Religion is an integral part of our identity. However, it is not what everyone chooses to appoint as their identifier. Throughout our lives, we face a variety of experiences, and we choose for ourselves, which of these experiences should identify the “self”. These experiences create a sense of being. We dictate how we want to “be”.
Ideology: Throughout the article, the nouns belief and ideology would be used interchangeably. Ideology means a set of beliefs that one holds to be entangled with their identity. The author admits that all religions perpetuate an ideology, however he clarifies that religions are not the only ideologies.
A few established principles about ideology is that, everyone has them, and nobody has an obligation to align their ideologies with anyone else’s. Everyone has a duty to ensure a safe space for ideologies that they themselves do not follow. It is unfair to expect others to treat you with respect if you yourself hold demeaning, derogatory or harmful views about anyone else’s ideologies. No one ideology is better than the other, each ideology retains its own value with the follower.
Ideological Biases and Elitism
There is a vast array of different ideologies. There are such ideologies which according to your own, seems obviously wrong. It is fine to feel that way. However, it is unfair to have hostile mentalities against anyone not following your ideology. Your ideology has been shaped up by the kind of environment you grew up in, and the ideologies of the people in it. You listened to stories from the people around you, you adopted their moral sense. You did not grow the faith because you understood this was the reasonable thing to do. Humans do not question; they do not like to challenge constructs. They celebrate conformity. This is where ideological biases originate from. The biases make us feel superior to everyone else, it makes us ignore the fact that which ideology a person adheres to is determined by the lottery of birth. We often forget that if we are to expect respect from anyone, we must also be tolerant and respectful of their existence.
The Origin of the 10 Minute School Controversy
Robi 10 Minute School (10MS) is an educational institution. They have been working for ensuring quality education for free over the Internet for the people of Bangladesh. The viewers of 10MS are largely school and college students; however, the viewers are not limited to students.
10MS posted a video on menstrual health and another on consent in the past, that faced heavy criticism from ultra-conservatives. That is where everything started. 10MS was branded as a western atheist propaganda, for talking about something as natural as menstruation. They were accused of propagating indecency. 10MS had already been going through heavy scrutiny, when a former employee Shamir Montazid, currently in Oxford, posted about gay pride and everyone’s right to live. 10MS followers and non-followers from all over the country voiced an uproar, claiming that Shamir mirrors the ideologies of 10MS, Shamir misrepresented the culture of Bangladesh, and that he had been wrongly influencing the children. The subscriber-count faced a nosedive. Three founders, one of whom is currently not affiliated with 10MS, came forward with their death threats. Sakib Bin Rashid apologized over a Facebook post, and Ayman Sadiq broke down in a video. 10MS also made a post stating that they are independent of anyone’s beliefs.
Corporations and Social Activism
Corporations have a responsibility to not take any social stance in a movement (unless it had specifically been built to serve an agenda). The corporation does not actively support or denounce the voice of any of its founders, members or customers. Corporations are built strictly with a business incentive in mind.
This needs to be addressed because 10 Minute School is an educational organization, not a religious institution. It does not hold a responsibility to adhere to any religious principles. Its customers hold a range of different beliefs. They aren’t all Muslims. 10 Minute School has an ethical burden to respect all possible cultural beliefs. 10 Minute School does not identify as having the same beliefs of either Sakib Bin Rashid, Ayman Sadiq or Shamir Montazid.
Sakib, Ayman and Shamir, as individuals are entitled to their opinions. It is our duty to create the safe-space for these individuals. Threatening anyone for life, or for the loss of property, either upfront or through social media is a federal crime. The problem is, people adhering to the same ideology are divided into two groups, the former claiming that their beliefs tell them to threaten anyone not following the same, and the latter claiming that the former are not actually followers of this belief. Nobody is taking responsibility. The problematic people still keep preaching unrest.
Suppression of the content is an ultra-conservative propaganda
The entire backlash had been harboring around many contents of which three stood out, videos about consent, menstruation and Shamir’s post supporting the LGBTQ+. We first need to understand that Shamir’s post was made from his personal account on Facebook, not from any of 10MS’s media pages. Shamir Montazid, like any other individual, is entitled to his opinion, and also to his personal safety. Every threat made to him is a crime, both by law, and by God. Slut-shaming his sister is the worst kind of religious representation anyone could take part in. Justification of demanding death sentence of all homosexuals proves that you are intolerant of any other beliefs apart from your own. It is ironic to see anyone expect their beliefs to be respected when they themselves cannot respect anyone with separate beliefs. If someone’s personal choice makes you uncomfortable, then you have a bias-problem. You don’t hate homosexuals because religion tells you to, you hate them because you are bigoted, and you use religion as an excuse to support your hate.
The LGBTQ+ has been oppressed badly by all religious communities including the Muslims. They fear that if this community were to gain legitimacy, they would need to be accountable for their actions. This religious faction is so desperate that they voice their hate of the LGBTQ+ openly. They feel threatened that the positive wave would be harmful for them, so they formulate their campaigns such that people remain ignorant.
Menstruation is the most natural thing about women. However, it is not taught in schools. Men remain oblivious to it for the major part of their lives. Because girls do not get proper guidance about it, they remain confused. The way the society forces them to hide this part of their body makes them feel like periods are something to be ashamed of. This makes them overly conscious about themselves, which leads to them feeling lesser. Menstruation is absolutely natural, and if talking about it makes someone uncomfortable, it shows how problematic the current notion of the society is.
For eternity, religion has been controlled by men. In the rural areas, it is often the highly opinionated male population that impart religious decisions upon the followers. If women had been more self-aware, these people’s authority would be threatened. Furthermore, making women hate the way their body has been biologically functioned is one way to make them regret their existence. This means women would stay too insecure to demand anything. Everything is a game of power. The patriarchy keeps the women suppressed.
It is regrettable that after so many years of women demanding suffrage, we still view feminism as something negative in our country. People can openly boast that they are “anti-feminists” and pretend that it’s something cool. For people to deny women of something as basic as consent speaks of the rape culture of our society. We need to understand that a woman’s body belongs to her, not her husband, not anyone else. She gets to open it to or restrict it from whatever she feels right. Denying a woman of this right lowers her value to a sex object. It gives men an excuse to treat women however they want. This further justifies rape. People seem to not understand that they are not entitled to sex just because they got married. The owner of the body decides what happens to it.
Marriage does not mean consent.
Ultra-conservatives negate the idea of marital rape and use religion as an excuse to rape without the fear of consequences. They indoctrinate their women into believing that having sex is their only purpose. They force the women into remaining weak and unquestioning of their husband’s authority. Religion never justified rape. Even in marriage, religion has given women the right to disagree.
Throughout the ages, people have used religion to serve their own agendas. The generations have trivialized religion. They have formed their own interpretations of the scriptures and have heavily publicized them in order to uphold their authority. And it is still happening. Keep in mind that using religion as an excuse devalues the religion.
Why do people retaliate?
Religion is controlled by a handful of people so that it keeps serving their agenda. The general people prefer conforming; humans are not functioned to challenge norms. These make social reforms difficult. People are unwilling to accept that they are parts of the problem. In their minds, they are shining examples of morality, and their thoughts are backed up by their biases. People feel overprotective of their biases. They preach that they are just, and when someone makes them question their position, they retaliate. South Asians feel a wild religious entitlement. Studies show that they treat religion to be something that values an individual’s existence. This leads them into being hostile against people who do not hold the same beliefs.
Discourse happens because certain mentalities of the society are problematic. It is a long-term process (nearly 30 years according to studies). The most vulnerable people are those that initiate the discourse, because they are the minority, and their journey for truth has people enraged.
This was the struggle 10MS faced. Being overachievers and beacons of rational thinking Shamir, Sakib and Ayman tried to use whatever they have achieved to bring a positive change. However, the customers are not prepared yet. They are not willing to let go of their biases. People do not decide based on logic, people decide based on biases. This is why, these people could speak up against something as natural as menstruation, or as basic as consent. This is why 10MS lost their followers.
What we need to understand
The world is not ideal. The reason why educated people do not care about social reforms is that they know in this country, it’s pointless. Three of the most talented people in our country tried doing something larger than life. And we reminded them that the two revolutionaries that stayed back should’ve also left the country. We do not deserve prolific bio-chronologists in Bangladesh. 10MS has not failed us, we failed 10 Minute School.