Fundamentalism arises when the self-preserving ethnocentrism, natural egocentrism, literalism , and cosmology, in short, religion's traditional mediations, work to maintain themselves in the new Diaspora of religion in the secularized cultures of modern nation-states. That is what appears to happen in the countries who came into existence after world war . In order to maintain harmony within their borders the civilians have to do away with the rigid laws and beliefs of their religious practices. That is what we see happening in countries like Saudi Arabia where Hindus are allowed to burn firecrackers as a celebration of their festival of Diwali. But in this case it appears as the mass was never ready to accept the minority in their country as a part of the nation The author of this novel is not just gratified by portraying some one’s abduction or running away from some kind of situation Nasreen is keener to keep the wrath in the minds of the populace responsible for such a gruesome act. She beyond a shadow of a doubt weaves each and every incident from Day One to Day Thirteen.
Lajja span from 1993, when in the after math of demolition of Babri Masjid on 6 December, communal riots began in Bangladesh and the minority community in the country was severely persecuted. It is impeccably researched. A stately and vibrantly detailed family saga set in the state on Bangladesh against the tumultuous backdrop of the twentieth century. When Babri Masjid was destroyed in India, the Hindus in Bangladesh faced the fear of attack from fanatic fundamentalists and many are considering an mass departure to India. It is a crude irony of fate that the people, who belonged to the same religion and culture once upon a time could be miserably divided on the lines of religion which had been thrust upon them with the passage of time. Sudhamoy and Suranjan thought different, if one is not safe at home, he is not safe in anywhere in the world. Suranjan a caste Hindu from Bangladesh finds himself caught in the catch-22 position when it comes to leave his home land and move to India. The novel has an abrupt commencement because discover Suranjan’s asking his own consciousness a question,
Why should he flee his home simply because his name is Suranjan Datta?
It is here that perceive the direct influence of communal being rising in him. He also calls his own family fugitives just because of their names. Suranjan is thus completely possessed by anti-secular thoughts revolving around him by means of the mob. Hence, there is a very deliberate perverting of the majority by some ill- humane and antipathy behavior. Where as Maya, his sister is practical and has lost confidence in her country. Taslima Nasrin alleviate the history of Bangladesh and acquaint us that the communist ruling party and the opposition both are equally responsible for forge a secular state to religion based state , as they wont risk their vote banks drawn on communal lines. The communists, who are suppose to fight for secularism keep silent on the spreading violence. The religion at such a moment of crisis masks definite importance in the novel even though it has not been specified about the forcible acceptance of religion Sudhamoy, his wife Kironmoyee and their two children who lived in Bangladesh. It is often seen that religion teaches its followers that their faith is greater than any other faith and to elaborate they may give many examples which logical can never be applied to any different faith. Religion also leads people to depend on fate and thus lose self-confidence. It unnecessarily glorifies poverty and sacrifice and thus serves the vested interests of the wealthy few. In all countries and through all ages, conscientious people have exposed these unethical aspects of religion and educated people to see religion with the eyes of reason and logic. In order to survive over any period of time, a religion must develop and maintain rituals, narratives, origin-stories, practices, taboos, and figures and institutions of authority. In early history Religion was threaten by the political beings or by the military. However the impact was less on the society as every decade the society changed its way of perception. It happened that there were "religious" aggressions from other people, by internal heterodoxies, alternative origin-stories, and alternative practices and belief. But with modernity came the tolerance for other faith and ethics.
After the demolition Babri Masjid in India, the fanatics in Bangladesh inflicted inhuman tortures on the Hindu minorities forcing them either to embrace Islam or to leave Bangladesh. One thinks that if by changing ones religion one can give justice to their nation. Then why do people who are forced to change theirs either commit suicide or hide. The answer is as simple because one knows that it wont give justice to any of the religion and the act of conversion itself will prove backstabbing for the two religions simultaneously. In the movie Silent waters , Kiron Kher plays a character of a girl who goes otherwise, instead of getting killed she chooses to settle with a Muslim men which makes her change her religion. However till the end she is not able to come to terms with her new false identity which leaves her no other way but to kill herself. It shows how it is difficult to do away with identity and embrace other. When Suranjan says, ‘…This country is making me communal. I am not to be blamed’, can see that the author lost her hope on communists, who according to author are in preach and not in practice. ‘Perhaps the illiterate masses needed to cling on to the comfort and security that religion provides’. It is seen that both fundamentalist and non fundamentalists organization religious communities work according to modern principles and try to out do each other. Edward Farley have argued that, granting the differences between religions, there does exist a complex of similar behaviors and attitudes in these faiths that justify a common label. Behind these similarities is the struggle of all contemporary religious faiths to maintain themselves in a radically secularized world. In Bangladesh the scenario till the partition was friendly, however, Partition lead to rethink the decision for the government to built a secular state and co-exist with its partitioned half. A likely example could be given of Russia, an agricultural country co-existing with being the only atheist state. The countries namely India, Pakistan, Bangladesh who share their past has taken some bitter souvenir from each one of them. The government being modern is trying to teach anti views for each other. This kind of diasporas is seen very strongly when any person from any of the above mentioned country leaves for abroad, the racial similar people face this question Where are you from? Are you from India? The unwillingness to face the challenge of minority communalism is now coming home to roost. Indian subcontinents saw an immediate rise of rampage.
Ranjan’s sisters, Malati and Ramrati, were both married off to Muslims and within months of being wed were both turned out.
Only accepting another religion or changing to another religion is not the way to survive in the fundamentalist country. But to live in them and to be accepted by these fundamentalist as their part is the difficult part later. Hence it is observed that the Diaspora religion can sometimes acquire a place in the fundamentalist setup but rarely accepted by the government.
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