The news headline took my breath away: "The Taliban Threaten to Kill Imran Khan." The obvious irony is that Imran Khan has been the staunchest supporter of causes enshrined by the Taliban.
A scratch below the surface revealed the twisted logic used by the turbaned bullies. Imran Khan has labeled himself as a liberal - a big no, no. Even worse, he supports elections and democratic processes - these acts characterize him as an "infidel." The arguments are mind-boggling and show how far they have departed from any rational thinking. More importantly, however, they have diverged very, very far away from Islamic concepts and the basic constructs introduced in our Moral GPS.
But then again, these are symptomatic of a broader malaise of intolerance that is gradually pervading many Islamic societies. This is patently obvious in Pakistan, the second most populous Islamic country behind Indonesia. Streaks of this intolerance have also emerged in other countries including Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Iran, etc.
Intolerance manifests in many forms: creating social roadblocks, putting economic hurdles, damaging public and private property, and in its most extreme version, threatening the life and liberty of others. All of these are in direct opposition with the basic and fundamental constructs of Islam. We are reminded numerous times in the Quran that we are not responsible and answerable for others' action, and we are not expected to force anyone to follow our ideas.
The most damaging notion to today's Islamic societies is the extreme form of tolerance in which anyone deemed in opposition can be conveniently killed. The supposed reasons for such behaviour range from insults to Islam and its iconic figures to having violated the "honour" of a family or a clan. There is not even the slightest form of justification that can be extracted from the Quran or Islamic jurisprudence.
So, what then drives people to kill those opposing or not meshing with their own views?
I would argue that there is a certain subconscious notion of inherent societal weakness. This is partly fed by a colonial history of almost all Islamic nations. And it is amplified by the perception, and the reality to large extent, that Muslims are the underdogs and facing global prosecution for being violent. Such levels of 'impotence' can lead societies - particularly segments that are ill-educated or illiterate - to create outliers that are prone to violence as a knee-jerk reaction. This violence is then generally condoned by the society, partly in response to the bullying tactics of a violent few. It is curious that the Islamic scholars choose to stay mum on these issues.
How do we pull out from the vicious circle? One obvious solution is to be better-informed about Islam and what the Quran teaches. The basic concepts of who is an ideal Muslim and the associated personal characteristics have to be better understood. And, of course, the level of education needs to go up drastically. The catharsis of the Islamic societies must originate from within and be driven by people who understand basic Islamic constructs.
