Restoring the pride of mankind

 

 

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay warned in an annual report that Romanians are being discriminated in countries like the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Italy. She further suspected that the situation may worsen gradually. The news might not be able to grab much attention since the issue of racism has become more of a day-to-day affair in the global scenario, but its increasingly becoming odious is concerning the world community. The entire world is aware of racism and its effects but two extreme views from two famous personalities would perhaps simplify the issue. Adolf Hitler, former German chancellor, leader of the Nazi party, (1889-1945) said, “If I can send the flower of the German nation into the hell of war without the smallest pity for the shedding of precious German blood, then surely I have the right to remove millions of an inferior race that breeds like vermin.” On the other extreme, Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929 – 1968), the prominent leader in the African-American civil rights said on the issue of racism, “Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away, and that in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.” Such diverse views on one subject reveals the complexity over the issue. None succeeded to build a society based on their principles that they dreamed off.

Giving a brief, racism is widespread worldwide. If Germany was the extreme case during the time of Hitler's regime, none of the rest European nations including the UK, France and Italy is less racists. However, Arabs are not less racists. They consider themselves superior over people from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, who work in their lands. Their discriminatory pay, behaviour and policy are witness to this fact. Next in line is Australia. History reveals that over 600,000 had to die as result of white settlement in Australia. The recent racial attacks to Indians have further brought the country under severe criticism. Similarly, racism is visible in Asia, Africa, North America and Russia. Solutions to end the age-old malaise? Bernard Lewis, the British-American historian said that the Arab Empire was the "truly universal civilisation" to bring together people as diverse as the Chinese, the Indians, the people of the Middle-East, Black African, and white Europeans under the leadership of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and guidance of The Qur'an with one opinion that humankind has a single origin and rejected the idea of certain ethnic groups being superior to others. The same can be achieved again when our parents stop thinking that their son is superior over the daughter. We start thinking that we and our tribal neighbours belong to a single origin; the south or east Indian colleague in office is not different from us. No American or European is superior over an Asian or African. Critics argue that as long as there is economic, cultural, religious diversity, racism will not end. The fact is that economic equity is against the nature. Cultural diversity is inevitable. We can end racism, if we succeed to restore human dignity over everything. It's not impossible if we start from ourselves, at our home.