Hallmark of religion tolerance; now in short supply

So what needs to change in Islam? Well, first of all polygamy. Then triple talaq, instant or otherwise, then inheritance rights. The dictates of the Sharia that are inconvenient to men have already been dropped long ago – like the punishments for theft and adultery. Only clauses used to shackle women are still in use. The wife-beating law needs to be changed. Maintenance for divorced wives, the period of iddat and child custody are only a few clauses that need to be modernised to bring Islam in tune with values of a progressive society. And yes, we need women Imams too. Copenhagen, Denmark, has one – I just saw her on BBC. But what really gives me goose bumps is the ‘death to the infidel’ injunction, and the capital punishment for apostasy.

Every morning I’m jolted out of my deep slumber by a mournful loudspeaker-assisted call from a nearby mosque. When I’m not welcome in the mosque (they don’t even entertain Muslim women so what can a Hindu woman expect?) I think waking me up at 5 am is a violation of my fundamental right to sleep. If you ask me, the ‘call to prayer’ should go first. Zuhara ma’am are you listening?

Now don’t ask me why Hinduism and Christianity don’t need change.  Of course they do. With Bishop Franco in jail and the Pope on tenterhooks I needn’t even begin to comment on the need for change in the Christian Church.   

For Hindus, the Sabarimala verdict is only a small step. We’re now focused on the unclean status of menstruation and some of us are missing the wood for the trees. We need to bring in women priests (Mannarsala in Kerala and Yellamma temples in Karnataka are not enough) - also transgender, Dalit and Adivasi priests. There’s a lot that is wrong with Hinduism, the caste system being the greatest curse of all.

Thankfully the Constitution doesn’t recognise it on grounds that it’s mentioned in the Rigveda! Only when the inequities are removed, when the stranglehold of the priestly class is relaxed, can Hinduism reveal to the world its true potential.

The hallmark of the Hindu religion is tolerance – and we see very little of it nowadays.  The average believer doesn’t realise that it’s the ugly side of his religion that is visible to the world today. Gone are the days when Swami Vivekananda stunned the world with his 1893 address to the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago. Today we are eschewing philosophical discourses in favour of elaborate rituals and regressive customs. We seem to have only yoga to export.

Sabarimala will be purified when the thaen-abhishekam by tribal people is reinstated. The shrine will be more sacred when the bogus flame no longer appears in the darkness of night to fool the unsuspecting pilgrims into thinking it’s a divine apparition. Sabarimala will be the holiest of holies when tears of women devotees fall on pathinettaampadi.

(The author is an IT professional)