Dearest Rob,
I am sorry for being late in replying your kind and educative words. Actually I am using a GPRS connection which is too slow and every two three days I face an interruption or failure in the system. Anyway, this is my notes on your last words. Sorry if it is a bit too long!
Dear Rob,
1) The question of picking and choosing between Islam and Pashtunwali is not an easy one. This is the question of entity and identity. Islam is a religion. They refer that to the ordinance of Allah. They feel proud to being a Muslim, one who is chosen by Allah and bestowed by Allah. You know having a definition and interpretation about the ordinance and will of Allah is always controversial. Everyone can claim something and regard that as concrete. This is the characteristic of religious beliefs. All religions inculcate righteousness to their followers. This can easily result to dogmatism. Religious fanaticism is a well-known phenomenon. Hatred, inflexibility, arrogance, etc are common among all religious creeds.
In this regard, tribal culture is the same as the religion. Tribal dogmatism is also dividing the world into right and wrong, black and white. When these two dogmatism merge and get incorporated, it becomes difficult to clearly distinct the border of religion and culture.
Now the Pashtun community is the battlefield between harsh conflicting systems of values. They do not seem to submit to the modern system of values. Besides, they do not seem to have the chance and capability to preserve their tribal entity in the face of modern challenges. Burning schools or reaction to the women participation is an embossed pattern. This is not a natural reaction. You could not expect such a reaction 30 years ago, at the end of Monarchy regime. But now, it is shown widely. It is an indication of the harsh choice between their religious-tribal entity/identity. They explicitly find themselves in the quagmire of sin and guilt. They feel this is the end of the world! They do not know what will happen with their defiance, but they do not doubt of being on the right way: They fight for Allah, they die for Allah and they are sure that they will be awarded by Allah in hereafter.
2) There is an explicit lack of religious discourse among the Pashtun community. You cannot find even one single book which would be containing a serious debate on Islam and its relation with the exigencies of the modern world. They have never debated on the importance of beard-controlling campaign or robbing women from their ordinary rights in connection with their Islamic view. This is a major problem. Now, you as the people from the modern world, find it hard to open a discourse with them. You cannot contemplate their words and they cannot yours. There is a completely two different world. This can be noted as the conceptual gap. Money, war, threats, tolls, patronizing, caressing, intimidating, … nothing can really work there. It is not irony that they claim the rule of Sharia but never explain that to any one. They order you to merely obey and nothing else!
3) Islam doesn’t serve as the overarching political mentor. But as a religion, Islam is also full of paradoxical orders and ideas. In Islam you have the overwhelming stress on liberty, even liberty in believing in God; you also have the compulsory points which dictate everything according to the ordinance of God. I have had a wide research on Islam and other religious doctrines for more than 20 years. Still I am following my studies in this subject. It has always been interesting, educative and inspiring for me. I am teaching civic educations in my school and have authored series of textbooks on Humanism, Human Rights, Democracy, interpretation of Quran, ethics, etc. The question is the irrational dogmas which have overcome Islam. These dogmas can only get cleared by rational logical discourses. When you do not let even one word to be said, how can you define and settle the dogmas?
4) Zakat or other decrees of Islam related to the social affairs are not the core of Islam. This is clearly stated and defined by Quran itself. You have the mother verses, which are regarded as the beacons and core of guidance to Allah. They are called as “Mohkamat” (the most firm and solid ones). Among these are the faith to Allah, the order to apply justice, the respect to the Man as the Caliph of Gad, the equality of all before Allah and divine ordinance, the obedience only to Allah, the freedom in faith, the respect to all religions as the wills of Allah, the tolerance and forgiveness for the sake of Allah, etc….
You have the other verses which are called as “Motashabihat” and they are the orders which are looking at the realities and exigencies of time. Zakat is not the firm order, but it is an order which was regarded to help remedy the class division in the community. But remember, this is not the one and only order in this regard. You have many more: there are firm verses which ask to “Infaq”. Infaq means that you should bestow your wealth and belongings to the needy people if you do not need them right now. Even there are verses which states that if you save something which you do not need, while there are others who are in need of them, you will be punished by the fury of Allah.
The other word is Jihad. Jihad doesn’t mean fighting. Jihad means endeavor and effort on the way of Allah. Even it is said that learning and getting education is the best Jihad. The prophet Mohammad has a well-known quote saying that: “expressing one right word in the face of a tyrant monarch is the highest Jihad”. There is another saying of the prophet which says: “Hekmat (knowledge/deep knowledge) is the lost treasury of the faithful. He seeks and gets that even though if it is at the hands of “Kafir” (infidel).” This is a clear word which encourages the faithful to seek knowledge. If you are going to get knowledge, this is the prime need. So you have to be friend of “infidel” to get your desired knowledge. You cannot get knowledge by force or suicidal attacks….
These are the examples which show different controversial points in Islam and of course you cannot solve them without having a logical open-minded discourse.
Now, all Muslims are levying tax. They do not think if they are committing any crime. It is an example that modern findings are not something that the Muslim community can easily ignore.
In Islam you are not obliged to conduct a sensitive debate about the separation of Church and State. They can be addressed through Islamic discourses too… Perhaps this would be another critical issue that can be talked about in detail….
5) Yes, our school is primarily Hazaras. Our school is located in PD13, Kabul. It is in the western part of the city where more than two millions Hazaras are settled in two districts (6 and 13). The statistic is claimed by the municipality of Kabul and it seems to be nearly right. Our school is right at the far-ending side of the district 13 which is called “Dashti Barchi”. The Hazaras have suffered a lot throughout the tyrannical history of Afghanistan. So they are very happy to have the chance which is given to them after the fall of the Taliban. They can go to school, participate in political process, express themselves in the environment of freedom of press and freedom of expression, etc.
Last year a number of fanatical clergies stormed our school blaming it as the “center of Christianity and secularism”. It was a harsh moment. They were calling for the burning of the school and execution of the teachers. But the school and the community passed this harsh attack quite easily and successfully. They had attacked our school because some of our students and female teachers had protested against a controversial law which was designed by a fanatical clergy. This law was termed as the “rape law” in the Western press. It was regarded as insulting and defaming the women. The president bypassed Parliament and stipulated the law to attract the support of the fanatical clergies for his elections. However, the school and its supporting community stood firm and continued their work. Finally the law was revised by the Ministry of Justice and they brought more than 70 major amendments, one chapter and 17 articles were completely removed.
It was a good example of how the Hazara community has come a long way ahead in terms of their religious-cultural viewpoints. You can follow the story of that incident in my personal weblog which is linked to different international press:
http://azizroyesh.blogspot.com/
regards
Aziz Royesh
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