Fanaticism: A World-Devouring Fire

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

The work produced by Mr. Alan Bryson, a member of the Baha'i Faith in Germany, could not have been more timely. Last year's Black Tuesday in September and Miraculous Thursday in December and this year's carnage and communal violence in Gujarat are indicative of the signs and portents of present-day society. The phenomenon is worldwide. There is steady and general deterioration in the quality of life everywhere not simply due to the economic disparities and injustices, not even due to the worsening conditions of the environment but primarily due to suspicion, fear, and hatred throughout the world. How apt, therefore, is this passage from the Bahá'í writings penned over a century ago. "Today we have closed our eyes to every righteous act and have sacrificed the abiding happiness of society to our own transitory profit. We regard fanaticism and zealotry as redounding to our credit and honour, and not content with this, we denounce one another and plot each other's ruin, and whenever we wish to put on a show of wisdom and learning, of virtue and godliness, we set about mocking and reviling this one and that." Indeed, as the Universal House of Justice noted in November of 1992, "the world in its current condition has lost its bearings through the operation of forces it neither understands nor can control. It is a period in which great dynasties and empires have collapsed in rapid succession, in which powerful ideologies have captured the hearts of millions only to expire in infamy, in which two world wars wreaked havoc on civilised life as it was known at the beginning of the 20 century. The trend shows no signs of abating International terrorism, insurgency and militancy, internal and external threats and countless other destructive activities have filled with fear and dismay the hearts and minds of all thoughtful citizens in every country. Coping with day-to-day chores with such rampant uncertainty has deranged the world's equilibrium. Added to this are the genocides and well conceived pogroms of ethnic and minority community cleansing. The tumult and upheaval is universal. One day it is Fiji, the next day could be Kosovo, Somalia. Or it could be Chechnya or Afghanistan. The list is unending. The questions that beget us are: Who is responsible? Whither are we headed? The Taliban has been temporarily wiped out, the Al Qaeda have been scattered, but Islamic jehadis continue to operate in large numbers. O how shameful it has become for an ordinary Muslim to face his fellow non-Muslims in any society. The book provides a context, a rich tapestry of scriptural quotes pertinent to the overall theme of fanaticism and offers plausible answers for coming out of present-day deadlocks. It calls for a searching re-examination of the prevailing patterns of societal organisation be it social, economic, religious or political. The author suggests that it is no longer possible to maintain the belief that the well-being of the planet's inhabitants and progress of the nations can occur simply on basis of the materialistic conception of life. Most importantly the appeal is to the religious leadership, especially the Muslim religious leaders to educate and prevail upon the masses of their followers to turn away from prejudice and fanaticism so that present-day civilisation may be saved from the slough of impending extinction. My heart aches, for I note with intense regret that the attention of the people at the helm of affairs is nowhere directed toward that which is worthy of this day and time. Please God let a new beginning be made.

On September 11, 2001, billions of people around the globe watched in shock and dismay as horrific scenes of mass murder unfolded before their eyes. In an instant, men with hearts as hard as stone and souls as black as night, callously murdered thousands of innocent men, women and children. In the ninth month of the first year of a new millennium, mankind's hopes for a new and peaceful future appeared to crumble into a smouldering mass grave only blocks away from the headquarters of the United Nations. After it was discovered that the attack was perpetrated by fanatics claiming to act in the name of God, this appallingly reprehensible act became even more abhorrent. The extent of their fanaticism gave chilling notice that conciliation, appeasement, and reason would only fan the flames of their fury. Among their final instructions, were calls to bathe carefully, remove excess body hair, and repeat a thousand times, "There is no God but God." They were told to be optimistic because they were, "heading for a deed that God loves and will accept. This is the day, God willing, you spend with the women of Paradise." They hasten forward to Hell Fire, and mistake it for light. Bahá'u'lláh Initially, the horror was diminished somewhat by the notion that this was merely a small group of crazed fanatics, but the disturbing scenes of jubilant crowds celebrating the death and destruction and gleefully brandishing photographs of terrorist leaders as if they were heroes, dashed this ray of hope. Yes there may have been an emotional high as feelings of revenge, frustration, rage and envy gave way to schadenfreude, but those duped into seeing this as a victory, will inevitably awaken to the reality that terrorism and fanaticism demand a high price. This deranged suicidal cult, devoid of conscience and bent on murder and destruction, has done incalculable damage to humanity in general, and to those whom they claim to champion in particular. There is a finite productive capacity in the world, and after the events of September 11 a significant portion of the world's limited resources were diverted away from productive pursuits and into measures to protect against an array of potential terrorist threats. Some economists have labelled this the "fear tax" or the "terror tax". In the private sector, insurance premiums and security costs have skyrocketed, while business and consumer confidence have plummeted. Consequently, millions of people worldwide have lost their jobs, causing tax revenues to plunge. Governments confronted with higher military, security and intelligence expenditures are now faced with fewer financial resources for developmental and humanitarian aid, health care, medical research, education, and a long list of vital social needs. Unfortunately, in our global economy, those who will suffer most are the poorest and most vulnerable, and many of them are Muslims. Now it may prove to be more difficult to come to their aid because the activities of legitimate Islamic relief organisations have been hampered, after it was alleged that some Islamic charities have funnelled relief funds to terrorists. Likewise, the livelihoods of ordinary Muslims have also been affected. For example, tourism is an important source of income for many Islamic countries, and while the travel industry worldwide has suffered, Islamic countries have been particularly hard hit. Similarly, imagine the impact the events of September 11 will have on corporate decisions about where to build future factories.

September 11, 2001. Billions of people around the globe watched in shock and dismay, as horrific scenes of mass murder unfolded before their eyes. In an instant, men with hearts as hard as stone and souls as black as night callously murdered thousands of innocent men, women and children. From dark and malevolent quarters, persistent voices exhort violence, disunity and destruction in the name of God. Unfortunately, many have heeded this call to murder and self-destruction. Although fanaticism is a phenomenon which can affect all religions, at this particular point in time a highly militant form of global extremism, committed to jihad, represents the most serious risk to mankind's existence. In the middle of the 19th century in Persia, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith described fanaticism as a world-devouring fire. He revealed a system for overcoming fanaticism which summons us to look beyond race, gender, religion, ethnicity and nationality and see ourselves as citizens of a unified world, owing our existence to a common Creator. This declaration produced a fierce fanatical reaction in Persia, where over 20,000 people who answered the call were brutally murdered in a wave of state-sanctioned persecution. Now over a century later, millions have embraced this unifying vision. This book will help you to understand why. Especially for those concerned with the outwardly intractable conflict between Muslims, Jews, and Christians, this book offers a beacon of light in these seemingly dark and hopeless times. Alan Bryson was born in the United States, where he earned his BA and MA degrees. For most of his adult life he has resided in Germany and has travelled extensively. A lover of the outdoors, he enjoys hiking, alpine and cross-country skiing, cycling, swimming, and snorkelling.