Mohammad Akram / New Delhi
Dr. Mohammad Aleem, who wrote the iconic stage play Imam-e-Hind: Ram and brought the story of Ramayana as written by Valmiki in the Urdu language to millions of theater lovers across the world firmly believes that dialogue between India's two major religious communities - Muslims and Hindus - is the need of the hour.
Speaking with Awaz the voice, Dr. Mohammad Aleem said that no society is uniform and that does not mean that people of one religion should not be aware of the religion of the other. "The whole world has turned into a multi-society in a way. People of all kinds live everywhere. Its biggest beauty is that people may have differences of opinion and religion, but we live together."
He said on the global level, there is a war going on between Israel and Palestine at this time. As a result, there are fights and no jobs for people to take up. Poverty and unemployment are rampant. "In the light of this, it is, therefore, important we try to eliminate hatred from our society at the soonest."
He feels the environment that has been created in the country for the last few years has increased the tensions between Muslims and Hindus. This is bad for "the development and security of our country."
"If we want to see our country developed and successful, it can happen only through harmony. We cannot fight our enemies by fighting among ourselves. I feel dialogue between different religious communities is the only way to create harmony and amity."
It may be mentioned that Dr Aleem's play has since been compiled into a book and many Indian scholars have translated it into different Indian and foreign languages.
Dr. Aleem says there is a need to seek dialogue from both sides. "The problem will be solved by talking to 10 or 20 Muslim intellectuals. Efforts should be made to establish peace by talking to people from every section of the society.
"No religion teaches violence or murder; all religions preach peace and love. The Quran says that if an innocent person is killed, it is like killing the whole of humanity. Here, no discrimination is made whether the person is a Hindu or a Muslim, a Christian or a Jew. This shows the importance given to humanity in Islam," Dr. Aleem says.
Dr. Aleem says that one of his objectives in writing the play "Imam e Hind: Ram" was that Lord Ram was being portrayed as an aggressive personality. "The way his personality was being weakened and his story was being used as a slogan for violence I had a deep desire to understand Ram."
"I was very keen to understand Ram; his personality, thinking, and life. Since he is called Maryada Purushottam in Valmiki Ramayana, he is not seen as God but as a human. So I thought that if we write a play based on Valmiki Ramayana, it will prove more helpful in making people understand the character of Ram. God and deities have good qualities, but if a human has good qualities then we can learn a lot from him."
The purpose of all this was to understand his life. When I wrote the play, my other purpose was to understand how the distance that is being created between Muslims and Hindus can be bridged through literature. For this, it is important to reach out to the common people. How can the reach be increased?
Book based on Dr. Muhammad's Aleem's play Imam-e-Hind: Ram
The way to do this can be through literature, and organizing cultural programs like dramas, and seminars. In villages where people are not very aware, make personal contact. Organize meetings and processions and give speeches that increase the frequency of meetings among people and convey the message to each other while giving importance to each other's opinions.
Dr. Alim emphasizes that there are many misunderstandings in the name of Jihad among the religions of the world. "Jihad is a sacred thing in Islam. It has been said that Jihad can be done when there is oppression against someone. We can fight against cruelty. Such misunderstandings can end only when we communicate with each other and the best way to communicate is to use electronic media."
He proposes the use of literature for inter-religious communications and recommends people write about it in media. "Besides, short videos can be made and posted on social media platforms. This will help people understand each other's opinions. Like, before writing Ramayana, I did not know much about Hinduism," Dr Aleem said.
My opinion about Hinduism became very positive. When I was researching Baba Neem Karauli, I researched for six months, then I felt that he is such a personality who gives only the message of love. People know less about him. It is more important to spread it.
Dr. Mohammad Aleem agrees that the Prime Minister says that we have to take the country ahead of America and China by 2045. If we remain stuck in domestic disputes, how will the country develop?
"The biggest religion is humanity. If we humans don't respect each other then who will? Political parties will be there today and not tomorrow. Power comes and goes. The survival and happiness of human life can be found only in love and harmony. Those who try to harm it, deal with them strictly. Keep national interest paramount."
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