The political economy of fundamentalism-I

Islam, which acknowledges Judaism and Christianity as its forerunners in a single religious tradition of revelation-based monotheism, also preaches equality, justice, and human dignity. The vast majority of Islamic fundamentalists are pious people who follow the teachings of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh), promote regular attendance at mosques, reading of the Qur'an, and preach the path of truthfulness, honesty and tolerance. In Sura Al-Kafirun, Allah revealed: "To you your religion and to me, my religion."

Regardless of religions, fundamentalist ideology typically centres on three beliefs: (1) that there is one set of religious teachings that contains the fundamental truth about humanity and the deities, (2) that this truth is opposed by forces of evil which must be fought by all means, and (3) that this truth must be followed in its purest forms, and that those who espouse this ideology have a special relationship with the deities.

The conservative brand of Islam, promotes theocratic rule of governance in which Sharia becomes the law of the state. Among the adherents there are splinter groups who want to impose their will on the vast majority by violent means. These conservatives are associated with religious extremism, often violence, we call them irrational (or intolerant) religious fundamentalists (IRF) as opposed to peaceful religious fundamentalists (PRF).

IRF violence is infectious in that it spreads from one religious group to another across countries. In India, Hindu IRFs slaughtered Muslims and burned mosques, with repercussions in Bangladesh and Pakistan. Israeli IRFs violently attacked Palestinians, which met with retaliations. IRFs in the US have demanded religious prayers in public schools and some have been involved in killing doctors practicing abortions.

The IRF claim the salvation of all human problems around the world as their sacred calling, and adherence to religious doctrines and their conformity in all aspects of governance must be imposed by violent means if necessary. The August 17 bombers proclaimed in their leaflets: "We're the soldiers of Allah. We've taken up arms for the implementation of Allah's law the way Prophet, Sahabis, and heroic Mujahideens have done for centuries."

IRF movement in the Muslim world is fueled by prevailing social inequality, disrespect for religious practices, economic deprivation, lack of people's voice in governance in many countries, autocratic rule of Kings, Sheikhs, Sultans, thieves, and thugs in the Middle East, extreme wealth accumulations by a small group, extreme poverty for most, poor human rights, high unemployment, etc.

One may add to these discriminating treatment of the generations-old Palestinian cause and the Kashmir conflict, along with numerous other contentious issues around the world, and of late, the universally opposed invasion of Iraq.

These issues along with the intrusions of western culture have become the topics of deliberations in mosques, and fiery speeches in religious congregations in Bangladesh and all over Muslim world.

Until the mid 1990s, Bangladesh was considered a liberal democracy; but not any more. Although secularism was one of the four principles on which the 1972 Constitution derived its roots, its spirit was denigrated by military usurpers who rehabilitated the "razakars" in Bangladesh politics (without any public contrition for their collaboration with Pakistani army), later made Islam the state religion, and created a ministry of religious affairs. After losing power in the 1996 election, the desperate BNP leadership allied more and more with extremist religious and rightist parties.

The rule of military usurpers (1979-1990) followed by endemic power struggle between two equally corrupt and ideologically bankrupt major parties have weakened the country's political system, economic infrastructure, and international image. Since its independence, the ruling elite enriched themselves at the expense of the rest. The poor and the pious developed contempt for the ruling elite for their foul play with black money, bank loan fraud, lavish life styles, etc.

The perceptions of the pious and the poor are: gone are the strictures against greed, the obligations of the elite to redress the plight of the have-nots, and the demands that humanity be wise stewards of God's creation. Gone are the "divine injunctions to bring justice into the world, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to tend to the sick, to assist the widow, to protect the orphan, and to shelter the homeless."

Bangladesh is ranked 145 out of 173 countries in the UN human development index where 25 percent out of the 140 million people earn less than a dollar per day, 30 percent earn just one dollar, and five million children make up 12 percent of the total workforce. The government is spending a very small percentage of the annual budget on health and education. According to the WHO, diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, asthma, and common diseases are killing thousands of poor people every year. Nearly 80 million people are living in shanty towns, without clean drinking water, or sanitation; only 11.2 percent live in concrete houses and nearly 70 percent have no proper housing. In rural areas, 10 percent of landowners hold 50 percent of the land, and 40 percent of small farmers own just 2 percent of arable land.

If IRF movement were to grown in any Muslim majority country anywhere in the world, there is no more fertile economic, social, and political ground than Bangladesh. BNP flirting with Jamaat-e-Islam has hastened that process. IRF movements which ignited extreme violence in Afghanistan, Algeria, and Egypt culminated from deep economic and social crises born out of failed authoritarian regimes.

The August 17 bomb explosions did not come out of the blue. In a recent report, the New York Times claimed that 10,000 militants regrouped on January 23, 2005, under the banner of Jagrata Muslim Janata in northern Bangladesh. They demanded the imposition of Islamic laws, and were involved in violence against different minorities.

The mushroom growth of madrasas, which are overwhelmingly attended by the poor and the dispossessed are devoid of any clear goals of how their education would economically benefit them individually and help the human capital development of the country. Add to it the BNP flirting with the Jamaat-e-Islam to cling to power. With 17 seats in the parliament (by BNP patronisation), the Jamaat has been harvesting its share of alliance governance to spread the nostalgia of fundamentalism.

The most dangerous aspect of IRFs in all religions is their indulgence in hatred and hostility against those who defy their extremism, and their justification of terrorism and murder as being "God's will." If the IRFs adhered to the principle that the purpose of religion is to teach tolerance, love and compassion, conflicts that exist around world today would cease to exist.

The authors are, respectively, Professor of Economics, Eastern Michigan University, and former Secretary to the Government of Bangladesh. Part two of this piece will be printed tomorrow.