We call upon the leaders of all politico-sectarian organisations to give up the tactics of destructive violence
DEHRADUN: Tribal and sectarian identities were necessary in pre-science communities for socio-economic interaction. In today’s digital age, communal-religious identities are not necessary since ‘techno-civic’ operations, such as online banking and automated money transfer machines, do not operate based on caste, race, region or religious identity. The entire spectrum of operations in various fields including education, health and transportation services, are uniformly based on scientific knowledge and secular, requiring no caste, gender, regional, religious or sectarian distinction. Likewise, there is no exclusive blood group that divides us either. Scientific political dispensations have invalidated all traditional social discrimination. In pre-independent India, I recall segregated Hindu and Muslim water facilities at railway stations. Now, when bottled drinking water is available universally, we are concerned with halal or kosher foods and drinks.
Since secular ‘techno-scientific’ advancement had challenged age-old beliefs in divine dispensation, religious estates have picked up guns to oppose the secular democratic social engineering. Peace and security are necessary for the survival of global civilisation.
Therefore, I call upon the world leaders, preachers of all faiths and the heads of all religions to declare that the killing of other human being is not sanctioned by the Divine Commandment. We especially call upon the leaders of all politico-sectarian organisations to give up the tactics of destructive violence and accept the Gandhian path of non-violent resistance to injustice, particularly, in democratic states. The destruction of public and state properties and attacks on law-enforcement authorities cannot and must not be considered the right path to paradise.
Dhirendra Sharma
Published in The Express Tribune, October 28th, 2016.
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