Are people like Dr. Shabbir Ahmed a freethinker?

Setara Hashem

A freethinker by definition is one, who considers pros and cons of a subject from all sides. In philosophy, this is defined as “no phenomena is isolated from, and independent of, each other, but as a connected and integral whole, in which things, phenomena are organically connected with, dependent on, and determined by, each other”. A freethinker will consider “Islam” & “Sex with Slave Girls and Prisoner of Wars in the Hadis Literature” in the light of the social, political and economical condition prevailed at that place and time. Now the question is whether Dr. Taj Hashmi has analyzed the subject or not on the basis of the aforementioned scientific method. As I know Dr. Hashmi is a progressive Bangladeshi and a student of the subject. His views are more realistic than the views of the so-called freethinker like Abul Kasem, Syed Kamran Mirza, Dr. Alamgir Hussain, Fatemolla and Dr. Shabbir Ahmed. These so-called freethinkers are analyzing the subject at hand in an isolated fashion. Islam and Hadis Literature did not descent from sky. Human beings brought them in at different time for their own social development of that time at that place. These subjects are historical phenomenon; depend on social system of the time. Again social system depends on environmental, political, social, cultural and economical condition of the place at that time. The aforementioned variables are always changing. Therefore, social system is being changed. Then the job of a freethinker is to keep the vehicle of social system running. Therefore, their vision should be forward looking to maintain running condition of the system. Social change is not desire of the reactionaries. They engage religious orthodox and Mullahs to divert attention of the people from main issues to camouflage their exploitation. Sex is one of the two basic requirements of human being, whereas slave system was the first step of the stair of civilization, which leaded the society to modern bourgeois social system. Every system has its own requirement, which is inseparable from the system. Sex with slave girls and prisoners of wars were inseparable legal act of slave system of that time. The slave system has met its natural death and that act of the system was forbidden, but still it is being practiced in different name in Bosnia, Iraq and other places. The actors of the present occurrences are the arm forces of a mighty power, though these people are not in Islamic faith. Muslim Family Law has replaced Hadis literature to meet social requirement of the time. The freethinker’s duty is to fight against the remaining inconsistencies in the Muslim Family Law. Hadis Literature is a historical phenomenon, activities of the past, cannot be a subject of a freethinker. A successful birth of a child could not be taken place without oily materials.

11.06.2005

 

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