Bishop Desmond Tutu and Narges Mohammadi: In the Same Bracket

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 8 October 2023 “My father always used to say, "Don't raise your voice. Improve your argument." Good sense does not always lie with the loudest shouters, nor can we say that a large, unruly crowd is always the best arbiter of what is right.” ― Desmond Tutu It's really a lovely coincidence that this year's Iranian Peace Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi quoted Tutu when she was incarcerated by the oppressive and theocratic Iranian regime. October 7 is Tutu's Birth Anniversary. If you observe, there's a fine pattern on the part of almost all the winners of the Nobel Peace Award (I'm not talking about Henry Kissinger, Vietnam's Le Duc Tho, Yasser Arafat or even Obama; they were exceptions) that they all followed a path of peace and non-violence and believed in dialogue instead of destruction. Like Bishop Tutu, Narges has always believed in a civilised way of protesting and registering her dissent. This Nobel should act as a shot in the arm of female empowerment in Islam. Congratulations to her. Narges Mohammadi AFP - Getty Images ----- Coming back to Tutu's comment: "Good sense does not always lie with the loudest shouters, nor can we say that a large, unruly crowd is always the best arbiter of what is right.” India, at the moment, must follow and ponder over this sage advice because the current situation is a manifestation of what the Nobel laureate said years ago. Legions of marauding Hindu fanatics are holding the country to ransom. They're creating an atmosphere of terror and apprehensions and doing nothing worthwhile. As they say, mobs have no jobs, these unruly shouters have nothing to do. Piggybacking on unscrupulous political leaders, they're just terrorising the meek and minorities (read Muslims). In this chaotic bedlam, we need people like Bishop Tutu and Narges Mohammadi who can voice their concerns in a peaceful and sagacious manner. We don't want belligerent Owaisis or scores of militant Hindus Sadhus and Sadhvis. Instead, we're in need of voices of sense and sanity who can fight relentlessly like Narges and Tutu without rancour and revenge. We want a civilised world free of rascals who're ruling the roost. ------ 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/spiritual-meditations/bishop-tutu-narges-mohammadi/d/130852 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