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Religious tolerance, respect
Editorial…
Kaieteur News- In recent days, the issue of religious tolerance and respect has raised its head following the release of a very ugly song by ‘Baby Skello’ that portrays the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi in a vulgar, sexually explicit, and blasphemous manner.
Given that the issue has now engaged the attention of the Guyana Police Force, we will restrict our comments to this country’s very stellar record in promoting religious freedom. However, since the release of the song, we have seen a string of statements and letters to the editor condemning the singer and also there has been at least one protest action. In a strongly worded statement, Culture Minister, Charles Ramson reminded that religion is an important part of culture, noting Guyana prides itself as being a multi-cultural society epitomising religious freedom and respect for religious freedom. He said Guyanese have progressively moved beyond merely recognising freedom of religious expression and religious tolerance – enshrined in our supreme law (the Constitution) as a fundamental right – to inter-religious participation. “It is so common for Guyanese of all religions to participate and enjoy religious events such as Christmas, Phagwah, Eid, Easter, Diwali etc., wear religious clothing, enjoy religious food, that it has become our way of life – our Guyanese Culture. This culture, however, is not common in all parts of the world, which constantly searches for conflict. This culture is something we, as Guyanese, should be proud of – but pride is not enough – recognition, respect, and protection are all important,” he said.
Even though our population is small, all the major religions have a presence in our land. In these days of instantaneous global communication, we are all too aware that in many countries of the world, religion has been, and remains, a source of intense conflict. In Guyana, by and large, we have been spared this scourge and this lack of religious strife should be a source of pride for us and an example for the rest of the world. In some societies, religious extremists can contribute to conflict escalation. These individuals are found in every religion and conceive of “extreme” measures as necessary to fulfilling “God’s wishes”.
They are “fundamentalist” in the sense that they claim to be “returning to the fundamentals” of their religion. They all tend to adopt a dogmatic, Manichean view of the world: if the world is a struggle between light and darkness, it is hard to justify compromising with darkness. Since every text can be open to varying interpretations, even though the majority of followers are moderates, any sign of moderation can be decried by the extremists as selling out, more importantly, of abandoning “God’s will”.
The harmonious relations among the various religious followers in Guyana can be attributed to the relative dearth of religious extremists in our midst and this must be encouraged and protected. One of the contributing factors has been our primary education curriculum starting right from nursery school. Our children are exposed to the major tenets of the various religions that exist in our midst and this early awareness serves as a barrier when extremist exclusivist doctrines are preached later. In our schools also, the major religious festivals are celebrated and it is very common for children of all faiths to participate in the commemoration of other traditions. Another positive development that has fostered religious harmony and tolerance in our society has been the expansion of interfaith dialogue to the extent that we have a functioning Inter-religious Organisation. The very fact that there is a permanent organisation that has religious leaders from across the spectrum meeting regularly offers great opportunity for budding differences that may lead to conflict to be headed off. The constitution provides for freedom of religion and worship, including the right to choose and change one’s religion. The constitution protects the right of religious groups to provide religious instructions to their adherents. No citizen is compelled to take part in any religious education, ceremony, or observance without the individual’s consent. The constitution forbids taking an oath contrary to one’s religion or belief without the individual’s consent. Let us preserve our freedom of religion and at the same time be on guard to beat back forces that will threaten this right.
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