SPEAKING
FREELY India's Muslims and Hinduism's
moksha By Dallas Darling
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When Muslim civil
rights activists rallied in India against the
unfair targeting and treatment in the name of
fighting terrorism, it evoked moksha, the
fourth and final objective of life in Hinduism.
For Hindu's, moksha means the state
of liberation; the final release from entrapment
within the wheel of perpetual birth, death and
life. It also means to be one with atman,
or the Ultimate. This deep unity entails a radical
egolessness and unselfishness that liberates a
person to genuinely regard others as fully
equivalent to herself/himself. All sense of
self-preference - instinct to do what is
necessary to survive and
keep one's self safe - disappears.[1]
Thousands of years before Judaism,
Christianity and Islam, Hinduism developed into a
vital religion, giving meaning to millions of
people. Even though it has no identifiable
beginning and end or founder-prophet, no fixed
doctrine, no single authoritative scripture, no
specific institutional organization, and its
practices and beliefs vary, the ultimate goal is
still a profound union of one's soul with
moksha and to treat others equally.
Though it has evolved with the Bhagavad
Gita's "many paths to salvation", Ramakrishna's
reforms to alter the caste system and
suttee (widows' suicide), and Mahatma
Gandhi's respect for all life - along with a
vision of social and religious equity [2] - the
final goal is to experience liberation with the
Ultimate, authentically considering others as
identical.
Shabnam Hashmi, the noted
Indian activist, believes that in an attempt to
arrest and eradicate terrorism, Indian officials
sometimes unfairly target Muslims and falsely
arrest and charge them. Other Islamic activists
claim there have been illegal and indefinite
detentions and disappearances in the name of
combating terrorism.
In some places, waves
of counter-terrorism activities have made some
Muslims feel unsafe even in their homes and while
worshipping in mosques. Coupled with political,
economic and social neglect and discrimination,
some have either left their homes or fled the
country. As in other places around the world, a
climate of fear exists.
Before unity can
occur with the Ultimate, there is the "forest
dweller" stage, or wandering mendicant. Seeking
wisdom through meditation and reading religious
texts becomes a priority. Meditation is the
exploration of consciousness and how one perceives
the world. It calms and purifies the mind so that
wisdom inherent in and common to humanity can be
realized. [3]
The global war on terror -
its labeling of Muslims as terrorists and linking
Islam with terrorism - has deforested the dweller
stage. It has distorted the ability to study and
meditate, to perceive the world correctly, and to
unite with moksha and humanity. It is far
from wisdom. It is anti-Ultimate, since Islam and
Muslims also abhor terrorism.
Although
there are 140 million Muslims in India, the
majority of people are Hindu. To pursue
moksha takes great risk, especially since
it strives to regard others as fully equal and
alike. It also entails a sense of trust, of
abolishing within oneself fears and insecurities,
some imagined or false.
Sadly, state
governments and their military and intelligence
agencies can aid in increasing anxieties and
suspicions. This can result in a kind of extreme
response that can easily hurt and harm others.
Terrorism is horrific, unimaginable, and extremely
anti-Ultimate. India has tragically suffered from
terrorist attacks. To be truly liberated and
secure, should it try and pursue a policy of
moksha?
Again, this would require a
great risk, an extraordinary life, but one that is
necessary to experience the Ultimate. In pursuing
and modeling a policy of moksha, one that
has the effect of motivating a state and its
people towards policies and behaviors incapable of
harming another because this would be tantamount
to harming oneself, liberation and unity with the
Ultimate, including genuinely regarding others
with equality and fairness, might help encourage
other nation-states to do the same.
Notes: 1. Encyclopedia
of Ethics, Terkel, Susan Neiburg and R.
Shannon Duval. New York, New York: Facts On File,
Inc, 1999., p 175. 2. A World Of Ideas: A
Dictionary Of Important Theories, Concepts,
Beliefs, And Thinkers, Rohmann, Chris. New
York. Ballentine Books, 1999, p 175. 3.
Encyclopedia of Ethics, Terkel, Susan
Neiburg and R. Shannon Duval, p
118.
Dallas Darling is the
author of Politics 501: An A-Z Reading on
Conscientious Political Thought and Action, Some
Nations Above God: 52 Weekly Reflections On
Modern-Day Imperialism, Militarism, And
Consumerism in the Context of John's Apocalyptic
Vision, and The Other Side Of Christianity:
Reflections on Faith, Politics, Spirituality,
History, and Peace. He is a correspondent for
www.worldnews.com. You can read more of Dallas'
writings at www.beverlydarling.com and
wn.com//dallasdarling.
(Copyright 2012
Dallas Darling)
Speaking Freely is an
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