Dear Dr. James,
I am pleased to know your ideas about the oneness of humankind and exercise
of scientific and rational approach to tackle with the day to day problems
confronting all nations at global level. You have written that I am a
rationalist and naturalist and the only living philosopher in the Muslim
world. I thank you for kind word used for me. I don't have any claims.
Actually, the Greek word philosophy means the love for wisdom. In my opinion
every one is a philosopher as every one by nature loves wisdom and hates
ignorance. But the problem is that people in dogmatic and autocratic
societies are not permitted to express their ideas freely. This is the
reason in all undemocratic societies, people are always under the stone wall
of stereotype ideas and culture. This culture promotes superstitions,
obscurantism and whimsicalities. The Europe has progressed in science and
wisdom only because of the free contest of ideas through democracy.
In olden societies the Jewish rabbis did not
permit any common Jew to touch the Torah or read it. The rabbis were the
sole custodians of the divine message considering themselves the special
creature of God. They were the vendors of the name of God. Similarly the
Hindu pundits, the Christian priests and the Muslim mullahs had been
exploiting the name of God and still are the self appointed custodians of
God. The theologians and the philosophers had always been at loggers' head.
They could never reconcile on different intellectual matters as they have
different approach towards the issues. The philosophers are rational while
the theologians are anti rationalism and stubborn.
In my opinion there are two reasons of
ignorance. First; the monarchs never permit free thinking. Free thinking is
against the political interest of the kings and autocrats. In history we
have so many examples when even in Europe the philosophers and the
scientists were imprisoned, tortured and hanged for their liberal and
rational ideas. Galileo is one of them. Second; the clergy has been always
antagonistic to free thinking. The clergy wants mental stagnancy and blind
following. This is the treason the people who blindly follow the faith
through clergy have profusely shed the blood of the people of other faiths
in the name of religion. They never fell hesitant or ashamed in cutting the
throats of others and feel proud of such heinous deeds. They are brain
washed and to attain the favor of God they kill the people of other faiths.
This is an irrational, inhuman and irreligious act promoted by irrational
clergy. If we eliminate the institution of monarchy and priesthood, we can
liberate the humankind from the fetters of mental slavery, political
subjugation and social injustices. Prophet Abraham revolted against the
tyranny of Nimrod and the idol worship. Prophet Moses was a political and
social reformer. He raised the standard of revolt against the fascist and
autocratic state of Pharaoh. He stood for the emancipation of the Israelis
from the bondage of the tormentors and aggressors on the command of God. It
means God is against human slavery and wants to see people free from
bondage. Jesus Christ stood against the financial corruption of the Roman
rulers and the spiritual exploitation of the arrogant rabbis. The rulers and
the rabbis connived to get him crucified. Prophet Mohammad also raised his
voice against the capitalist class of the Mecca and the custodians of the
Kaabah who worshipped the idols and exploited the common man in the name of
God. Hence, we come to the conclusion that the prophets along with their
spiritual and divine mission had the serious agenda for freedom and justice
for all humankind. Why our clergy ignores the real mission of the prophets
that was political freedom and social justice?
Here, I feel incumbent to announce that
mostly the philosophers in the reaction of clergy become faithless. The
examples of Nietzche, Hume, Karl Marx and Bertrand Russell can be presented.
But on the other hand, we have philosophers like Socrates, Plato and
Aristotle who were not atheists. They promoted rationality and morality.
Faith and reason can go side by side. We need rational faith. What we
believe in should not be based on superstitions or myths. Religion is not a
mythology. It is a divine message for the protection and progress of all
humans on the bases of virtue, truth, love, justice, rationality and
humanity. Any interpretation of religion rejecting the rational , human and
natural propensities, trends and values must be shunned. We need the people
of faith promoting rational norms. We need the philosophers of faith who can
guide the misguided faithless thinkers and free the humankind from the so
called spiritual yoke of the radical, dogmatic, sectarian and irrational
clergy.
With best regards,
Dr.Maqsood Jafri
New York
Dated: August 19, 2010 |