KARACHI: “Seek out your own individual consciousness; rely on your own faculties rather than being influenced by the thoughts of famous personalities,” emphasised historian Dr Mubarak Ali at a lecture on ‘Politics and religion’ held on Thursday. He was responding to a query from the audience at Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology about the effectiveness of the Sindh government decision to include in school curriculum the Aug 11, 1947 speech of the Quaid-i-Azam in which the Quaid explicitly spoke of giving equal rights and freedom to the religious minorities of Pakistan.

Dr Ali politely requested those in the audience to let go of the dead and instead rely on one’s own faculties. His statement received much appreciation from the demographically polarised audience. The average age of those in the first three rows in the auditorium was 60, while others aged between 20 and 25.

Dr Mubarak Ali’s columns, lectures or general musings carry within them a similar refrain — the essentiality of a detached and analytical examination of Pakistan’s historical trajectory and underlining those periods that have impacted us most, be they moments of success or instances where our frailties became known. The relationship between religion and politics, in the hands of an amateur can come off as very simplistic, and the reductionist element can undermine its subtleties. Dr Ali’s expert handling made the hour seem like a power play, jam-packed with witty anecdotes, hidden symbolism and historical facts left, right and centre.

Considered an intellectual activist for his emphasis on divorcing religion from the state, Dr Ali’s belief was furthered by examples from the Roman to the Mughal Empire, and further down. “One of the problems that Pakistan faces is the absence of philosophers and thinkers. We do, however, give birth to a lot of poets and ulemas,” he quipped. This observation was spot on, considering how the country lacks the ability and tact to debate on certain issues related to our civil, social and religious lives. Quoting the Greek philosopher Heraclitus who stated “you could not step twice into the same river,” Dr Ali believed that with the changing times, “it is important to adopt and adapt to pluralistic traditions”. And as Pakistan was not doing so, it was facing problems such as increasing intolerance and discrimination, he added.

“There is no absolute truth when societies evolve,” said Dr Ali, adding that history shows time and again a society that espouses such a belief system breeds strife and war within its borders. “Look at Ashoka of the Maurya dynasty. He saw the absolute devastation of war, the countless women widowed and children orphaned. These sights, sounds and smells compelled him to completely change his ideology. He is probably the only ruler who never waged war again.”

“Religion is being used as a means to gain political clout,” said Dr Ali, with the subjugation of Hindus in the subcontinent quoted from among numerous examples. The Mughal Empire, especially during the reign of Aurangzeb, became less secular and instead this gave rise to more social evils than during the rule of other Mughal emperors. A similar thread runs during the era of the Roman Emperor Constantine when he accepted Catholicism, the dominant form of Christianity. “Others, especially the Protestants, were declared heretics and pagans. In an effort to purge the land of them, allegations and gruesome punishments were meted out and so many left the Empire to escape a dire end.”

France and its various revolutions were also discussed in detail as examples of how religion and the state were slowly separated from each other, to everyone’s benefit. How after each successive revolution, the power vested in the Church was mitigated and instead shared among the people and the state. The “de-Christianisation” of France allowed people to stop worshipping the Church and instead hail “reason” as their new god. “This surge led to minorities being given more rights than ever before, especially the Jews, though men like Napoleon did try to resist this development,” the historian said.

Fixing the education system in Pakistan is of utmost importance, according to Dr Ali, with special emphasis on history books that have become an amalgamation of less fact and more fiction. “The commercialisation of education in the country is destroying our ability to think independently, and students are indoctrinated to study subjects that will assist them to earn rather than attain knowledge. Anybody can earn, but very few can shape societies.”

He lamented the rise of “subject idiots” rather than intellectually stimulated individuals, hampering the country’s progress. “Change, is never an easy process and definitely not a short-term endeavour. The first step is to acknowledge what system of governance we wish to adopt in Pakistan — completely secular or otherwise. And then only will this painstaking journey of evolution begin.”

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2015

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