Emotional politics is one reason for hatred and
violence, especially when based on the slogan:
‘Religion is in danger!’ By presenting a wrong or
exaggerated picture, certain writers and speakers
try to give the impression that their religion is
under threat from others. Now an emotional
campaign is launched with great fervour in the
name of safeguarding religion. Far from saving
religion from danger, such politics only endangers
society as a whole by destroying peace.
This concept of religion being at risk clearly implies
that a community other than one’s own is to blame.
This fosters hatred in one group for another. And
when a policy of confrontation fails to put an end to
the supposed danger, frustration sets in. This leads
to violence as a final strategy. And when violence
does not give the desired result, suicide is resorted
to. Youths, surcharged with emotion, resort to
venting their ever-increasing hatred for their
supposed enemy by carrying out suicide bombings.
The politics of religion being “under attack” in its
final phase turns into the politics of “religious”
suicide. Launching their movements in the name of
the revival of religion proves to be the death knell
for themselves as well as for others. The truth is that
the only way to extricate oneself from such
destructive politics is to hold violence as a form of
action to be rejected in all circumstances. No
excuses, however weighty they may appear, should
be treated as sufficient to justify the use of violence.
The present world is a world of differences. Every
man is Mr. Different and every woman is Ms.
Different. That is why all kinds of differences exist
among people. But when these differences take on
an emotional aspect, it leads people into malevolent
conduct. And then society as a whole becomes
wracked with violence.
There is only one possible solution to this problem.
And that is to inculcate the notion that all members
of society must work within a peaceful sphere,
irrespective of general conditions. In no
circumstances must they go outside the arena of
peace. The correct mentality can be formed only
when people are brought fully abreast of the fact
that, in this world, any task can be performed
through peace. No task can be performed
successfully through violence. Violence contributes
only to destruction—not to construction. A religion
is never in danger. Any religion which appears to
be in danger is no religion at all.
Ref -The Ideology of Peace
- by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
