It was the Muslim poet Allama Iqbal who compared the oft-mislabeled “virtue” of faith to a bird, limitless in scope and vision. I agree whole-heartedly although in doing so, see no reason why this does not undermine the entire concept as superfluous to human existence. Science and reason serve to ground us from our otherwise "bird-like" tendencies and Iqbal himself admits that the bird of faith is “unattended by intellect.” Fowl is a fine metaphor for artistic expression, but like the bird, we do not expect it to lead us to truth although this man is hardly the beacon of logic, having once labeled science a “dogma.” One must ask, which is worse: the poet who entertained illogical premises, or the internationally famous candidate of the next Pakistani elections who said about the dreamer, “Shakespeare…was fine, but no Allama Iqbal”?
In his recent article entitled “Why the West craves materialism & why the East sticks to religion,” the potential next Prime Minister of Pakistan and former cricket player, Imran Khan betrays either his ignorance or his political savvy when he marks Darwin as merely a “philosopher” and his esteemed theory of Evolution as “half-baked.” We can never be sure which classes the cricketeer slept through at Oxford, but one might not be far off if “Biology”, “Chemistry” and “Geology” were postulated. Yet Oxford is a prestigious institution, and surely the mighty cricket player picked up something. Clearly that something was not a degree in psychology. If one inquired into Imran Khan’s psychological prowess, they need look no further than his claim that animals can be “drilled,” but the homo sapien (which I must assume leaped out of the animal kingdom in the past few hours) require convincing on an intellectual level. Despite this claim being completely untrue (from Pavlovian classical conditioning to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs), it begs far too many philosophical questions to be accepted prima facie.
“But Kahn,” one might ask, “if human civilization attached itself solely to reason, then why are there so many religions scattered so far over the Earth with no sign of unification in sight? They cannot all be correct, as their tenets are mutually exclusive.” A professor of theology might respond that religion does not appeal to reason, and that, as Iqbal stated, religion is “unattended by the intellect.” But alas, the response of Imran Khan is instead the intellectually disheartening mantra “That is why the Qur'an constantly appeals to reason.” If this is how Khan approached the works of Iqbal, then I beg him: study your Shakespeare just a little more.
He continues to make a psychological piñata of himself when he presumes that the Western world is inferior by stating, “Such a [non-religious] culture is bound to cause psychological problems in a human being, as there was going to be an imbalance between the body and the soul.” What statistics or studies he is using for these “facts” one can only guess (although I doubt his constituency would truly demand evidence for any of his claims). I personally thank Khan for alerting me to the fact that I was in a state of emotional flux I had never before noticed. Without intending to bludgeon a rotting horse, how can Imran Khan be considered even the slightest bit of a scientifically literate man when is caught having written the sentence: “Yet, amazingly in modern psychology, there is no study of the human soul.” Yes…amazingly.
While this could be the perfect time to educate Mr. Khan on the theory of falsifiability and evidentiary-based claims, I would prefer to attack Mr. Khan's rather blatant ideological dogmatism. Khan's holistic focus on the topic of Islam as a superior moral bastion for civilization reeks of the attempt to manipulate his constituency by fueling an already present inferiority complex. Which would explain the midsection of his article consisting of remarkably, if not horrifyingly, inaccurate claims about life in West. From inappropriately labeling racism as “increasing” to the claim that Switzerland and Sweden contain the highest suicide rates in the world (neither of which even place in the top ten), Khan paints the west as a decaying, depraved pit yearning for moral guidance. For example, the argument that western scientists have genetically deduced that black civilians are “less intelligent than whites” does not even deserve refutation let alone the time spent retyping it. Perhaps Oxford is not for everyone.
Furthermore, Khan exposes his inability to critically analyze statistics as he notes the high immigration rate out of Southern Asia into the “immoral” West. One could accuse him of special pleading in accurately noting that there were racially motivated attacks against these immigrants once they arrived since there now exists specific terminology to describe gang-rape perpetrated by teen immigrants on native born European girls. I am not here to point the blame or call out a specific culture, just to criticize the hypocrisy of Imran Khan when he reverts to this repellant fallacy. To be fair, Khan (reluctantly) attributes the West with its recognition of civilian rights and judicial equality (no doubt wondering how they could have picked up such an Islamic view the whole while).
As concerns his vitriolic attack on Salman Rushdie, I know not how an educated individual could so much as entertain the notion that the fundamentalist Islamic response was in any way honorable. A more ethical description of the events would be a simple condemnation of the repulsive notion of fatwa by the Ayatollah Khomeini. But I wouldn’t expect such an enlightened assertion from the man who claims, “[A] society that obeys [the] fundamentals of Islam has to be a liberal one.”
The remainder of his post is filled with the usual religious drivel of “becoming a better human being” by loving others. Why Islam is necessary in his life for charitable conduct is itself a quandary that only the religious can overlook. For example the statement “I have become a tolerant and a giving human being who feels compassion for the underprivileged” should be frightening to all who read it. No doubt he will be given a pass while we “Western heathens” who act in this manner despite belief in a commanding deity will be condemned, once again, as “immoral”. I find it wholly disconcerting as well that Khan believes the current trend of Western atheism is a reactionary movement (as though citizens in the 21st Century would bemoan the atrocities of the clergy in an era before even their deepest descendants were born) and not one based on rationally and the realization that there is more to life than allowing the bird of faith to lead one by the nose. However, I'll excuse him this illogical sentiment as the vast majority of believers fail to understand the refutation of a deity and thusly the atheistic movement.
The following paragraph seems to reveal that the cricket player also did not study the economy of the free market in his time abroad. Khan announces that the scarce economic resources in the country that just underwent a national disaster would be best spent on individuals who study (wait for it) Islam. “[T]he group on whom the greatest proportion of our educational resources are spent in this country must study Islam properly.” For some boding reason I feel that this cricketeer would not be the best choice for a Pakistan with high economic aspirations.
There can be no doubt that Khan is preying on the weak and uneducated when he advances the dichotomy between logic and religion, noting: “While science, no matter how much it progresses, can answer a lot of questions - two questions it will never be able to answer: One, what is the purpose of our existence and two, what happens to us when we die?” How either of these questions are relevant, let alone answered by any institution, are never accurately addressed although one needn’t exhaust the imaginative muscles in hypothesizing that Khan remains as ignorant on these subjects as the most educated of philosophers. Someone should inform the man that quoting the homeopathy-supporting Prince Charles is perhaps not the best way to win over the minds of the educated.
In dealing with politics in the Pakistani region, it should understood that the way to progress will not come about from the further decline into the superstition and tribal conservatism. It is a shame that Khan cannot separate the objective value of the Western world from his dogmatic, rather Kantian perception of it as “inferior” in its morality. He should instead be discussing free market economics and scientific progress. He should instead be considering the shaky alliance between the West and his nation. He should be addressing the tremulous peace between India and his home. No. Instead Khan addresses issues of supernatural inanity and pretending that the way to peace and prosperity will come through the furthering of “family values.” What can one expect form a man who once stated that fundamentalist terror squads are bad, but foreigners on Pakistani soil is just a little worse?
In conclusion, what we have received from Imran Khan can be best categorized as “typical political drivel,” inflating the ego of a population while promising truths that could not possibly be attained. That any one could take these words seriously simply reveals the mind-altering powers of partisan vocabulary. The Pakistani people should wake up before it is too late and ask the potential ruler if he will continue to tax the poor and let the wealthy slide in memoriam of his predecessors. Why should the Pakistani people believe that this man will rule in a different manner has certainly not been answered by the man himself.
While disavowing the West might make the ears of religious adherents tingle, it can hardly be called a comprehensive political strategy to achieve anything more ambitious than simply getting elected. Educating the masses in Islamic tradition will hardly solve the problem of ridding Pakistan of the Islamic fundamentalists. The changes that are needed in Pakistan are complex but not hidden. Economic reform is needed to take the burden off of the poor. Freedom of expression with regards to religion must finally be instituted and the judicial branch be held increasingly responsible. One can only hope that the glamorous cricket player with his eyes on the even more glamorous world of Asian politics is simply appealing to the excess number of Muslim households in Pakistan with such ignorant rhetoric simply to sway voters. Although I can honestly say I’m not sure which is worse.
I will leave you with this parting seed of wisdom from a man who should spend a little more of his life on the cricket field and less time disrupting Pakistan’s bid for entry into the 21st Century: “If Pakistan's Westernized class starts to study Islam…it will…make them realize what a progressive religion Islam is.”
No comments:
Post a Comment