THE world is engulfed in multiple woes and wailings because of ethnic, racial, linguistic, and religious prejudices. Prejudices are like a plague. “Pride hath a fall” is an established proverb, but it is the travesty of time that no one learns lessons from historical bitter realities. Someone is proud of wealth, while others are proud of power. The pride of beauty and the pride of knowledge have also brought disasters around the world. The “Universal Man” is a humanitarian who does not believe in the differences and discrimination of race, religion, color, class, country, credo, or creed. For universal values, the world needs universal men. All humans are the descendants of Adam and Eve. Humans are like one family. The true humanist loves all humans and feels the pain of every person.
Last month, I witnessed a video of a young Muslim girl brutally tortured and killed by an ethnic militia in Myanmar, defying the peaceful teachings of Buddha. This heartbreaking scene left me shattered and compelled me to write a lament for her in newspapers and appeal to the UN Secretary-General to address the systematic killing of Muslims by Myanmar’s prejudiced government. Similarly, the ongoing atrocities against Palestinians by Benjamin Netanyahu’s regime in Gaza are deeply distressing and condemnable. As a humanist, I vehemently denounce the Holocaust and subsequent Second Holocaust in Palestine, stressing that these acts transcend religious differences; they strike at the core of humanity.
Similarly, when Sikhs were killed by the Hindu regime of Ms. Indra Gandhi in India, I protested against this genocide of the Sikhs. In ancient times, Buddhists were mercilessly killed by Hindus in India. The genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Serbs is a black spot on the bright face of humanity. Kids were uncouthly killed, and women were raped, molested and killed. A boy was roasted alive, and his father was forced to eat the flesh of his son. On his refusal, he was shot dead. Is this humanity? Does religion teach such barbarism? Today, the Indian occupation forces are mercilessly killing Kashmiri Muslims in Kashmir. The blood of Jews, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and all people is sacred. The colour of blood is red. It is neither white nor black. Human blood is sacred. The colour of skin can be red, white, or black, but humans are not defined by their skin colour.
I am happy that we have a team of poets, writers, and intellectuals worldwide who are promoting peace, justice, freedom, and humanity. The world needs men of rationality and compassion. The misuse of religion is a great sin, which the so-called custodians of different religions are committing. Let us stop it and play our positive role as humans. Humanity is the best religion.
Once, four persons were quarrelling. Each one of them said, “My religion is the religion of peace.” A passerby stopped and asked them why they were fighting. They said, “Our religion is the religion of peace.” He said, “When you all claim that your religion is the religion of peace, then why are you fighting? Peace does not come through fighting. If you claim that your religion is the religion of peace, then be peaceful.” Preaching is not sufficient; practice is better than teaching. Most of the priests preach but do not act accordingly. This is the reason religions have become a jumble of spiritless rituals.
When the religions of prophets are practiced, there will be peace in the world. The world can never achieve the cherished goals of peace, justice, and humanity until the ritualistic, dogmatic, retrogressive, irrational, inhuman, and prejudicial mores and practices exist.
—The writer is a contributing columnist, based in New York.
