By Khalid Baig
"Every religion has a distinct moral call and the moral call of Islam is haya." (Hadith Bayhaqi)
Haya is an all-encompassing
Islamic concept that includes modesty, decency, and inhibition against
sin. It is an inner feeling. A state of mind that reflects itself in
myriad ways. Among other things, it shows itself in the language one
uses.
How should one communicate about
morally sensitive and delicate subjects? Anyone can be crude, explicit,
and vulgar. But Islam civilizes this aspect of our life also and
teaches us to be refined, subtle, and indirect. As a result, the
language of Islamic societies has been the language of haya. They do not
talk about some subjects, (not publicly at least), not because of
ignorance, but because they know. When there is need to talk about
sensitive subjects, they are mentioned in a language that is as fully
clothed as decent men and women should be.
Such haya in the language is both a consequence of and a contributor
to the haya in the society. It is difficult to nurture haya in actions
if it is not cultivated in words also. The life of haya requires an
environment of haya and our ways of communication are a very important
determinant of that environment. Thus, it stands to reason that the
discourse of a people who's distinct moral call is haya would also
reflect that cherished distinction.
Today, three factors have begun
to change this. First, there is blow-back effect from emerging Muslim
presence in Western countries. The languages and the discourse here have
had as much regard for haya as one can find on a hot summer day on a
beach in Europe or the USA. The prevailing forms of expression about
delicate issues are as subtle as a sledgehammer. This is inherent
inability of the language in its current state of development. Moreover,
being explicit and crude is considered a virtue by the "open society."
To its convoluted logic inhibitions are a sickness and having taboos is
taboo. The atmosphere is clearly hostile to haya. Unfortunately, as
emerging communities within this landscape Muslims have had little time
for scrutiny; they have borrowed the vocabulary and idiom without
questioning.
Another reason for this attitude
is the "accent complex" of immigrant communities. Immigrants know that
their acceptance in the society depends upon their ability to speak the
language like the natives. This builds pressures for assimilation as far
as language is concerned. When it remains within healthy limits it
provides a positive force for gaining command over the language. But
when it exceeds those limits it becomes a complex: We just don't want to
sound different. Period. That is why many of us avoid benedictions when
writing in English, even though that has been a cherished and extremely
valuable Islamic tradition . That is why we avoid titles of respect in
places where we would be routinely using them if we were conversing in
Arabic, or Urdu, or Farsi, etc, etc. And that is why it does not occur
to us to deviate from the prevalent modes of expression even on intimate
subjects.
One can see the results of this
attitude in the most unlikely places: Jumma Khutbas, religious talks and
writings, and religious discussion groups. Normally we do not recognize
these changes because we have become accustomed to them. So one example
might help. In 1947, when British India was partitioned into Pakistan
and India, rogues and fanatics targeted women in addition to men and
children. The tragedy was remembered, but it was always referred to as
the 'violation of women' or 'sacrifice of honor'. In contrast, during
the Bosnia tragedy, everyone was using the R-word. Matter of fact.
Mechanical. Indifferent to haya.
This is just a symptom of a
widespread problem. One can routinely find today in the religious Q
& A columns published in Muslim newspapers and magazines, explicit
language about the most intimate matters. In the past, such issues were
discussed only privately, or in specialized text. They were never
considered appropriate for mass media.
Second, the emerging
communication technologies, because of the lopsided international power
structure, have effectively put Muslims at the receiving end of the
global media. This global media is alien to the ideas and ideals of
haya. It is spreading its haya-hostile language with impunity. To make
matters worse, most Muslim media outlets today act simply as clipping
services for the global media. All they can do is translate and in doing
that they are unwittingly (carelessly?) creating a new haya-neutral or
anti-haya vocabulary even in the languages which hitherto were
influenced by Islamic moral teachings. Thanks to the careless Muslim
journalists, the R word has become a common word in Pakistan also.
The issue of media is, of
course, a much bigger issue. Our subservience here has crippled our
ability not only to know about ourselves but also to think for
ourselves. We let the labels carefully crafted by the global media
machine to color our understanding of the world around us. We let its
language, its images, its tone, and its modes of expression dictate to
us what we will focus on and what we will talk about and how, when we
do.
Third, there is a deliberate
effort by big powers to destroy the moral fiber of all societies,
especially the Muslim societies, for strategic reasons. The machinery of
this social engineering project is gigantic and one of its main goals
is to corrupt the discourse by using all means possible. The notorious
"sex education" and "family welfare education" schemes are just one
example of this effort. The NGO's (Which are in fact FGO's or Foreign
Government Organizations), the international "aid agencies", and the UN
have been working feverishly to introduce all the wrongs in the name of
"rights". Together they act as one big Commission For the Elimination of
All Forms of Haya And Morality From the World. Sadly they have
discovered that most obscene of ideas and expressions magically become
legitimate, even respectable, when broadcast from their "respectable"
platforms.
Overall, the result has been
alarming. It is robbing our children and youth of their innocence. It is
robbing our societies of their sense of haya and Islamic morality. When
a people forget their distinct moral call, they are a people lost. We
should watch our language before we talk our way into that disaster.
