Living in Bellicose Times with Belligerent People

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 10 June 2024 "I May Not Like You and Your Views but I'll Stand by You When Your Honour Is at Stake." 'Separating ' by John Updike Main Laakh Tujhe Naa-Pasand Karoon Izzat Pe Teri Kabhi Aanch Na Aane Doon Khuld Barabankvi (Though I may dislike you quite intensely, I'll always protect your honour and amour-propre) This pertains to the recent 'Slapgate' incident at Chandigarh airport when a female CISF constable, Kulwinder Kaur, slapped Kangana Ranaut for making fun of farmers at the time of farmers' agitation. Newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kangana Ranaut arrives for Narendra Modi's oath-taking ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Sunday.(ANI) ------ This character Kangana is not much liked by many because she's an unabashed sycophant of BJP and Modi. She's a loudmouth who talks through her hat. All said and done, now she's an elected MP. Forget that too. She's an individual with self-respect and a security guard, at an airport or anywhere, is there for the protection of people and passengers. Slapping a woman in public is an act that must be condemned by all. Such despicable acts have no place in a civilized society. This reeks of rank hooliganism. Shabana Azmi has rightly said on her X account that, " While she has no love for Kangana, she categorically condemns this incident. She further wrote, " When security personnel resort to violence and defy law, it becomes a serious issue." Yet, there're people who're gloating over this and saying that Kangana has got her comeuppance. This is sadism. Remember, Benazir Bhutto's dignified reaction when she heard the news of the death of her bete-noire Gen Zia-ul-Haq who died in a plane crash at Bahawalpur, Pakistan, on August 17, 1988. All she said, "He got the nemesis." This is an extremely dignified reaction of a very educated person who studied at Harvard and Oxford Universities like her dad Z A Bhutto. She could have abused Zia who hanged her dad. But she chose to show restraint and didn't even say, 'good riddance.' We all seem to be losing this type of old-world refinement and have become too rustic in our reactions. The intemperate language, often outright abusive, that we get to see and hear on social media has affected all of us. We're nonchalantly calling people, 'certifiable imbecile,' 'idiot', 'uncultured yokel' and what not on public forums and there're people who justify this uncouth behaviour and trend. We've imbibed that bellicose spirit and are aping it to the last syllable. That's why, people hailing the unruly security guard at the airport outnumber those who're condemning this act. We're living in belligerent times when violence is justified by a majority of seemingly 'educated' people. This doesn't portend well. ----- 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://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/bellicose-belligerent-people/d/132477 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