July 21, 2016

Qandeel Baloch's killing a wake-up call

editor:	Gurmeet Singh

Sometimes it feels like you only talk about Muslim countries. Like you only write about Muslims. When there's an explosion, the word Islam is probably going to be hanging around there somewhere, you think. An Islamist terrorist, the Muslim suspect, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Afghanistan, Pakistan. Sometimes it feels like you can't think of horror without thinking of a religion.

There's an obvious argument against this - the idea of different and sometimes competing conceptions of Islam make it impossible to describe one version of Islam as the true one, especially, if like me, you're not an adherent. So it's wrong, obviously, to say that a terrorist represented Muslims or Islam - it's literally nonsensical.

However, equally contemptible is the wholesale denial of the idea that there is a link between Islam-as-it-is-conceived-and-practised and the kinds of destruction we see. When we on the left claim that there is literally no link between Daesh, Al-Qaida etc. and Islam, then we blind ourselves to a truth: Islam can be and is being interpreted, by some people, as a religion that justifies exceptional violence against others, and the oppression of a range of people.

The idea that there is a set or matrix of beliefs and practices which can be differently interpreted and amplified is not only obvious, it's normal. You can be a non-practising Catholic, a moderate conservative, a Green capitalist, a lapsed Sikh, a Jewish neo-Marxist - obviously, obviously, obviously. It strikes us as abhorrent, then, for some reason, to actually say - something is going on in many, if not all of the world's religions about which we must be vigilant, including reactionary forms of Islam which precipitate terrorism and violence. Otherwise we continue to espouse values about equality and opportunity, about fairness, without thinking about some of the deeper contexts in which prejudice is couched.

The killing of Qandeel Baloch - Pakistan's first real social media phenomenon, represents such an opportunity. Strangled by her brother for bringing shame on her family, and repeatedly accused of being a shame to Muslims and Islam - represents such a conflict.

Obviously, I'm not claiming that all Muslims justify killings of this nature. I don't even think I have to say that, but I have. However, some Islamic societies, like many societies and communities, religious and secular, believe that women are inferior to men. Women simply displaying skin or engaging in sexually-coloured behaviour is often seen as a threat: To their own families and society. The point of this commentary is to reflect on our approach and understanding of Islam and Muslim-oriented cultures in particular; Will we ask ourselves if it is racist or hypocritical to criticise certain elements of Islam, including certain cultural conceptions of the religion, or if it is right? We will mistakes on the way if we choose to think about this stuff - we will occasionally say clumsy things, and hurt feelings, and behave ignorantly - but by saying there is absolutely no link between Islam and the killing of Qandeel Baloch, is to abrogate the duty of our own thought and where our other beliefs, like belief in equality compel us.

Obviously Islam is not the only node in the matrix of beliefs which make atrocities possible. There's also politics, economics, inequality, education, cultural beliefs, social constructions, obviously, obviously, obviously.

Furthermore, it is imperative to recognise that Islam, obviously, isn't alone as a belief which is used as a background for patriarchy. All other major religions do (yes, even that one), as does capitalism, as does neoliberalism, as does the so called-Enlightenment. And obviously, Muslim societies are not the only ones to engage in honour killings. However, the sheer intensity and number of atrocities, and more importantly, the fact that the great big Other in many of our lives is Islam (since many of us belong to a group of people not persecuted or abused for having Muslim beliefs or 'looking' like Muslims) - means it is our duty to negotiate our understanding of the capacities for violence and oppression inherent in the religion which are being invoked the world over. Simply saying it is racist or inappropriate to think like this doesn't challenge the argument because a) Many religions and societies do this, and b) our entire national political lives are geared towards a conflict with Islam anyway. If we don't engage with the possibility that there may be some connection between the religion and violence, well, then the extremists in our secular society win - because their voice is the loudest, and the one that says: All Muslims are terrorists.

We have to engage with the idea, while continuing to promote the equality of all people the world over. And remember: There's no reason we can't criticise ideas without linking entire groups of people to those ideas - there's no reason you can't criticise Islam without implicating all individual Muslims. It doesn't make sense to do that anyway. It's tough. It probably will even get us into trouble with our friends and colleagues and ourselves. But not doing it, believe me, will be tougher.