Lalit Mohan
It was in jest that I once said to an Arab friend in Dubai, "You guys are lucky Your Prophet permitted you four wives." He replied in all seriousness, "You are wrong. He did not 'permit us. He restricted us to four wives." He then went on to explain that in the social anarchy prevailing in the Arab peninsula at that time, what Prophet Mohammed preached was nothing short of revolutionary The veil, too, was an attempt to protect women from male depravity in that free-for-all society, "Just like taboos and customs prescribed by other religions around the world, which were always dictated by the need of the times," he added.
Indeed, the five Ks of the Sikhs, of which unshorn hair (and the turban that goes with it) is one, were also laid down by the Guru to meet the requirements of an ascetic array of defenders of the faith. But what was revolutionary or deemed necessary centuries ago may not be relevant to our lives today. To literally interpret and strictly enforce injunctions given -in particular circumstances will inevitably lead to conflict and dissent.
The western world faced this problem in the 15th century with the Reformation. The papacy resisted this' apostasy which led to a schism in the church. But the Reformation gave those who differed an alternative while still subscribing to Christ's teachings and divinity It strengthened Christianity in the long run because those who dissented could still call themselves 'Christians'.
Similarly the reforms by the Brahmo Samaj and Arya Samaj in India swept away many inequities of Hindu ; practice, which may have had some arguable raison d'etre when originally instituted, but which seem unfair or . unnecessary in the modern context. They gave Hindus another option within the fold. Such reforms do not alter the basic moral code of each creed. But they become necessary as circumstances and ideas change. It is in this context that practices and customs, such as the Catholic stand on contraception or the use of the veil by Muslim women could be reviewed.
DISCLAIMER
The views expressed in the Article above are Author’s personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing."
Courtesy: The Times of India: The speaking tree
Lalit Mohan
It was in jest that I once said to an Arab friend in Dubai, "You guys are lucky Your Prophet permitted you four wives." He replied in all seriousness, "You are wrong. He did not 'permit us. He restricted us to four wives." He then went on to explain that in the social anarchy prevailing in the Arab peninsula at that time, what Prophet Mohammed preached was nothing short of revolutionary The veil, too, was an attempt to protect women from male depravity in that free-for-all society, "Just like taboos and customs prescribed by other religions around the world, which were always dictated by the need of the times," he added.
Indeed, the five Ks of the Sikhs, of which unshorn hair (and the turban that goes with it) is one, were also laid down by the Guru to meet the requirements of an ascetic array of defenders of the faith. But what was revolutionary or deemed necessary centuries ago may not be relevant to our lives today. To literally interpret and strictly enforce injunctions given -in particular circumstances will inevitably lead to conflict and dissent.
The western world faced this problem in the 15th century with the Reformation. The papacy resisted this' apostasy which led to a schism in the church. But the Reformation gave those who differed an alternative while still subscribing to Christ's teachings and divinity It strengthened Christianity in the long run because those who dissented could still call themselves 'Christians'.
Similarly the reforms by the Brahmo Samaj and Arya Samaj in India swept away many inequities of Hindu ; practice, which may have had some arguable raison d'etre when originally instituted, but which seem unfair or . unnecessary in the modern context. They gave Hindus another option within the fold. Such reforms do not alter the basic moral code of each creed. But they become necessary as circumstances and ideas change. It is in this context that practices and customs, such as the Catholic stand on contraception or the use of the veil by Muslim women could be reviewed.
DISCLAIMER
The views expressed in the Article above are Author’s personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing."
Courtesy: The Times of India: The speaking tree