Md. Rafi, Coffee and Terrorism

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says that our beliefs shape our character, our character shapes our personality, our personality shapes our attitudes. our attitudes shape our actions and our actions shape our Destiny.

This piece of ancient wisdom came welling up in my mind when I saw on TV an interview of a radical Islamic terrorist. This man was shown at his home, fondly playing with his baby surrounded by his adoring family — a picture of peace and tranquility that warmed my heart.

These warm feelings changed when he was asked how he felt about killing innocent people including infants smaller than his child. His reply — which I will never forget all my life – was ‘As a human being I feel terrible but as a Muslim I feel no remorse’.

This shall be forever etched in my memory as the most infamous one liner I have come across. Is it his contention that it is possible for him to be a Muslim but not a human being? If it is possible at all, by any stretch of imagination and contortion of logic, then the next question arises — which is more important, to be a human being or to be a Muslim? Remember the Md. Rafi song

‘ TOO HINDU BANEGA NA MUSLAMAN BANEGA , INSAAN KI AULAD HAI TOO INSAAN BANEGA”

I have something to say about this later. Talent contests are now the rage all over the world. I have written earlier about a bunch of laborers from Orissa who warmed our hearts and brought tears in our eyes with their amazing dance talents in the show. INDIA’S GOT TALENT.

The UKRAINE’S GOT TALENT show was another similar occasion. The winner was a young girl with an unusual talent — she was an expert in drawing on sand. She drew a picture of a happy twosome of lovers in a park, only to transform this peaceful sand drawing by a few swift strokes of her nimble fingers, into a picture of the horrors of war The judges wept and I did too as I saw it on TV.

There is much discussion in the American media these days about terrorism and how the US must respond to it. There is a section of thinkers who say that war may not be the solution and assassinating leaders of Al Queda and Taliban also will not end terrorism. It is said that terrorism will only increase with every elimination of a top terrorist who will become a martyr in the eyes of many youngsters who will be even more motivated to take to terrorism.

What is suggested is something that could have come straight out of the Upanishadic doctrine I started this piece with. The struggle to end terrorism must start with changing the belief system of people.

Thus moderate community leaders especially the clergy as well as mothers must be roped in to tell youngsters that this sort of violence IS A DENIGRATION OF THE GREAT RELIGION OF ISLAM [or for that matter any religion].

I have done some study of the Holy Books of the major religions. I may shock some readers when I say that all of these texts have serious inconsistencies and at some point all of them advocate violence.

This is not the forum to give details but I leave it to readers to do some soul searching and find out the veracity of my contention with objective research.

Since war – and anything else for that matter — begins in our minds, it is in the mind that peace also has to begin. All of us irrespective of our station in life wish to leave this world a place where talents of the sort we see in Talent contests flourish. To make that happen each one of us has a duty to perform.

Paradoxically we may have to follow the same strategy used by Al Queda leaders. They convince one youngster at a time to take to the gun. We also have to convince one youngster at a time to take to peace. That was the way Howard Shultz built ‘Starbucks’– ONE CUP OF COFFEE AT A TIME.
K.R.RAVI