The Thin Red Line

Humanity and Religion have many overlaps. Since childhood I had heard of incidents where religious organizations have been immensely helpful during dire situations. These are examples to show that religion in its proper form upholds the virtue of humanity and preaches a need to serve all. Irrespective of his/her faith a human is always guided by an inner conscience that transcends the little religious beliefs. Humanitarian organizations and religious organizations thus have an important role to play in this world. Every such organization can work towards ending religious radicalization by advocating humanity as part of religion , whatever it might be.

The recent spate of bad incidents all around the country in the name of religion are a cause of concern. From the incidents as large as the Mumbai terror attacks to the recent attack on the girls in Mangalore , each of them stand as an indicator pointing at the problem that is looming large – religious fundamentalism. It is nothing new that religion is being taken too seriously in this part of the world. The subcontinent has seen so much history; starting with the vedic times to the current modern age , these areas have seen the dominance of Hinduism , Islam, Buddhism , Christianity and other religions at various points in time. This to a large extent is a positive history to have. The prevalence of so many different life styles and faiths should have influenced our own upbringing and should have made us certainly more tolerant than people from any other region in the world. However, the fore mentioned incidents make one doubt if people here really know what their religion means. It makes me ask if any of the so called preachers have a greater understanding of the scriptures that they believe in.

There is nothing new to write about the terror attacks in Mumbai. I remember reading an article by Sambit Bal on Cricinfo where he says that writing about cricket at this point , when one of the most cherished landmarks of Mumbai is burning , looks irrelevant. The audacity with which the attacks have been carried out are indicative of the brainwash that the attackers went through. An attempt on such a big landmark is clearly a one way door. The attack on the Mangalore girls is a much worse incident for me. Mumbai terror attacks reflect a problem the world faces at large. However, the Mangalore incident is a case where a little known group tries to get a national recognition. Can one really think that this incident is not politically motivated? This is a dangerous scenario which doesn’t augur well for India’s image and one that needs to be handled carefully.

This is where I feel a humanitarian angle helps. A fundamental ideology that by harming any human being, one is going against the very teachings of any religion is what humanity is all about. Incorporating this attitude in as many people as possible should be the priority of humanitarian organizations and this can be done through various activities such organizations undertake. As a human being one has a basic responsibility to live and let live. It is not in one’s control to decide on killing other people. An idea that there is a power that is above everyone, which decides upon these aspects of life would be something that a religious organization can teach. If the fore mentioned approach can be put into practice it would go a long way in helping the subcontinent grow and improve it’s image in the world. The Thin Red lines of Mumbai can be erased and other’s elsewhere can be prevented.