by a comprehensive ban on fun. Public executions and
flogging were the only entertainment. Women were forbidden to study or
work. And this is the role model many of our mullahs would like us to
follow.
In other Muslim countries, there is a certain amount of scholarship and
intellectual rigour associated with seminaries that is lacking here. In
Pakistan, Islam has been reduced to a set of do’s and don’ts - and
mostly the latter. The spiritual element has been completely removed.
How many of our self-appointed religious leaders practise the love,
humanity, tolerance and peace that are at the heart of all major religions?
To a great extent, the politicization of religion has caused the
confusion we see around us today. When semi-literate mullahs drive the
national agenda, we are obviously not going to debate the great issues
of the day. Inevitably, the public discourse will be dumbed down to the
level we have reached: can male technicians X-ray female patients?
Should women be allowed to run in a marathon? Did human beings actually
reach the surface of the moon, or was this great achievement actually
faked by the American government?
These trivial controversies divert us from addressing the real problems.
Thus, education remains neglected, partly because the mullahs will not
permit a meaningful overhaul of the curricula. On university campuses,
youth wings of religious parties routinely disrupt any attempt at
creativity. And mullahs on TV reinforce the image of a backward,
benighted nation. For instance, a medical student recently called one of
these shows for advice: could she put off fasting in Ramadan because of
her final examinations, and make up the missed fasts later? No way,
answered the mullah-in-the-box. However, he assured her that while she
was fasting, she would be inspired to perform better.
Fundamentalists seem to have problems with women who have nothing to do
with religion. Several non-Muslim societies have similar macho
attitudes, but do not necessarily insist that this attempt to dominate
women has religious sanction or sanctity. But in many Muslim countries,
largely illiterate communities are still in thrall to equally uneducated
mullahs who misinterpret the holy texts in order to cement male
dominance over women. In many cases, religion is cited to strengthen
backward social customs.
Obviously, the status quo suits the religious right very well. In
Pakistan, they have been constantly pushing their agenda with great
success. There is a popular misconception that the Islamization of
Pakistan started with general Zia. In reality, religious parties, most
notably the Jamaat-e-Islami, have been pressuring every government since
the creation of Pakistan to further their cause. And with varying
degrees, most governments have succumbed.
Of course, it was Zia’s hateful dictatorship that saw the rapid
acceleration of the process. There was no aspect of public life that was
too insignificant for him to intervene in. For example, in 1979, an
official order instructed all city governments to immediately demolish
all public urinals as it was considered unIslamic for men to urinate
standing up. This forced millions of men to relieve themselves against
walls.
These are the inanities we have been reduced to, thanks to our backward
mullahs. Year by year, we are being pushed backwards, and liberal
elements are being further marginalized. Despite this shrinkage of space
for free expression and thought, our fundamentalists are not satisfied
and keep pushing. Unfortunately, even secular leaders like President
Musharraf have not had the courage of their convictions.
In this environment of repression and hypocrisy, it is even more
important for the people of Lahore to turn up in large numbers and foil
the fundamentalists.