What is it that binds a nation together....can religion be a basis to build a nation?
A singular glance at the state of two nations, born on the 15th of August,1947 vindicates our approach to nation building.
As I witness our neighbor battling with violence and anarchy,I think about the the bloodbath witnessed at the dawn of independence. The insistence on having a separate nation on 'religion' as the binding thread,drove the destinies of millions.
Where has religion led to the fate of that nation?
Religion may strengthen the efforts of nation building , but it is not the solution to bank on,for attaining a harmonious social order.
We, not only believed in unity in diversity, but also cherished it in ideology and practice. Agreed, there have been blemishes in the form of communal riots spoiling the sanctity of our fabric but such sporadic guided events are a far cry from the anarchy faced in the vacuum of development in a theocratic state.
Nation building is all about an inclusive people-centric development, where governance plays a key role. And when the courtyards of governance are guided by the selfish motives of men-in-power,it can overlook the contours of religion.The self-professed messengers of Almighty,then create factions with their own convenient interpretations of the "will of the lord".
The mayhem spills blood,not of man who bowed religiously before his God or read the scriptures as dictated but of a father,a husband,a son,and a breadwinner for struggling family.A family ,which will eternally question the strength of religion to protect them.
The victims may lie on the other side of the fence we created and we may dismiss the entire violence as "theirs",but can we disown the brutal butchery of humanity,organized against the pious backdrop of religion.The ethos of faith,strength and peace,which emanate from religions,have given way to distorted interpretations and grossly insensitive use of "religion" as a tool for manoeuvrings.
The 2 nation theory faced a major blow when the political fissures translated into a ground reality with the creation of Bangladesh. Can religion ever fulfill the needs of starving millions, fighting disease, ignorance and corruption? Factions, with varying shades of “hard line” ideology, emerged on the landscape of same religion and wage battles for “their respective rights”.
The innocents perish when "the messiahs of masses" draw out a wrong priority order for people to follow...
For those struggling to get food,clothing and shelter,the need to prioritize amongst religion,region and nation is an arena of irrelevance...
The state remains a lame, helpless spectator .... searching for its own identity
The foundational theory creaked,collapsed,cremated
