What Makes Javed Akhtar a Fearless Rebel

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 25 February 2023 Javed Akhtar is a man whose persona is best described by the famous lines of Allama Iqbal, ' Zahid-e-Tang Nazar Ne Mujhe Kaafir Jaana Aur Kaafir Ye Samajhta Hai Ke Musalmaan Hoon Main....' (The parochial 'wise' man thinks that I'm a Kafir and the Kafir thinks that I'm a Muslim). 'Keh Ke Le Li', Javed Akhtar Visits Pakistan, Accuses Country Of Harbouring Terrorists In Speech © Provided by Indiatimes ----- But this much maligned man is unaffected and continues to proclaim the truth without fear. The way he took Pakistan to task in Pakistan, needs courage of conviction. A few years ago, I wrote an article in an English daily in which I analysed that Javed Akhtar's candour sprang from his non-belief in god and religion, quoting Ibn Warraq (an ex-Muslim), “If one has even an iota of faith or belief, truth eludes him. To speak the truth you must be free of faith. " Here I'm not suggesting that one has to be an atheist to proclaim the truth. I also believe that atheism is also a belief; a counter belief to be precise. Nonetheless, an ism. In fact, we all resort to a hackneyed term like atheist for the want of a suitable word. I remember my apatheist mentor Dr Zaifa Ashraf's words in an Urdu daily, “Mujhe Ilhadi Kah Kar Alfaaz Ke Shikanje Mein Mat Kasiye. Main Inn Sab Ke Pare Jaa Chuki Hoon" (Don’t imprison me by calling an atheist. I've gone beyond all this). Javed is like that, he has gone beyond belief and unbelief; theism and atheism. Since ordinary people understand only the language of binary and dichotomy, they have created words like theists and atheists. But both have a belief system. So, both have the right to criticise each other's doctrinal inclinations. Both are sailing in the same boat. Only those who go beyond theism and atheism, can see things as they are. Their perceptions aren't clouded by any belief whatsoever. An atheist is as militant as a theist is. But who's neither a theist nor an atheist is a free man and he can speak out fearlessly. He's also free of rancour. I once asked my Iranian professor of Persian that why the 10th-century Persian word Zaraqeen (an apatheist) became obsolete. He told me that human brain was still not evolved to think that such an indifferent category could also exist apart from theist and atheist. So, stop calling Javed Akhtar or anyone an atheist to mean that the person has no faith in god, religion and all that jazz. To paraphrase Ludwig Wittgenstein's famous quote from Tractatus, ' The limits of your language mean the limits of your world.' Many people have lived a religion-neutral and god-insouciant life and they've also lived with moral rectitude, compassion and fellow-feeling. They've never called anyone amoral, shameless and as lacking manners and grooming. ------- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/javed-akhtar-fearless-rebel/d/129196 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism