In fact, often, cases of sexual harassment at the hands of publicly worshipped fortunetellers go unreported in media
HYDERABAD: Recently, an Indian court sentenced a self-proclaimed spiritual guru hailing from Haryana to 20 years in prison after he was found guilty of raping two of his female devotees. Monetary and sexual exploitation in the name of religion is as old as the institution of religion itself. Illiterate, poverty-stricken masses swarm to such figures to seek solace and reverence. Perhaps the only reverence they find during the entire time is in the hope of finding solace in their painful life situations, which rarely ever gets to see the light of the day.
In fact, often, cases of sexual harassment at the hands of publicly worshipped fortunetellers go unreported in media. Although the solution lies in strict action against such spiritual saints, part of the problem stems from peoples’ blind faith in them. Further, to differentiate between those propagating religiosity and spirituality in its true essence, and those manipulating it for their own advantage is near impossible.
Nevertheless, self-styled pirs and babas deceptively fill the void in the lives of many who fail to apply reasoning and rationality to common life problems.
Fasih Kamran
Published in The Express Tribune, September 1st, 2017.
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